28 November 2004	Sunday	15 Shawwal 1425

THATTA, Nov 27: Sindh Education Minister Dr Hameeda Khuhro has observed that public-private partnership can help minimize growing problems, particularly in education and health sectors.

She was speaking at a ceremony organized in recognition of services of the Dewan Mushtaq Group and the Thatta Cement Company in collaboration with the Thatta district government and the Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP) in improving the standard of education in rural schools in the Ahmad Khan Zaur village here on Saturday.

The minister praised the PCP executive director for initiating an 18-month pilot project for improving the education standard.

She said the Dewan Mushtaq Group, PCP's partner in Thatta, had donated Rs5.8 million for infrastructure and improving the quality of education in 12 government primary schools. She said the Thatta Cement Company had also donated Rs1 million for eight primary schools.

Dr Khuhro said children up to primary level were being provided with free books.

Saying that the government was making efforts to make education affordable, she informed the gathering that a plan to minimize expenses up to matriculation was under consideration.

She expressed concern over misuse of school management committees' funds in various districts and asked parents to monitor education projects. She said 40 per cent children were out of school.