MARDAN:KhyberPakhtunkhwaMinisterforInformation and Higher Secondary Education Mushtaq Ghani has said that around 0.4 million children would be enrolled in the province during the current year.

He expressed these views while spealcing at the annual prize distribution ceremony at the Government Postgraduate College, Mardan, here on Wednesday.

The minister said that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led coalition government had been taking measures to curb corruption in departments. He said looters and plunderers would be punished for accumulating black money.

Mr Ghani said that the government had imposed education emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and steps were being taken to end politics in government universities.

`The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has been giving special attention to the education and health sectors,` he said, adding that no cut would be made in the education budget. `It is the higher education through which nations can be put on path of progress and development,` he maintained.

Mr Ghani said that the government had provided endowment fund for PhD scholarships both in and outside the country.

He was of the view that due to lack of leadership the country was facing crises. He claimed that PTI chief Imran Khan had attempted to end the old exploitative system and introduced reforms and positive changes in the government organisations. `Patwari and thana culture have been done away with,` he claimed.

Mr Ghani said the recently introduced land computerisation system in Mardan district would be extended to rest of the province.

He said BS programmes had been launched in 43 colleges of the province where around 18,000 students were enrolled.

The provincial minister alleged that Rs50 million had been offered to PTI lawmakers in the last senate elections, but they refused to sell their loyalty.

`We will clean sweep the coming local government elections on the basis of our performance,` he claimed, saying that the introduction of Right to Information Act had improved the performance of government officials.

On the occasion, he announced two vehicles and a generator for the college.

The information minister also distributed prizes among position holder students.