ISLAMABAD, Feb 21: Federal education minister Zobaida Jalal has said that the government’s decision to bring religious Madressahs into mainstream education is based on the realization that without attaining mastery of the modern as well as conventional subjects, Pakistan will be left behind in this knowledge-driven world.

She was speaking at the FBISE’s 17th awards ceremony at the auditorium of Islamabad Model College for Girls in Sector F/6-2.

The minister said that the government had recently awarded 49 Commonwealth Scholarships on merit after processing 1,900 applications. Negotiations are also under way to secure scholarships at the graduate level as well as 300 scholarships at the PhD level from the US and UK, she added.

The syllabus at the intermediate level has already been revised except for the social studies which would also be revised pretty soon, the minister said.

Reforms pertaining to teachers’ training and curriculum would soon be implemented, she said. Besides, steps are being taken to encourage the private sector to invest in the education sector, the minister added.

Ms Jalal said distribution of prizes certainly helped in improving the standard of teaching and education.

Meanwhile, the Fauji Foundation College for Girls, New Lalazar, Rawalpindi Cantonment, won the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education’s (FBISE) Best Institution Award at the higher secondary school certificate (HSSC) level. The college also won a cash prize of Rs20,000.

The Islamabad Model College for Girls, Sector) F-6/2, Islamabad Model College for Girls, Sector F-7/4, and the Army Public School for Girls (Azam Garrison), Lahore Cantonment, were adjudged the best institutions at the secondary school certificate (SSC) level. Each of these institutions won a cash prize of Rs10,000.

A total of 46 medals (14 gold, 14 silver and 18 bronze) were distributed among the top three position-holders in each group of the matriculation and intermediate examinations 2001.

The overall top position-holders — Syedi Hina Batool of the Army Public School, Rawalpindi, at the matriculation level and Abeera Batool of the PAEC Model College for Girls, Chashma (Mianwali), at the intermediate level — were awarded gold medals, personal computers, shields and certificates.

As many 785 institutions are affiliated with the FBISE. In 2001, 48,213 and 29,862 students appeared in the board’s SSC and HSSC examinations respectively.