LAHORE: Punjab Schools Education Minister Murad Raas has claimed that changes will be introduced through continuous reforms for revamping the school education sector according to needs ofthe21stcentury.

The government is working to promote sports and other co-curricular activities to make public schools better than private institutions through various means such as introduction of information technology.

The minister said this whileaddressing separate delegations of teachers, educationists and people from different walks of life at his office on Wednesday.

He said government school teachers were receiving better salaries and facilities as compared to their counterparts in the private sector. `Our teachers are the change agents and their role is important for a successful educational career of students. We should, therefore, have to restore the respect of the teachers in society,` he added.

He further said the government had constituted two boards to mon-itor financial matters and educational reforms, and that special councils would be formed to help solve the problems of schools.

Mr Raas further said that a regulatory authority would be constituted to deal with matters pertaining to private schools. The government would also establish a complaint cell and a monitoring system to address reservations of parents about their children`s education, he added.

Meanwhile, the minister also visited Punjab Information Technology Board and held a meeting with its chairman andInformation Technology University (ITU) vice chancellor, Dr Umar Saif.

Mr Saif gave a detailed briefing to the minister on the ICT interventions on school monitoring, students` assessment, e-learning and real-time attendance of teachers and students. The ICT systems have eliminated chances of any fake admissions or ghost schools across Punjab.

Mr Raas said all support would be extended to improve ICT interventions in the education sector to bring revolutionary changes in school education.