April 21, 2002	Sunday	Safar 7, 1423

KARACHI, April 20: The provincial minister for education, Prof Anita Ghulam Ali, said on Saturday that the government would introduce Kutchi-pehli (pre-school) classes for three to five- year old children in all govt primary schools throughout the province.

The minister was speaking at a large gathering of students, teachers, college principals and education officials of the city government at Abdullah Government College for Women.

She talked about the government’s efforts in the educational sector, specially compulsory education at the primary level. Prof Anita said that the government was making all efforts to bring all five to eleven-year-old children under its compulsory education scheme, but at the same time it realised that many students, due to paucity of funds, could not get the education being imparted by private schools in the form of montessori or kindergarten classes.

She said that now the government had decided to allocate an amount of Rs1200 million for Kutchi-pehli classes, and the city and district governments had already shown their agreement to the idea of such education.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the conditions in government primary schools, she said that these schools, with certain exceptions, generally lacked toilets, wall, furnitures and adequate teaching staff.

She further said that her department was proposing the adoption of the mother tongue of students as the medium of instruction in primary schools, while English should be taught as second language from Class VI onwards.

She further informed that topics on human rights, environment, ethics and common human diseases would specially be included in the education of different subjects at the school and college level from the next academic session.

She said that the government was also considering lunch arrangements for primary school students, while a scheme for occasional supply of milk, sugar or other eatables to students in the five districts where primary education had been announced as compulsory was also being contemplated.

She said that the government was also planning to give loans of up to Rs30000 to individuals to open and run primary schools in the private sector.

The desiring parties would be provided funds without any demand of collateral. She added that another proposal was under consideration for allocating Rs1200 million for providing grant-in-aid to encourage private schools imparting quality education in small areas.

She said that the government had also planned funds in the next budget for the training of 12000 school teacher and 8000 college teachers.

She said that in this era of development when the quantum of knowledge was increasing at a faster pace it was necessary that in-service teachers should be given all opportunities to enhance their knowledge and practical qualifications.

Executive district officer education, Prof Mohammed Raees Alvi, district officer education (co