ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Federal Education has decided to pay the salaries of trained seminary teachers who teach contemporary education, Minister for Federal Education Shafqat Mahmood announced at the Inter Provincial Education Ministers Conference on Monday.

Education ministers discussed various issues at the meeting, and decided that all 29 educational boards in the country would announce higher secondary school certificate results by Aug 15 so students have enough time to apply for admission to the universities of their choice.

Universities will complete the admissions process by Sept 15.

The meeting was attended by Punjab Education Minister Murad Ras, Adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on Elementary and Secondary Education Ziaullah Bangash, Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister Ijaz Jakhrani, Mohammad Khan Lehri from Balochistan and education ministers from Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

At a press conference after the meeting, Mr Mahmood said that a Directorate General of Religious Education (DGRE) has been set up to register and facilitate seminaries.

Education ministers meeting decides all 29 educational boards will announce HSSC results by Aug 15, universities to complete admissions by Sept 15

There are between 32,000 and 35,000 seminaries, he said, of which 3,000 will be registered in the first year.

The registration of seminaries will be completed in four years, and the DGRE will pay Rs17,000 a month in salaries and stipends to registered seminaries for teachers who teach contemporary education.

The government has also introduced a new stream of matriculate education called Matric Tech, he said.

In addition to the science and arts stream, students can enrol in Matric Tech for technical education that will help them find employment, Mr Mahmood said, adding that the ministry in collaboration with the provinces is going to launch a programme to improve the education sector.

The World Bank will provide $450 million for this project, he said.

While discussing uniform education to be introduced across the country initially at the primary level, he said the curriculum will be shared with the provinces which will place it before their provincial assemblies for approval before it is launched.

DGRE head Rafiq Tahir told Dawn later that the organisation will pay the salaries of two teachers at all registered seminaries that have more than 100 boarding students.

“Per seminary, we will provide the salary of two teachers. In the first phase, we will provide salaries of two teachers in 1,000 seminaries,” he said, adding that the recruitment of the teachers will be the responsibility of the concerned seminary.

A project worth Rs1.84 billion has already been approved in this regard, he said.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2019