15 October 2004	Friday	29 Shaban 1425

KARACHI, Oct 14: Educationists and scholars on Thursday expressed their concern over the existing education system in the rural as well as urban parts of Sindh, and emphasized the need to introduce education for sustainable development.

They said this at a seminar on "Education for Sustainable Development" organised by the Education and Literacy Management, an NGO, held at a local hotel. The organisation has introduced "Fiza-e-Sabz" for providing a green and healthy environment for children.

Speaking at the seminar as the chief guest the Sindh Minister for Education Sindh said: "The government, without public participation, itself cannot achieve the goal of providing every basic facility to citizens.

"We can in fact spend a huge amount on building beautiful buildings, but without the community's participation, we cannot turn our dreams into reality," said Dr Hamida Khuhro, Giving the example of the Japanese education system on her visit to Japan, Dr Khuhro said she visited schools where students cleaned their classes at the end of school with their teachers. "There is no concept of a peon or a sweeper; they don't feel any hesitation and enjoy doing it."

She said that cleaning schools should not be taken as an extra burden. It was actually a learning process, she maintained, adding that children could learn more from the practice, and these children could then apply the same method at their homes and have an influence there as well.

Advising teachers to fulfil their responsibility, she deplored that teachers were not attending schools, while she also lamented the situation of parents, saying she had observed many parents to be unaware about the future of their school going children.

She suggested that society needed sincere NGOs to work for the cause of motivating parents. Dr Khuhro was of the view that the population was fast growing and resources were declining and it had become quite difficult for governments to come up to expectations of their citizens.

Raees Alvi, EDO, Higher Secondary Education Karachi, on the occasion said there existed schools without washrooms, teachers, and proper environment and basic facilities.

He also criticised the interference of political leaders and parliamentarians in constructing more school buildings without having students and teachers. While, he said that teachers were being appointed on the recommendations of the political influential, violating the concept of merit.

Mr Alvi also criticised the operation of political student groups in educational organizations, urging for proper planning to improve the education system. Prof Dr Nuzhat Ahmed of the Centre of Applied Economics, University of Karachi called upon the government to keep a strict check over the allocation of funds and their utilization.

Sarwar Ali, the Secretary of Education and Literacy Management, briefed participants of the seminar about the objectives of the organisation and about their MoU signed recently with the Sindh education department and the University of Karachi for supporting their idea to bridge a gap between public and private educational institutions.

Meanwhile, the education minister while talking to journalists after the seminar said the province needed teachers for education not for agitation. She said that teachers' organisations involved in promoting "hooliganism" in educational institutions were not sincere to the cause of education as well as the future of our generations. "We will not allow anyone to destroy the environment of educational institutions."

To a question about the demands of the Sindh Professors and Lecturers' Association, the minister said, " We will fulfil their demands according to the agreement made with them," without mentioning any specific period for meeting their demands.

"We are going to introduce a new education policy in the province and will work for its proper implementation because improving the education infrastructure is our top priority," she said. The Vice Chancellor, University of Karachi, Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui and others also spoke. - PPI