Addressing a public meeting on the occasion of foundation stone-laying ceremony of 8th public sector university in Ambar, District Swabi, approved in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by the present government, he said that the ANP led government had put the province on track of progress and development.
Besides, the mother of Chief Minister, Begum Nasrin Azam Khan, the ceremony was also attended by Provincial Minister for Higher Education, Qazi Mohammad Asad, Minister for Zakat and Usher, Haji Zarshid Khan, Minister for Social Welfare, Sitara Ayaz, MPAs Sikandar Irfan, Mukhtiar Ali, Dr Yasmin Jaseem, Vice Chancellors of the Universities of Charsadda, Mardan, Swat and party leaders and senior officials of the provincial government.
The chief minister urged opposition parties to abandon the practice of criticism for the sake of criticism and accept the five-year performance of the government. He said that through practical acts they won legal battle for the salvation of Pakhtuns, provincial rights and identity of the province. He said that the pledge of promotion of education had also been fulfilled.
The chief minister said that the resources required for the establishment of University in Swabi will be filled from the tobacco cess collected from the district. He, on this occasion, also announced a grant of Rs300 million for acquisition of land and other needs of the university.
He said that before ANP, there were only 10 public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. During the period of only five years it established 8 new universities. These universities, he said are included Swabi, Islamia College University, Sharingal Upper Dir University, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, Haripur, Swat and Karak universities. Similarly, he said that since independence, the total number of colleges in the province till 2008 was 137 while 72 new colleges have been established only in last four and half years of the present government.
He said that the provincial government is also giving priority to girls' education and diverting maximum resources for this purpose. He said that 100 percent increase has been made in the number of girls' colleges in the province, which before ANP government were 46 and the same number of colleges have been established during last four and half years.
He said that the provincial government has initiated several poor-friendly schemes in education sector, which included Stori Da Pakhtunkhwa (Stars of Pakhtunkhwa) for bringing the children of poor families in education institutions and encouragement of intelligent boys and girls students in the province. Under the scheme, the distinction holders' students in Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Intermediate levels of different educational boards are being paid Rs.10,000 and Rs.15,000 per month scholarships respectively.
Under another scheme of Rokhana Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial government is bearing the fees of students in 100 private schools in first phase and 400 schools in second phase. He said that for the backward districts of Torghar and Kohistan, the provincial government has initiated a special scheme under which girls students till class 5th will be paid a scholarship of Rs1500 per month and Rs2000 for the girls students up to class 10th.