Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that education and health are the priority areas of the government, and every effort would be made by taking all stakeholders on board to achieve the desired objectives in minimum possible time.
Achieving universal goal of free primary and secondary education, ensuring gender equality, promoting public-private partnership, establishing more schools in less-developed areas and bringing them at par with other parts of the country, while reducing dropout rate are some of the areas, which Education Ministry should concentrate to work on priority basis, he directed. The Prime Minister said this while chairing a meeting at the Education Ministry here on Friday.
Gilani said that the new education policy should encompass all important ingredients, which are essential for making the education system progressive and vibrant that should satisfy the requirements both qualitatively as well as quantitatively.
Taking note of numerous complaints about the poor monitoring and inspection system and dismal physical structure of Federal Government schools in the Capital territory, he directed the ministry to improve it by ensuring provision of basic facilities to all federal government schools in Islamabad. In this regard, he added that he would undertake surprise visits to these schools to personally evaluate the on-ground situation.
The Prime Minister also directed the Education Ministry to resolve the issue of National College of Arts regarding acquisition of land for its Campus in Islamabad as well as expediting the construction of College for Home Economics in Islamabad.
He approved the proposal regarding holding of quarterly meetings of provincial education ministers in order to ensure better co-ordination besides avoiding overlapping and duplication of projects. Federal Minister for Education, Mir Hazar Khan Bajarani in his presentation briefed the meeting about the working of education ministry and the salient features of the proposed Education Policy.
He later presented a cheque of Rs 2.5 million to the Prime Minister on behalf of Education Ministry for PM's special fund for victims of terrorism. The Prime Minister was also informed that 32 truckloads of food and other household items collected by students and teachers of the Federal Government institutions in Islamabad have already been dispatched for the displaced persons.