The Secretary Information and Culture, Punjab Oria Maqbool Jan has stressed the need of a uniform curricula showed concern over the prevailing disparity among the educational institutions of the country. His said this addressing a seminar on 'Budget 2008-09 Focus on Elementary Education'.
The Pakistan National Forum (PNF) in collaboration with Saarc Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Beacon House Chain of Schools organised the event in a local hotel here on Friday.
Noted educationalists, columnists and representatives of the government as well as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) participated in the moot expressed their views over the state of education in the country. Punjab Secretary in his speech underlined the importance of strengthening the primary level education saying that national development largely depends upon quality of primary level education.
He also said that the present government was focusing on primary education allocated a considerably large amount in the budget for the development of primary education. Further, 'Only those nations prosper who have good standard of primary education', he added. The former Managing Director, Punjab Education Foundation (PEF), Dr Allah Bakhsh Malik presented the international perspective of school education said that the government schools in the country were facing problems of missing facilities.
Talking about the standard of education he said, 'There can never be a failure if there exists a political will and a passion to do something for uplifting the standard of education in Pakistan'.
Senior journalist, Mujeeb ur Rehman Shami speaking on the occasion said that primary education was never privatised in any part of the world as in Pakistan. 'Much has been written and discussed on issues surrounding the country's education system' he said regretting that 'It is unfortunate that still such issues are being discussed while no change has been witnessed during the recent past'.
Shami was of the view that there should be a movement for restoration of education system of the country as there was a movement regarding restoration of judiciary in the country. Terming O and A level as mere wastage of resources, he claimed that 'Nation could only become united if there was a uniform education system in the country'. The President, PNF, Colonel Ikramullah (Retd), DPI (Elementary Education), Zulfiqar Ali Awan also spoke to the audience of the moot.