February 28, 2003	Friday	Zul Hijjah 26, 1423

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QUETTA, Feb 27: Balochistan Assembly on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution demanding free education up to matriculation in the province, on the pattern of Punjab.

The resolution was moved by a Pashtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) MPA Ms Mairman Spouzami Achakzai as it was a private members day. Speaker Jamal Shah Kakar presided over the session.

The resolution, expressing deep concern over poor education standards in Balochistan, urged upon the provincial government to take concrete steps for the improvement.

Provincial Education Minister Abdul Aleem Siddiqui, speaking on the resolution, said the government had already exempted the school students from fee and textbooks prices were cut down by 30 per cent in the province for providing relief to the poor parents.

He said:”We want to give more relief and facilities to our children.”

The minister told the house that the government was implementing a programme, “Tawana Pakistan”, under which the poor girls students were also being provided with food to encourage the parents for sending their girls to schools.

In the first phase, the plan was introduced in one district only, he said and added that it would be extended to Chaghai, Zhob, Loralai, Qila Saifullah and some other districts in the next phase.

Referring to the demand of free education up to matriculation, the minister said the government was already working on various suggestions in this regard.

He informed the house that talks to get a grant for education in the province were under way with the federal education minister, and said that in view of these steps there was no need of moving such a resolution.

But Ms Achakzai did not agree with the minister, saying that she was not satisfied with the steps being taken by the provincial government in this regard. She insisted that resolution should be adopted. However, the house adopted the resolution with a majority of votes.

Earlier, a treasury bench member and former education minister Sheikh Jaffer Khan Mandokhel supported the resolution and said education sector deserved more attention of the government.

He blamed teachers’ bodies and political parties for interference in education institutions through their student wings, and alleged that they wanted to have teachers recruited on political basis.

“If we want to improve the education standards and make the system functional then political interference must come to an end and the system should be allowed to work free of any pressure,” he said.

The former minister claimed that the government institutions had far better teaching staff than the private schools and colleges, but the uncalled for interference had deteriorated the working conditions in the public institutions.

Shafiq Ahmed Khan of People’s Party Parliamentarians while speaking on the resolution said children of the civilians who were living in the city areas were being denied admissions to the public sector educational institutions set up in the cantonment area.

The house through another resolution called upon the federal government to re-commission the Saindak Copper Project and take on people of the province for the purpose on merit, besides reinstating the former employees.

BNM MPAs Kashkol Ali, Rehmat Ali Baloch, Jan Mohammed Buledi and Dr Shama Yasmin Ishaque had tabled the resolution jointly.

Lawmakers rejected with a majority of votes a resolution calling for withdrawal of raise in royalty on Chromite. The provincial government had raised the royalty from Rs25 to Rs100 per ton. The mover Mohammed Naseem Tiryalai of PMAP was of the view that the raise had forced mine owners to close their business.

The speaker deferred two resolutions for the next day.

Earlier, the house admitted an adjournment motion moved by Jan Mohammed Buledi of BNM on procurement of onion from the growers.