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Govt schools, colleges giving publicity a shot
LAHORE, Oct 26: Government schools and colleges have started relying on private
companies to sponsor and prepare face boards for them instead of using their own
funds, a survey reveals.
It is learnt that most of the schools and
colleges have got more than one face board sponsored by advertisement companies
and the trend is becoming popular with every passing day. Advertisement
companies prepare and provide free-of-cost face boards to government schools and
colleges and advertise various products on them. Most common products advertised
on these boards include cosmetics products such as various kinds of skin creams
and shampoos. Fizzy drinks are also advertised on such boards. The Government
Higher Secondary School Sant Nagar, the Government Mussarat Girls Middle School
Bund Road, the Government MAO College Lower Mall and Vocational Training Centre
of Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) located near
the office of the district coordination officer are some of the institutes who
have availed the services of advertisement agencies. A school teacher, seeking
anonymity, said governments was giving meagre funds to schools especially
primary and elementary schools owing to which the management of these schools
was relying on private companies to provide them free-of-cost face boards. He
said management of institutions should realise the importance of advertisement
and charge monthly fee from advertisers since private companies were being given
proper space on the boards.
An official of the Education Department said
schools and colleges were free to make deals with advertisement companies
because the department was yet to evolve a policy on it. He expressed his fear
saying there were chances that management of some institutions would have made
under hand deals with advertisement companies since it was a profitable business
these days and providing a free of cost face board alone was not a big deal.
Talking to us, stakeholders including parents of students and teachers
expressed their concern over the matter, saying advertisement of substandard
products could prove harmful since advertisements effect the psychology of
individuals. He said if department could not chalk out a policy then it should
ensure that only safe and quality products were being advertised on these
boards.
Talking to us, Government MAO College Principal Prof Maksud
ul Hassan Bokhari said there was no harm if some part of a board was being used
for advertisement of various consumer products. He said that private companies
involved in such businesses should also provide water coolers and other
essential items to schools and colleges, including fans, since these companies
generate handsome money through advertisements. He said MAO College face board
was prepared by an advertisement company few years ago but when the company
refused to install water coolers for students in the college premises the
contract was cancelled.
Education Secretary Syed Khalid Akhlaq Gillani
was not available as he was in India to attend an international conference. The
News twice tried to contact Higher Education Special Secretary Syed Mubashar
Raza but he was not available.Special Secretary Schools Capt (r) Zahid Saeed
said primary and middle schools had no funding in past but now these were being
provided Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000 per year by district governments. He said there
was no harm if schools and colleges were getting free-of-cost face boards
installed. The News
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| Education News | | Updated: 25 May, 2012 |
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