Uniform education system in Pakistan

Senators call for uniform education system
Islamabad, Jan 19: Members of the Senate called upon the government on Monday to ensure the provision of education to every child and demanded a uniform education system across the country.

Parliamentarians were of the view that the new education policy should reflect the aspirations of the people and all stakeholders should be taken into confidence while formulating the policy guidelines.

Senator Talha Mahmood moved a motion in the House under Rule 194 to discuss the education policy of the government.

Opening the debate, Talha Mahmood said the country was lagging in education because the sector had been neglected by each and every government.

He said budgetary allocation for the education sector was insufficient and should be 10 percent of the GDP.

Senator Humayun Khan recommended more allocation for the education sector as well as modern training for teachers for a better education system in the country.

He said measures should also be taken to promote science education in the country.

Leader of the Opposition in the House Wasim Sajjad said the education minister should be present in the House during the debate on education policy.

He said suggestions of the members should be honoured by incorporating them in the new education policy.

Sajjad said there were three mediums of education in the country – Urdu, English and madrassas – which should be transformed into a uniform education system.

He said Pakistani students were not being admitted to nuclear studies programmes and other similar disciplines in foreign universities.

The opposition leader added that free of cost education should be ensured for each and every child aged between 5 and 14.

While criticising the education policy, Senator Mushahidullah suggested that the education curriculum should be reviewed afresh.

Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani recommended opening up more educational institutions in rural areas and demanded the abolishment of entry tests for admission to education institutions.

Senator Afrasiyab Khattak said the budgetary allocation for the education sector should be at least four percent of the GDP.

He further said the government should provide access to free of cost and uniform education to all, besides creating job opportunities for the younger generation.

Haseeb Khan and Abdul Khaliq Pirzada suggested the inclusion of modern education curricula in religious madrassas to bring them at par with modern education institutions.

Tahir Hussain Mashhadi suggested promotion of technical education, while Javed Ali Shah endorsed uniform education system in the country.

Senator SM Zafar said a committee was already working on the education policy 2009-10, adding that the House should discuss the education policy after going through its draft.

Post your comments

PMDC, AG get SC notices in medical college fee case
Islamabad: Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Monday issued notices to Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and the Attorney General on the application of a government college teacher seeking reduction in the private medical colleges' minimum fee from Rs 800, 000 to Rs 500,000.

While issuing these notices, the CJ directed his office to treat application of Mian Channu Government Degree College's Assistant Professor Amjad Khan as a petition under Article 184(3) of the Constitution and fix it for hearing by the court for February 3. He also issued directions to medical colleges for furnishing para-wise comments on the application through the PMDC.

CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry had taken suo motu notice of the application. In a report submitted to the court, the PMDC said it had neither set fee structure for medical colleges nor was it involved in any related activity.

It, however, said it was in contact with the federal government for rationalisation of fee structure of the private medical colleges.

Meanwhile, the CJ took a suo motu notice of the application of a Wah Cantonment resident, Shahzada Mumtaz, who charged Managing Director of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited Abdul Rashid Loan with corruption, and canceling his firm's registration for moving National Accountability Bureau against corrupt SNGPL officials. Daily times

Post your comments

Navtec, Tevta to set up new technical institutes
Islamabad: National Vocational and Technical Education Commission (Navtec) and Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (Tevta) of Balochistan Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under which new technical institutes would be established in 13 un-covered tehsils of Balochistan at a cost of Rs156.23 million.

The MoU was signed by Regional Director, Navtec, Prime Minister Secretariat and Secretary Tevta, Labour and Manpower Department, government of Balochistan, said a press release issued here.

Chairman, Navtec, Adnan A. Khawaja and Balochistan Minister for Labour, Muhammad Sarwar Musakhel, in a recent meeting at the PM Secretariat, had reached on a consensus and decided to sign the MoU to start the work on the programme to establish the technical institutes. The programme will be called "Establishment of Vocational Training Centres in 13 Uncovered Tehsils of Balochistan." The same will be executed by the Directorate of Manpower and Training, Balochistan in 13 pre-determined tehsils of Balochistan, as per PC-1 approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP).

