PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has said that the introduction of a comprehensive monitoring system for tracing ghost schools and checking attendance of both students and teachers would bring a positive change in the education sector and help improve the standard of education in the province.

He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of Independent Monitoring Unit (IMU) established for checking different matters of schools, including their educational needs and attendance of staff and students, here on Wednesday, according to a handout.

He said that today the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led coalition government had achieved a target, which was never paid attention in past. Provincial education minister Mohammad Atif Khan and project director IMU Ikramullah Khan also addressed the ceremony.

The education minister said that of 100,000 candidates 475 monitors had been recruited through NTS, who during last three months conducted a survey of over 25,000 schools in the province and collected data concerning schools’ requirements, including teachers, furniture, toilets and water.

He said that the monitoring process would continue and measures for bringing improvement in the standard of education would be taken in the light of that survey.

The chief minister appreciated the joint efforts of the department of education and British donor agency DFID for establishment of the system and hoped that it would produce tangible results.

He said that before the establishment of PTI-led government, corruption was rampant in all departments. He said that his government gave priority to the education and health and declared emergency in both sectors. He claimed that steps taken by his government had started bearing fruit.

Mr Khattak said that KP’s Sehat Ka Insaf programme and police force had been acknowledged as a role model for other provinces. He said that today the PTI-led coalition government took another step for improving quality of education with the establishment of monitoring unit in elementary education department.

“We have abolished the class-based colonial system of education and started unified educational system of international standard from this academic year to erase the difference between the children of rich and poor and enable them all to compete on equal footings,” Mr Khattak said.

The chief minister said that the government had stopped interference in all public sector departments. He said that all appointments in government departments were being made on merit. He said that a process of recruiting 14,000 teachers had been started of which 8,000 were employed.

He said that five districts had been selected to post teachers in schools of their choice where they would work till their retirement. He said that such a policy would be adopted all over the province with legislation cover so that teachers were bound to show good results.

He said that in future there would be at least six rooms in every primary school with sufficient teachers at the ratio of one teacher to 40 students.

Mr Khattak said that it would be a great achievement if his government got rid of the postings/transfers of teachers and political interference in education department.

He said that the provincial government would soon introduce “construct a school” programme wherein overseas Pakistanis would be asked to donate funds for construction of a school or classrooms in a school of their choice.