ISLAMABAD, Dec 7: The government has decided to make English a compulsory subject from class I countrywide with the beginning of next academic year from Sept 1, 2007, Federal Minister for Education Javed Ashraf Qazi said.

He made these remarks while speaking at a dialogue on public- private partnership in education sector organised by Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP), a civil society organization, here.

Criticising the late president Gen Zia-ul-Haq for switching the entire education sector over to the Urdu medium of instruction, Mr. Qazi said the recent national education census had revealed that at present only 1.4 per cent public sector institutions offered English as medium of instruction.

“This was shocking, therefore, the government has decided to start English subject from class I throughout the country,” the education minister said.

He said both federal and provincial governments had already started recruiting English teachers and President General Musharraf had assured all out support in this regard.

To provide missing facilities at school level, Rs100 billion have been earmarked under the President Education Sector Reforms (PESR), the minister said, adding Rs1 billion had already been released in this regard.

“I have also directed the provincial governments to gradually switch over to English as medium of instruction except for the subjects of Islamiyat and Pakistan Study, which will help improve our students ability to excel in higher studies,” he said.

“We might have some very good universities, but what about those 30 per cent students, who leave the school before completing their primary level education,” the minister told the participants.

About the annual budget for education, the minister said over the last seven years, the spending on education had been increased from Rs75.8 billion to Rs207.1 billion in the current year.

Calling for an increased investment by the private sector in education, which presently stood at Rs40 billion per annum, the minister said, public-private sector partnership was need of the hour.