Adopt-a-School programme in Sindh

MQM, PPP throw weight behind Adopt-a-School programme
Karachi, Jan 16: The question about whether millions of poor children studying in government schools will be given quality education now was positively answered by two major political parties who joined hands to support NGOs working for the betterment of education.

The year-long efforts of Zindagi Trust and the Book Group have finally got all-out support from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) together. The two NGOs adopted a government school a year-and-a-half ago and converted it into a model school in terms of both, education quality and infrastructure. With the success of this experiment, it is expected that slowly but surely the model will be replicated in all government schools across the province.

Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq expressed support for the project and promised that it would be extended across the province. The Sindh Maddressa Board (SMB) Government Girls Secondary School will not be taken back from the NGOs now that they have converted it into a model school, he said. "They have done wonders and proved that quality education can be provided by government schools. In fact, we have already requested them to adopt more schools and convert them into model schools," he said.

MQM Rabita Committee Deputy Convener Dr Farooq Sattar made it clear on Wednesday that the party had expressed full support for the Adopt-a-School Programme. He said that it was clear that NGos which are working to finish the dual standard of education where the poor cannot get good education and the rich enjoy high quality learning should be supported. "The MQM's agenda is to work for improving education standards and oppose those who have made education a business," he said. "Zindagi Trust and the Book Group are working on the same agenda. The MQM therefore supports them."

Given the promises made by the Government on Wednesday, the Rana Liaquat Ali Khan Government College of Home Economics and the Khatoon-e-Pakistan Government Girls College are also likely to be given to the these NGOs for the same purpose. Last year the management of these colleges, through a government notification, was given to Zindagi Trust but due to resistance on part of the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA) - a government teachers association - they could not start work at these colleges. Following that, MQM Chief Altaf Hussain issued a statement and the notifications were withdrawn by the government.

Apart from visitors who were impressed to see changes at the SMB school, social commentators and educationists in the city have already termed the collective support of the coalition government a positive sigh towards the development of the education sector. The News

MQM supports regularisation of ad-hoc lecturers
Karachi: The Muttahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) has recommended to the Sindh government to regularise around 800 ad-hoc lecturers, who are waiting to acquire permanent status for the last four years.

"The recommendations were made during the last PPP-MQM inter-core committee meeting held at the Chief Minister's House on Wednesday to discuss a number of issues," a source present at the meeting said.

The source revealed that MQM representatives were of the opinion that in all other provinces ad-hoc lecturers were regularised without having to sit for provincial service commission exams. They believed that the same should be done in Sindh to improve the education standards of the province, the source added. Pir Mazharul Haq briefed the meeting's participants about the Sindh Education Department's stance on the issue of ad-hoc lecturers. "We have a clear policy for the appointment of ad-hoc lecturers. They have to clear the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) exams before they can be regularised," he maintained. It was decided in the meeting that the issue of the ad-hoc lecturers will be resolved in a manner that will satisfy the stakeholders concerned while following all the rules and regulations at the same time. Daily Times

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