CM Maryam orders overhaul of Punjab’s school education system

LAHORE  –  Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday chaired a high-level meeting of the School Education Department and unveiled an ambitious roadmap to revamp public sector education across the province.

The session focused on both ongoing and proposed initiatives to uplift school infrastructure, boost enrollment, and modernise classroom learning. Briefing the chief minister, officials revealed that the outsourcing of more than 11,000 schools has already been completed, resulting in a significant rise in student enrollment. In particular, the Punjab Education Foundation initiative has brought 1.1 million out-of-school children back into classrooms. The Chief Minister congratulated the education minister and department for this milestone.

To address infrastructure gaps, Maryam Nawaz directed School Management Councils (SMCs) to utilize Rs10 billion within 90 days to improve basic facilities in schools. She further issued a one-year deadline to construct additional classrooms wherever needed and ordered the urgent repair of 580 severely dilapidated and 2,770 precarious school buildings.

“Construction and rehabilitation of schools is among our top priorities,” she said, emphasizing that no child in Punjab should be left behind due to inadequate learning spaces.

In a major academic push, the chief minister announced a target to provide spoken English training to 500,000 students through specialized trainers. She also called for expanding the school meal program to more districts, particularly in areas with high levels of child malnutrition.

Maryam Nawaz also directed the establishment of Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence for boys and girls in every district, equipped with state-of-the-art IT and science labs, libraries, smart boards, multipurpose playgrounds, and other modern facilities. She set a five-year target to upgrade 1,750 existing schools, beginning with 250 in the next fiscal year.

Officials briefed the meeting that 300 Tech-Ed schools are planned for 10 tehsils to impart technical education, while work is also underway to build or renovate 195 classrooms and 397 school roofs in outsourced schools.

Providing an update on ongoing improvements, officials said that 254,538 square feet of boundary walls, 414 toilets, and 1,543 water tanks have been constructed in outsourced schools across Punjab. Additionally, a major project is in the pipeline to build boundary walls, 4,066 toilets, 8,488 pieces of school furniture, and 100 water filtration plants in 4,327 government schools.

The chief minister also reviewed plans for the Nawaz Sharif Center of Excellence for Early Childhood Education and reaffirmed her commitment to universal access to quality facilities. “Every school will have all necessary facilities, including functional toilets,” she stressed. “STEM labs will be developed under the SMC model, and steps are being taken to install solar systems to ensure uninterrupted power in schools.”

Concluding the session, Maryam Nawaz said, “I want to do transformative work for the education of our children. Education is not just a sector—it is the foundation of our future.”