KARACHI, Nov 22: Federal Education Minister Lt Gen Javed Ashraf Qazi said on Monday that transfer of the Dawood College of Engineering and Technology to any other government agency is not on cards, and it will remain under the federal government's control.

Talking to media men after a workshop on education at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the minister said that he was well aware of the problems of the Karachi's engineering colleges and had planned some administrative changes in the DCET.

While the government was making efforts to improve teaching facilities, including the laboratories at the college, which is catering to the needs of students from all provinces of the country, measures were also being taken to alleviate the apprehensions pertaining to its administrative affairs, he added, saying that the change of principal at the college was also under consideration.

About the workshop, the minister said the workshop that commenced on Monday provided an opportunity of interaction to the quarters concerned for overall improvement of the educational affairs in the country.

Appreciating the speakers for highlighting the weaknesses of the country's education system, he said that the moots suggestions would be taken seriously by the government.

He said that instead of mere lip service, now there was a need to ensure that policies were implemented and funds were being utilized in right way. He called for teaching of English as a global language right from class one in the Urdu-medium schools, and imparting job-oriented education to the youth, with more emphasis on technical skills.

About the shortage of English teachers in schools, the minister said that the jobless youths with bachelor and master degrees could be hired on contractual basis for the purpose. He said that the biology curricula at the matriculation and intermediate levels had been revised to bring it in line with the professional education in medicines.

Informing that an examination mechanism was being evolved at the national level under the directive of the President Pervez Musharraf, General Ashraf also expressed his dissatisfaction over the performance of the educational boards in the country.

He said that there was a need to enhance the credibility of the boards and that was why the government had tasked a private organization to prepare a model system of public examinations, which would be adopted by the educational boards.

"I don't agree with the idea to have a debate or a national consensus on the issue, as experiences have shown that such exercises more often create hurdles and slow down the undertaking of projects in the country," he said.

To a question about madressahs, he said that some of these had already started teaching English to their students. He added that no foreign funds, including those of the Asian Development Bank, were being utilized for madressaha reforms as the government had enough funds for the purpose.