ISLAMABAD, March 31: Education Minister Zobaida Jalal on Wednesday said the government was not considering to lift the 22-year-old ban on student unions or hold their election in the country.
"However the government is seized with a proposal to introduce a new concept of students' parliament," she told the National Assembly during the question hour. She brushed aside the impression that the concept of students' parliament was initiated by some NGOs, and said it was the government's own brainchild.
The minister said student unions were, in fact, the arms of different political parties, which instead of facilitating the students always created law and order situation on campuses.
The government will not allow student unions to restore their activities because they forcibly occupy hostel rooms for different political parties in the name of students welfare councils, she added.
In reply to another question, Ms Jalal said corporal punishment was strictly prohibited in all educational institutions of Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), Islamabad, and the policy in this regard had already been conveyed to the institutions for implementation.
She referred to a recent directive issued by the FDE to all the principals of Islamabad Model Colleges to take strict disciplinary action against individuals if any complaint was lodged against a principal or teacher for corporal punishment.
The directive also mentioned that despite efforts to create congenial learning environment, cases continued to occur, especially among boys' institutions.
In this world of development, corporal punishment is totally forbidden for obvious reason that a child is entrusted to an institution with full faith. Hence punishment is judged as a breach of that trust and a point of departure from all that is of value.
It said every institution was supposed to look after the rights and interests of its students as they can not defend themselves against all odds. Hence as a policy, punishment is simply not allowed by teachers who are otherwise moral and intellectual mentors.
She said the FDE under the Education Sectoral Reforms had provided textbooks to the students of Class I and II of the F.G. schools free of cost during academic session 2003-04. Similarly, during 2004-05, textbooks would also be provided free of cost to students of Class I, II and III.
