Lahore:
The Punjab government has allocated 24.4 percent of the non-development budget for the financial year 2025-26 to the education sector.
The government awarded RS148 billion for the development of the sector and marked a 137% increase over last year and RS661 billion for non-development expenses.
The award relates to the school, higher and reading and reading and non-formula education departments.
The budget includes awards for the Laptop scheme and the Honhar scholarship program in addition to the supply of facilities and construction of hostels, libraries and computer laboratories.
The government awarded RS15 billion to the scholarship program. The award last year was at RS4.5 billion.
According to the budget documents, it plans to distribute 112,000 laptops among students during the year through an award of RS15.1 billion to cm Punjab -bearable schemes. Last year, RS37 billion had been awarded to the scheme and 40,000 students had benefited.
In the annual budget, the Punjab government has introduced Punjab Education Initiative Management Authority (PEIMA) and awarded RS40 billion for the construction of new classrooms, IT laboratories, upgrading school buildings and supply of facilities.
The government also awarded RS4 billion for outsourcing government schools during the year. An allocation of RS5 billion has been proposed to control the drop -out ratio from government schools.
The Punjab government awarded RS5 billion for a project to set up ‘schools for emerging’ of international standard and RS3 billion to expand the establishment of centers of expertise in education in early childhood.
It allocated RS35 billion to the Punjab Education Foundation to support private schools with low income for the training of needy children.
In addition, RS3.7 billion is awarded to the Punjab Education Curriculum Training and Assessment Authority (Pecta) and RS6 billion to the CM School Meal program, which had been used last year.
The awards include RS2 billion for the construction of eight state -related associates for girls and the same amount for digital laboratories in the public sector colleges.
An award of RS25 billion has been proposed for higher education along with RS2 billion for the construction of Mian Nawaz Sharif Engineering and Technology University in Kasur.
In the coming year, RS5 billion will be awarded to special education, while RS1.8 billion will be spent on providing transport services in special education schools.
