PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has directed the education department to immediately initiate work on the legal framework for the construction of 72 Chief Minister Model Schools across the province.

He stated this while chairing a meeting on the initiative, which is part of the government’s education reform agenda, according to a statement issued here on Wednesday.

Afridi emphasised that the schools would be equipped with modern teaching methodologies, highly trained faculty, and state-of-the-art facilities aimed at delivering quality education to students across the province.

He said that access to quality education was a fundamental right of every child and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving educational outcomes and raising standards across the province.

He noted that education sector reforms remained one of the government’s foremost priorities and that comprehensive and sustainable measures were being introduced to address longstanding challenges facing the sector.

The chief minister expressed his resolve to develop Chief Minister Model Schools into a benchmark for quality and modern education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He observed that investment in education is, in essence, an investment in human capital, sustainable development and the future prosperity of the province.

The meeting was given a detailed briefing on the proposed initiative and the preliminary framework.

The meeting was informed that a total of 72 model schools for boys and girls would be established across all districts of the province during the next fiscal year.

The estimated cost of the initiative has been projected at Rs9.5 billion.

The briefing further highlighted that a dedicated legal and regulatory framework would be developed for the schools, while a centralised board of governors would be constituted to oversee their governance and management.

It was also informed that the curriculum and assessment system of the model schools would be distinct from the conventional public school system and designed to align with contemporary educational standards and future workforce requirements.

Provincial minister for education Arshad Ayub Khan, along with senior officials of the Elementary and Secondary Education Department, attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2026