MUZAFFARABAD: For the first time in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), an online census of private educational institutions has been launched to gather comprehensive data on teacher and student numbers, as well as available facilities.

This was announced by Syed Saleem Gardezi, Chairman of the AJK Private Educational Institutions(Registration and Regulation) Authority, in a press release on Thursday.

Mr Gardezi, who also serves as the Senior Additional Secretary of the Elementary and Secondary Education, highlighted that AJK had the distinction of being the first administrative unit in the country to both implement its own educational policy and initiate a census of private educational institutions.

`The availability of accurate and reliable statistics isessential for policy formulation, decision-making, infrastructure development, and resource distribution, especially in the education sector, he said.

`While the census of staterun schools is conducted every year, with reports published accordingly, a comprehensive survey of private educational institutions has never been carried out-until now, and in order to address the gap the Authority has taken the initiative in collaboration with theDirectorate of Education Management Information System (EMIS),` he added.

In order to assist in the process, instructional videos, tutorials, and other relevant materials had been made available on the official website of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (www.ese.gok.pk), Mr Gardezi said, adding, registered institutions had already been provided with usernames and passwords, while unregistered institutions could obtainlogin credentials from designated districtfocalpersons.

Mr Gardezi expressed optimism that all stakeholdersincluding the Azad Kashmir Private Schools and Colleges Association, Read Foundation, Citizens Foundation, Character Education Foundation, Suffa, Mustafai, Muslim Hands, Minhaj-ulQuran School Systems, and other organizationswould fully cooperate to ensure the success of this ground-breaking census.