The federal government has decided to link religious seminaries in the country with Ministry of Education and Professional Training to improve the education standard. This was stated by Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood while addressing a press conference here on Monday. Earlier a meeting was presided over by Mehmood with respect to religious seminaries where heads of different seminaries participated.
According to the ministry spokesperson, it was decided unanimously that all the seminaries would be required to register themselves with the Ministry of Education and Professional Training in future. For this purpose 10 regional registration offices would be established in the country.
Further the ministry would collect data of all religious seminaries. The ministry would cooperate with all those seminaries in opening accounts in banks. The ministry would also provide education facilities to all foreign students of registered seminaries. Furthermore, unregistered seminaries would be shut down.
The education minister said that seminaries would not be under the control of Education Ministry, but would be linked with the ministry.
The government would provide assistance to religious seminaries in needed, said the minister, adding that it has no links with the 18th constitutional amendment. The minister further said that government is working to come up with a uniform curriculum for all educational institutions. He further said that with respect to examination, negotiations are still going on with religious seminaries.