Punjab cabinet approves changes in education policy

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Tuesday chaired the 22nd meeting of the provincial cabinet at the Civil Secretariat in Lahore and took a number of major decisions regarding the province. 

According to a report published in The News, the cabinet approved the Parole Act 2019, Assessment Policy Framework 2019, Punjab Education Professionals Standards Council Bill 2018, Punjab Forests Policy 2019, and the draft of Punjab Wildlife Protected Areas Act 2019. 

The cabinet agreed to shut down the Punjab Bio-energy Company Pvt (Ltd). The meeting also decided to develop Kalabagh private game reserve in District Mianwali under Section 20 of Punjab Wildlife Act.

Under the new Assessment Policy Framework of schools education, the cabinet approved the discontinuation of 5th and 8th class exams in phases. The provision of Urdu medium books to the students of government schools was also approved. 

Now, primary education will be imparted in Urdu language and English will be taught as a subject. Under the new forest policy, the nomenclature of district wildlife officer (grade-17) was changed to assistant director wildlife (grade-17).

The meeting approved special audit reports of C&W, Housing & Physical Planning, Local Government and Cholistan Development Authority under PM's Global Sustainable Development Goals Achievements Programme for the financial year 2016-18. 

The cabinet also gave principle approval of constituting Punjab Local Government Finance Commission, while the agenda relating to giving state land to DHA Gujranwala was deferred. A committee headed by Law Minister Raja Basharat would submit final recommendations after going through this matter.

Originally published in The News