KARACHI, Jan 28: The City Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, has said that the city government can be credited for revoking the self- finance scheme in educational institutions, which was obviously meant to deprive deserving students of their right to acquire quality education.
“Keeping in view the pathetic state of education, we decided to abolish the scheme despite facing immense pressure from many quarters,” he said at the launch of a three-day book exhibition at the NED University under the aegis of the Islami Jamiat Talaba on Tuesday.
Naimatullah Khan said that after taking over as City Nazim, he accorded top priority to education, as 30 per cent of the Rs20 billion budget of the city government presented in June 2001 was allocated for this sector.
He said that most of the amount was meant for improving basic facilities in 4,500 schools and 92 colleges which had been devolved to the city government and most of which were even without toilets, drinking water, electricity and other facilities.
Criticizing the nationalization of educational institutions in the early ‘70s, he termed the move a major debacle which, he added, deteriorated the standard of education beyond perception.
“However, the vacuum created by the absence of quality public educational institutions was filled by private institutions which soon turned this sector into an industry and with the passage of time their fees have gone beyond the financial reach of students belonging to average families”.
He termed it a misnomer that an overwhelming section of Karachi’s population is well off and added that on the contrary more than 53 per cent people lived in Kutcha abadis which are devoid of basic facilities of life and unable to make two ends meet.
The City Nazim said that unless serious efforts were undertaken by planners and people at the helm of affairs to resolve the decades-old problems of Karachi, its woes would continue multiplying, which would, in turn, have direct bearing on the economy of the country.
Naimatullah Khan stressed the need for revival of students’ unions in educational institutions, as it is the basic democratic right of students to reap the fruits of democracy which has been revived in the country after a gap of three years.
Former Karachi University vice-chancellor Dr Abdul Wahab said that low rate of literacy resulted in ill-planned and ill-conceived policies which always had disastrous consequences for any country.
He urged the ministry of education to ensure effective steps for provision of quality but affordable books to the deserving students to help enhance their reading habit, as ironically rates of books have gone far beyond the financial capacity of the common man.
He also underscored the significance of union activities in educational institutions and said that when the government had revived democratic activities, there was no justification to deprive students of this right.
Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid expressed similar sentiments for revival of union activities and termed the decision of the military government led by Gen Ziaul Haq to impose ban on union activities a wrong and arbitrary step and against the constitution.
He said through a writ petition a request can be submitted in courts for revival of the same.
