Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has taken a major step to improve public education in the province. She has announced Punjab’s first-ever school transport service for public schools and On-Wheel Montessori Schools program.
Maryam Nawaz also has the School of the Month and Teacher of the Month reward program to increase competition and motivation among schools.
She instructed officials to immediately begin work on the mobile Montessori project and to expand the Nawaz Sharif Centers of Excellence, which currently serve 240 students, to accommodate 1,500 students.
*CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif to Introduce School Van / Bus Service & On-Wheel Montessori School in Punjab*
— CH ASHFAQ AHMAD (@AASHFAQ38) July 9, 2025
Lahore, 09 July 2025: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif presided over a special meeting regarding School Education Department in which outsourced schools, School Meal… pic.twitter.com/Xycn0OINUl
During the meeting, Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat gave a progress report on public-private partnership schools. He shared that:
- Student enrollment at outsourced schools has increased by 99%
- Teaching staff numbers have gone up by 114%
- The program has created jobs for over 60,000 educated youth
- In just 16 months, 1.3 million new students have joined the school system
He also mentioned infrastructure improvements such as:
- Renovation of 5,018 classrooms
- Roof repairs in 2,887 classrooms
- More than 50 schools switched to solar energy
The high level meeting to review the Education Department progress has also approved the extension of the School Meal Program to six more districts. These are Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Lodhran, Bhakkar, Mianwali, and Bahawalnagar. The meals will now include milk, energy bars, and biscuits for students.
Future goals set in the meeting include:
- Building 10,000 early childhood education classrooms
- Setting up 6,000 STEM labs
- Adding 400 new toilet blocks in girls’ schools
Digital education is also seeing progress. Teachers and students are now getting Google-based digital training, and a new English-speaking programme aims to bring 300,000 students up to IELTS Level 4 speaking skills within six months.
Maryam Nawaz stressed that public schools must match or beat private school standards. She ordered better teacher training and a standard school admission system across Punjab.
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