08 November 2004	Monday	24 Ramazan 1425

KARACHI, Nov 7: The Sindh Minister for Education and Literacy, Dr Hamida Khuhro, has assured private educational institutions of resolving all their genuine problems, but said, private schools will have to address large scale public complaints regarding excessive fees and lack of facilities.

She expressed these views while addressing an iftar dinner hosted in her honour by the All Private Schools Management Association Sindh at a local hotel. Former minister and noted educationist Anita Ghulam Ali, Abida Kamal and others were also present.

She maintained that many private schools were serving the nation with quality education, but there were many that had made the sector a source of earning turning service into business.

Dr Hamida She added that the government would strengthen public-private partnership in the education sector.

She further pointed out that private schools were paying their teachers less, while the situation was quite the opposite at government schools where teachers were paid handsomely, but they were not working hard to impart quality education and guidance.

She appealed to the private school management to bring down their fees and improve the conditions of their schools to make education affordable for all. The minister also said that government schools would be improved to provide people with the opportunity of quality education, which she maintained, was the main responsibility of the government.

Speaking of lack of quality education in the public sector schools, she cited the reason being negligence by governments in the past.

She announced that high priority areas included teachers training programmes for raising the quality of education, and vocational training at middle school-level to make education job oriented so to attract the segment which was reluctant to send their children to schools. Chairman, All Private Schools Management Association also spoke. - PPI