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| January 17, 2003 | Friday | Ziqa'ad 13, 1423 |
4,000 science labs to be set up this year, says Zobaida
ISLAMABAD, Jan 16: The government has planned to open science laboratories in 4,000 schools within this year in a phased manner under education sector reforms (ESR).
Federal Education Minister Zobaida Jalal said this during her meeting with the Norwegian ambassador Tore Toreng here on Thursday.
The education minister said the provincial governments and the ministry of education were making efforts for quantitative expansion and qualitative improvement of science education in the country, but the facilities of teaching science were not up to the mark.
Out of the 9,000 secondary and higher secondary schools, only 46 per cent have adequate computer labs, equipment and consumables. She said the plan also envisaged provision of additional equipment to 5,000 institutions where the labs were deficient in equipment.
The project will be implemented within 10 years in three phases with an estimated cost of Rs3.4 billion. The minister also offered the proposals of teachers, students exchange programme, exchange of literature and linkage of National Institute of Science and Technology, Islamabad, with the similar institute in Norway for mutual cooperation in the field of development of curriculum and textbooks in science subjects from grade 1-10 and technical education from grade 9-12.
The ambassador, however, said he would facilitate all the proposals of the ministry to further strengthen the relations between Norway and Pakistan.
About bringing technical education to the secondary schools across the country, she said selected trades with good employment prospects were being introduced in some schools for which Rs4.8 billion would be required during the period 2002-05.
Ms Zobaida Jalal also briefed the ambassador on the steps taken by her ministry to make education easily accessible and approachable to the dwellers of the priority status. Commenting on the education standard in the FATA, she told the ambassador that the people in FATA themselves wanted to have education in their areas.
She said after her induction in the cabinet as education minister, the FATA MNAs approached her and demanded establishment of more schools in their areas.
The ambassador, meanwhile, hailed the policies being followed by the ministry and said the most important aspect of the new national government was the continuation of the healthy policies in education sector.
He also hailed the devolution plan in the country, and said that it would help the poor lot to change their fate. Commenting on the relationship between the NORAD and the education ministry, Ms Zobaida Jalal said under the bilateral assistance programme, the Norwegian government was keen to replicate national education foundation model in FATA where the literacy rate was as low as being less than 1 per cent for female education.
The ambassador told the minister that the Norwegian government offers NORAD fellowship programme every year for Pakistani nationals under the technical assistance programme in addition to training programme to Pakistani nationals every year. During the period 1999-2001, four Norwegian students were given admission in Pakistani educational students on self-finance basis.
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