Punjab Chief Minister, Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that the aim of progress and prosperity of the nation could not be realised without eliminating illiteracy and ignorance, therefore improvement of education sector is at the top of his priority agenda.
He was talking to a delegation of Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) on Wednesday. He discussed with the delegation the development activities being carried out in Punjab, disclosed an official.
The Director General, Asia Branch, Sajid Rehman led the delegation while the Chairman, Planning and Development, Secretary, Higher Education, Secretary, Finance, Secretary, Social Welfare and Special Secretary, Health were also present on the occasion.
Talking to the delegation, the CM said record funds have been allocated in the budget for the promotion of education and due attention was being paid to the provision of modern healthcare facilities to the people and maintenance of law and order in the province.
According to Shahbaz, primary education is of fundamental importance in the education system, therefore modern facilities are being provided to the schools. Further, efforts are being made for enrolment of maximum number of male and female children and for minimising the dropout rate.
70 percent schools of the province are in public sector, while only 30 present are in private sector and there is a lot of difference between the standard of these schools, he said. 'Effective measures have been taken to improve public sector schools while computers, transport and other facilities are being provided to these set ups,' he said.
Furthermore, 'Model schools equipped with modern facilities are also being established in the province where students will have accommodation facilities,' he added. Shahbaz informed the delegation that an endowment fund has been established with an amount of Rs 2 billion for providing scholarships to talented students, who could not continue their studies due to financial problems.
Also especial attention is being paid to train the teachers to improve their teaching skills in the interest of better education of students. 'Similarly, measures are also being adopted to ensure attendance of teachers and daycare centres are being established for lady teachers so that they could bring their children with them and perform their responsibilities with a peace of mind. School management committees have also been established to improve the education system,' he added.
The CM further said that due attention is being paid to the provision of vocational education so that a skilled workforce could be produced, which in turn, could perform its responsibilities in different sectors in Pakistan as well as earn foreign exchange in other countries.
To a question, he said Pakistan is facing terrorism but an effective and comprehensive strategy has been adopted to cope with this serious problem, as the country could not progress without eliminating extremism and militancy. Furthermore, Shahbaz said, if Afghan President, Hamid Karzai and other countries including Britain are in favour of talks with Taliban, why Pakistan could not do go for the talks.
He thanked the leader of delegation for extending co-operation to Punjab in various sectors saying that CIDA should explore the prospects of further co-operation and also provide technical expertise in this regard. The leader of the delegation appreciated the steps taken by Punjab government to improve the education and other sectors and assured further co-operation by CIDA in this regard.
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