KARACHI, Dec 19: Educational experts, senior teachers and politicians at a seminar on Monday criticized the government over the decision of SSC and HSC composite exams and vowed to initiate a joint struggle against what they termed “unwise and autocratic” decisions of the federal and provincial educational authorities.
The seminar on “Composite exams of matriculation and intermediate: facts and consequences” was organized by the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) here at a local hotel and it was addressed by Naib Amir Jamat-i-Islami (JI) Senator Prof Ghafoor Ahmed, SPLA office-bearer Prof Riaz Ahsan, KUTS President Prof Sarwar Nasim, the president of Principals Association, Anees Zaidi, Dr Rafique Alam, senior journalist Athar Hashmi, Dr Shershah Syed of the Dow University of Health Sciences, IJT Karachi Nazim Tahir Akbar and others.
Speaking on the occasion, Senator Prof Ghafoor Ahmed criticized the government for taking unilateral decisions on the issues of national importance, dictations from abroad and deplored that the parliament was never taken into confidence in any educational issue.
“I have never witnessed the present parliament discussing country’s educational policy and all the decisions in this regard were taken on the directives from abroad”, he said adding that the government was closing the doors of education on the poor students.
Prof Ghafoor alleged that conspiracies were being hatched to create law and order situation at educational institutes and the growing violence against teachers at the Karachi University and other educational institutes in the city was part of a well-conceived conspiracy.
He was of the opinion that the IMF and the World Bank were now shaping the country’s educational policy and providing funds for their agenda.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof Syed Riaz Ahsan said that a single person was imposing his decisions on the nation without taking any political organization or technocrats into confidence.
He was of the view that the government’s educational policies were creating concern among the masses as it had nothing to do with the betterment of the nation and the society.
Prof Ahsan deplored that no teachers’ organization was taken into confidence regarding the composite exams.
He announced that all teachers’ organizations of the country would be brought on one platform and a joint action plan would be formulated to initiate struggle against such anti-education steps of the government.
KUTS President Sarwar Nasim said that like the governments in the past, the present government was also not giving priority to the education sector and the present rulers had started imposing imported decisions on the nation.
IJT Karachi Nazim Syed Tahir Akbar said that a class-based educational system was strengthening in the country as composite exams would promote use of unfair means during the exams and strengthen the private educational boards like the AKUEB.
Other speakers said the experiment of composite exams in SSC and HSC levels, had already failed but under a well-conceived conspiracy, the government was
trying to deprive people of quality education.
They called for initiating a joint struggle for putting the country’s education policy back on track and urged people from all walks of life including politicians, journalists and parents to work together for the cause.—PPI
