Moalims

LAHORE: Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) Managing Director Dr Aneela Salman has said that owing to performance of PEF in Punjab’s education sector, all new schools in Punjab will be opened under PEF’s public-private partnerships.
Aneela said that competing with the modern education techniques; PEF is following latest technological systems in education sector. While talking to Daily Times on Monday, Aneela was of the view that as PEF’s per child spending is Rs 511 which is a prove itself that PEF is the most cost-effective, efficient and result- oriented model of providing free school education to more than 1.7 million needy students across the province. Among these 1.7 million students, she added, 4 percent are girls of rural areas for which getting education is not an easy task due to several circumstances.
It is worthy to mention here that Dr. Aneela Salman, a senior member of Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) she holds a Ph.D from Rockefeller College, University of Albany under Fulbright Scholarship. She won Chevening Scholarship in 2005 and awarded Netherlands Fellowship Program Scholarship (2005) for a course on Public Private Partnership at UNESCO-IHE Institute of Water Education, Delft, Netherlands.
While explaining he projects, Dr Aneela Salman said that now PEF has 45 hundred affiliated private schools across Punjab which with the help of PEF are providing quality education to the residents of rural areas. She added that in some areas, PEF is giving vouchers to the parents of needy students and identifies its partner schools where students can get free education. The response of people regarding this project was tremendous as people considered these vouchers as scholarships rather than a financial help, Aneela added.
On a question about quality of education in partner schools, Dr Aneela was of the view that in order to ensure quality education, PEF every year holds Quality Assurance Tests (QAT) of its all partner schools in which basic building and basic needs are important in infrastructure but, quality of learning, ability of teachers are more important. Replying a query regarding technological intervention in PEF she was of the view that Teachers Information System, E-attendance of teachers and students, computerizing data of 1.7 million students, online payment system, GIS Mapping of all partner schools and digital monitoring system of partner schools are key technological intervention which were part of upgrading PEF.
These system’s where brought a proper and perfect data for PEF there it also brought out transparency, she added. About an ongoing project in Cholistan area, she told that PEF partnering with Cholistan Development Authority is sponsoring 7000 students of more than 75 schools which is an example of providing quality education to underprivileged people of south Punjab. She told that PEF has six-year expansion plan to educate 2.2 million out of school/ dropout children by 2019. The constant transformation commenced by PEF in school education sector has produced long-lasting effects to ensure that no child is left unattended, she said adding that as a result of these reforms, the foundation has emerged as a strong hope for the unattended children by opening the doors of schools to them.

News Reference: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/punjab/30-Jun-2015/govt-to-open-new-schools-under-public-private-partnership