KP to make school textbooks available on smartphones

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to digitise its education system to expand access to learning and raise literacy rates, Chief Minister Suhail Afridi said on Tuesday, outlining an ambitious reform programme aimed at reaching millions of children, including those currently out of school.

Chairing a meeting on digital education reforms, Afridi said that the initiative would use technology to deliver quality education to children across the province, particularly in remote and underserved areas.

“The goal is to ensure every child has access to world-class education,” Afridi said, adding that digital reforms would help bring millions of out-of-school children into the education system.

Officials told the meeting that, under the “Parho Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” initiative, all school textbooks would be made available on mobile phones, allowing students to continue learning even without an internet connection.

The provincial government aims to increase the literacy rate by 30 to 35 per cent over the next two years, Afridi said.

Education officials said around 90 per cent of households in the province own smartphones, which the government plans to use as a platform for expanding access to education.

Virtual teaching has already been introduced in more than 50 schools, with the programme expected to expand to 500 schools by the end of August, officials said.

The virtual learning system will include digital science laboratories, instruction in international languages, and educational content in Urdu, English and Pashto.

Teaching, examinations, attendance records and student assignments will be integrated into a single digital platform, while artificial intelligence will be used to tailor learning to each student’s abilities, officials said.

The provincial government said the reforms are intended to modernise the education sector and improve access to quality learning across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly for students in geographically isolated communities.