NWFP Senior Minister Sirajul Haq on Sunday said that the provincial government is going to arrange free textbooks to all girl students till secondary level this year, while next year it would be also extended to male students also. Addressing Education convention at Auqaf Hall Peshawar on Sunday arranged by Association for Academic Quality (AFAQ), he said that the provincial government was also sparing no efforts to bring uniformity in education system, syllabus and uniform of students all over the province.
He said that Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) has started work on war footing basis against class based education system as it did not produced a nation but different and contrasting cultures.
The senior minister regretted that most of position holders in examinations always emerged from private educational institutions against government schools and colleges whose teachers drawn comparatively more salaries, incentives and its number was double of private ones. He asked the teachers to focus on training and character building of students rather than seeking incentives in order to build healthy and successful nation.
Teachers must present themselves as role model for their students. He said that MMA government was endeavouring for bring about educational revolution and our sincere measures for betterment and promotion of education in a short span provided ample proof of this assertion.
He said that establishment of women, medical universities, girls medical college, upgradation of existing schools, colleges, sitting new ones, waiving of annual fee in schools and provision of free textbooks to all students till primary level will nevertheless devotionally steps that would be continued for ultimate results.
He further regretted that rulers who said Kamal Atta Turk was their ideal could not give official status to the national language in the country as Atta Turk did in Turkey.
Siraj-ul-Haq assured that MMA government has not only marched step forward in giving official identity to national language Urdu in the province but it was trying to bring all the associations of educational institutions at one plate farm to get apprised of their problems and recommendations and a comprehensive education policy in accordance with national and religious values could be chalked and implemented.
He in this respect assured for streamlining the educational committee under the chairmanship of provincial minister Hussain Ahmad Kanju and ensuring representation of private educational institutions in educational commission under Shariah Council.
Similarly he on demand of participants of the convention assured for ensuring representation of private education bodies in Frontier Education Foundation, rejecting Agha Khan Board for which he said prime minister has also been approached, shrinking the duration of summer vacations and considering reduction in taxes on private education institutions.
Bakht Jehan Khan, speaker NWFP Assembly while addressing on this occasion said that only education could pull Muslim Ummah of the problems and difficulties it was facing then. He said that Quran was the main source of knowledge and we could become a great nation on adopting its teachings in letter and spirit. He regretted that resources of Muslim World were greater but its GDP was lesser than the world over that was a point to ponder.
Mirajujddin, Chairman Education Committee, Fazlullah Convener of the convention, Shahid Warsi, Director training, Nazar Hussain of PIMA, Naseeruddin Hamayun, Joint Director Islamic Education Directorate and other office bearers of AFAQ also addressed the convention while Allama Abdur Rashied Turabi, Kashmiri Leader and former MP of Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly led the congregational prayer on this occasion.