LAHORE: A committee constituted to improve the system of provision of scholarships to the deserving non-affording kids has decided to allocate 10 per cent quota for the deserving children in private chains of colleges and schools.

The Punjab government has already completed the legislationto ask private schools to offer free education to non-affording talented students.

The committee that met here under the chairmanship of Education Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan decided to evolve a mechanism for giving admission to deserving students on merit in their nearest private schools after passing a test on the pattern of NTS at every level under 10pc quota.

The minister directed Punjab school education department additional secretary Rana Hassan Akhtar and higher education department deputy secretaryTariq Bhatti to set up a separate desk for implementation of a special quota and powers be delegated to the deskfor this purpose.

Mr Khan said that over four million boy and girl students were studying in private institutions in Punjab and at least 400,000 talented but resource-less children should avail themselves of academic opportunities in quality institutions due to effective implementation of 10pc quota allocated by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Lahore Development Authority Director-General Ahad Khan Cheema told the meeting that 40such sites were available for the promotion of education in the housing schemes of LDA and various private housing colonies approved by the LDA in Lahore where new schools should be set up without any delay.

He said the chief minister had decided to allot 40 plots allocated for schools to such well-reputed organizations which were running quality schools in private sector free of charge provided they allocated 30pc quota in all newlyestablished private schools for such children whose parents could not afford their educational expenses.