According to the MoU, the parties will join hands for establishment of 13 new vocational centres and vocational training of 5460 persons over a period of 30 months.

Navtec will finance the capital cost for establishment of these centres and the running cost of training in the agreed areas of skills. However, a detailed review will be carried out by Navtec after 12 months of the operation. The recurring cost of the project after completion of the project period will be borne by the Tevta.

The project will be completed in two-and-a-half-years. A cheque amounting Rs70.493 million has also been released by Navtec to Balochistan Government to ensure early commencement of the project. Meanwhile, Navtec Chairman Adnan A. Khawaja, along with Balochistan Minister for Labour Muhammad Sarwar Musakhel, is paying a visit to Gwadar to evolve a strategy for the promotion of technical and vocational education and training of the youth in Gwadar and the surrounding areas.

Post your comments

HEC scholarships
Islamabad: National Scholarship Management Committee of Higher Education Commission (HEC) has awarded 110 scholarships under the USAID funded Merit & Needs Based Scholarship Programme.

Dr Sohail Naqvi, Executive Director HEC, presided over the Committee's meeting, held here at the HEC Secretariat. Representatives of two universities and USAID Pakistan attended the meeting, wherein cases of 110 candidates, enrolled at the Institute of Management Sciences (IMS), Peshawar and University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF), were approved.

This USAID support scholarship programme aims at benefiting students from low-income groups. So far, 1,242 scholarships have been awarded to needy students through a well-defined and transparent mechanism.

Post your comments

Rs18bn for education sector
Rawalpindi: Punjab government will spend Rs18 billion in education sector for the future young generation, Member National Assembly Hanif Abbasi said.

He said that Rs5 billion are also being spent for the education of outstanding students abroad. He said these students would take the nation at new heights after getting education.

In a statement issued here, he said that teachers should come forward and play their due role for the moral building of the students so that they could be utilised as responsible citizens to work for development of the country.

The school building does not matter actually the teachers should meet their responsibilities with sincerity and dedication.

Post your comments

MA Arabic results announced
Peshawar: The Controller of Examination, University of Peshawar, Monday announced results of Master of Arts in Arabic (Final) private annual examination 2009.

A notification said a total of 158 candidates appeared in the exam where 130 were declared successful, showing of 79.2 pass percentage.

Post your comments

Health research symposium
Peshawar: A two-day annual health research symposium organized by the Khyber Medical University (KMU) Peshawar concluded here Monday.

The theme of the symposium was institutionalisation of health research in academic institutions of the NWFP. Minister for Labour and Manpower Sher Azam Wazir was the chief guest while Minister for Population Welfare Saleem Khan was the guest of honour on the occasion.

Sher Azam Wazir said that holding of such academic activities in the prevailing law and order situation was a great source of encouragement for all of us. He said research had a key role in medical profession.

Saleem Khan said that the KMU had achieved a lot in a short span of time and organizing such research-oriented activities would not only provide a broad-based platform for research in the health sector but also help in diagnosing and overcoming various diseases.

He hoped the new generation would give high priority to research. He said in the past research was the domain of the Muslim scholars, adding the Muslims faced downfall when they quit research.

KMU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mohammad Hafizullah said the university was endeavouring to discharge the immense responsibilities and obligations assigned to it under the act through which it was established. He said the university was in the process of establishing itself as a premier institution of learning and was diligently pursuing to develop and oversee the development of quality human resources for health, to establish and undertake quality health research and promote the use of research in policy and decision-making and practice and become a technical and information resource in the health field of the country.

To define the role of medical universities in institutionalising research and formulate recommendations, a panel discussion of medical universities VCs, Deans, senior representatives of HEC, PM&DC and College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan was also held. The news

Post your comments