PESHAWAR, May 18: The NWFP Governor, Lt-Gen (retired) Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, said on Saturday that under a well-thought-out programme, the government was struggling hard to bring modern higher educational facilities to the people.

The government wanted to enable the common man to benefit from the opportunities of knowledge which was need of the hour.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of newly-established 3rd Campus of the University of Engineering and Technology at Bannu, he announced the establishment of a modern educational institution in the field of agriculture in Lakki Marwat as well.

The governor said: “Neither we make hollow slogans to misguide the people nor do we publicise unnecessarily our achievements. Rather, we believe in constant struggle for the well-being and prosperity of the people; and our performance in this connection is a glaring example of it.”

The promotion of education, he said, was number one priority of the government as it was the most effective means to bridge the prevailing gape among the people of various areas of the province because of the locational disadvantage.

“For this purpose,” the governor said, “we are concentrating not only to create a real educational atmosphere but also struggling to produce highly qualified and skilled manpower by utilizing all the available resources to enable our youth to get honourable job opportunities not only within the country but also abroad.”

Highlighting the importance of standard and quality of educational institutions in the province, Shah said the Frontier Education Foundation (FEF), after its restructuring, had established six girls colleges in different parts of the province in a short span of one year; and it was going to add similar number of colleges during the next financial year.

Similarly, he said, another institution on the pattern of the FEF was also being created in the name of Frontier Elementary Education Foundation which would focus on the improvement of quality education at lower level.

He said: “Our struggle is aimed at promoting employment-oriented education which itself will enable the graduates to avail self-created employment opportunities.” The computer and software education and industry, he remarked, was a visible example of it.

ALLOCATIONS: Talking about the budgetary allocations being made for education sector, the governor said: “We are spending almost 18 per cent of our budget on it yet there is a wide scope to make more investment for this purpose.”

Appreciating the role of private sector, he expressed confidence that it would come forward with much more vigour and resources.

Quality education at post-graduate level, he said, also demanded special concentration on subsidiary educational institutions, and added that both the public and private sectors must also focus on this aspect to derive maximum benefits from the university level education.

Iftikhar Shah urged the parents to make their wards embrace the ornament of modern education, which, he added, was a source to positively deal with social problems, particularly eliminating the confrontational attitude prevailing in the society.

VICE-CHANCELLOR: Earlier, Air Vice Martial (retired) Sardar Khan, Vice-Chancellor of the NWFP University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, said the government had established four universities, one each in Hazara, Malakand, Mardan and now in Bannu, which was a rare example in the history of the province.—APP