Zubair Qureshi
In a bid to alleviate the burden on young students, the primary schools in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) are set to introduce a new policy w.e.f August 1, 2024 (post-summer holidays’ semester).
According to the spokesperson of the Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training (MoFE&PT), under the child-friendly policy, primary students will no longer be required to carry their school books back and forth between home and school.
Instead, the schools will provide pigeon holes and book racks in the classrooms to store the books, making it a child-friendly and convenient learning environment, said the spokesperson adding the initiative aimed at reducing the weight of heavy school bags and promoting a healthier and happier learning experience for the students.
The decision has been taken after it was observed that the school bags were becoming quite a burden for the young kids and the teachers and the parents had drawn the attention of the schools to take necessary steps in this regard.
According to the ministry’s official, necessary arrangements are being made in all the FDE-run primary schools in the ICT.
Meanwhile, it has also been decided to renovate buildings of model schools and colleges and provide facilities such as gymnasium and a number of other facilities, the official further said.
Besides, refresher courses for teachers are also part of the uplift plan to ensure that teachers and students are on board and give their feedback in finalizing education and syllabus interests.
In this regard, the Federal Secretary Education, Muhayyudin Wani has approached different departments and organizations to come forward and contribute to renovating some of the educational institutions of the federal capital.
The departments are such as Customs which has already taken the responsibility of renovating a school in Sector G-9. Likewise, Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBI&SE) has been approached for the uplift of the Islamabad Model College for Boys (IMCB) I-8/3.
The initiative aims to address the lack of facilities within the college including establishment of a new computer lab, fully equipped with 40 state-of-the-art computers, establishment of seven smart classrooms to promote digitalization in education, uplift of all science labs with modern equipment, establishment of a fully equipped infirmary for student health care and installation of a filtration plant to ensure clean drinking water.
Renovation of the auditoriums, upgrading of washroom facilities, fixation of tiles, establishment of a state-of-the-art library, repainting of all classrooms, face-lifting of the college, acquisition of colourful furniture for the junior section, establishment of an open gym for students fitness, renovation of basketball court and to increase sports facilities, revamping of the college cafeteria and construction of a waiting area for parents and students at the reception are also part of the project.
