PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi said on Tuesday that a one-time investment of Rs5 billion in the proposed Digital Education Reforms initiative would deliver transformative outcomes.
He stated this while chairing a high-level meeting to review the province’s proposed reforms, aimed at transforming the education sector through technology-driven learning and ensuring equitable access to quality education for every child across the province.
The meeting reviewed the roadmap for introducing a modern digital learning ecosystem, expanding access to education, and leveraging technology to bridge longstanding gaps in the education sector.
Underscoring his government’s commitment to universal access to quality education, the chief minister decided to launch a province-wide digital transformation of the education system.
He hoped that the initiative would enable out-of-school children to be integrated into the formal education system while extending quality educational opportunities to children in remote, underserved, and school-deficient areas through technology-enabled learning.
The chief minister said the provincial government aims to increase the literacy rate by 30 to 35 per cent over the next two years.
He observed that these reforms could prove significantly more effective than the conventional education model, which has remained largely unchanged over the past 78 years.
The chief minister said the digital education reforms would make the education system more efficient, accessible and cost-effective, while also helping reduce the geographical and social barriers that continue to limit girls’ access to education.
He directed the relevant officials to ensure that all digital education initiatives are implemented in accordance with the approved targets and timelines so that modern, equitable and quality learning opportunities are made available to every child, laying the foundation for sustainable and transformative improvements in the province’s education sector.
During the briefing, participants were informed that under the “Parho Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” initiative, the entire provincial curriculum will be digitised, making all textbooks accessible to students through mobile phones.
Students will be able to access classes offline, enabling uninterrupted learning anytime and anywhere.
The meeting was informed that the one-time investment of Rs5 billion in digital education reforms is projected to generate annual savings of more than Rs100 billion.
Officials said the initiative will capitalise on the widespread availability of smartphones, with approximately 90 per cent of households in the province having access to smart devices.
The briefing highlighted that online teaching has already commenced in more than 50 schools, with 500 schools expected to be connected to the virtual learning platform by the end of August.
The virtual learning ecosystem will incorporate advanced virtual science laboratories as well as digital language laboratories offering instruction in Chinese, Korean, French, Arabic, Spanish and English.
Participants were informed that virtual schools will operate in two shifts, with classes scheduled to accommodate both Asian and European time zones.
In addition to Urdu and English, digital instruction will also be introduced in Pashto to enhance accessibility and inclusion.
The meeting was further informed that the integrated digital education platform will consolidate teaching, assessments, assignments, attendance management and academic monitoring into a single system.
Through the combined use of artificial intelligence and teacher-led instruction, students will receive personalised learning pathways tailored to their individual abilities and academic progress.
The platform will also provide live classes, recorded lectures, homework, examinations and real-time academic support through a unified digital interface.
