Primary level: programme planned to ensure 100 percent enrolment

The government is planning to launch a massive crash programme to ensure 100 percent enrolment at the primary level in the next two years. Sources in the Ministry of Education told Business Recorder that the government has directed the authorities in the ministry to chalk out an ambitious plan in consultation with provinces to enhance literacy in Pakistan that still ranks very low even in South Asia.
As per constitutional obligations, the government is determined to provide equal opportunities of education to all citizens of Pakistan irrespective of their economic or social status, the sources said. In order to achieve the target of an egalitarian society, a uniform system of education needs to be adopted at all levels with its focus on quality, experts say.
The Ministry of Education should work with provincial governments to ensure high schools exist at the each union level with more emphasis on scientific technical education, they added. Further, public sector education institutes should be brought at par with the private institutes to enable them impart best education to those who do not afford costlier education at the private level.
Punjab Minister for Population Welfare, Neelam Jabbar Chaudhry said that Pakistan needs skilled manpower and trained managers for running the future projects. She said that the Punjab government has declared promotion of education as one of the top priorities of the government and has introduced "Universal Education Programme-2010" under which every child of Punjab would go to school by 2010.
She said that due to practical steps aimed at overhauling the education sector, dropout rate of students would be decreased and new students would be enrolled in the schools while missing facilities in the schools especially in rural areas would be provided.
Neelam said that the government has allocated an amount of Rs 145 billion for the welfare of poor masses. She said that Rs 30 billion would be spent for the provision of food items while Rs one billion have been allocated for the provision of homes to the shelter less people.
"In this era of science, technology and specialisation, Pakistan needs skilled manpower and trained managers for running the future projects and poverty alleviation can only be possible, if we focus on producing good professionals and skilled workers", she added.
She said that the present era of competition has made the world a global village and only those nations would be able to compete which possess latest technology and education.
She said Rs 200 million have been set aside in the current fiscal year budget for giving scholarship to needy students of professional educational institutions. Neelam further said the government will introduce people friendly policies in the province and it will not deceive the people with mere catchy slogans or publicity campaigns.