KARACHI, June 11: The Sindh Chief Secretary, Shakil Durrani, has urged all the welfare and educational organisations and the provincial education department to work for the educational uplift of the backward classes of society, for which he assured all-out government support.

He was speaking at a meeting of stakeholders of the ‘Education City’ project held at his office here on Monday.

The meeting discussed issues related to the board of governors, land allotment strategy, lease settlement, project’s master plan, funding, government financial assistance and infrastructural development, etc.

It was decided that in consultation with the land utilisation secretary, the DCO Karachi would get the project in question notified in the gazette.

The meeting decided that research academics, schools, colleges, varsities, teaching hospitals, health care institutions, sports and gymnasium activities would also be ensured at the Education City.

The government would determine the criterion of allotment in the Education City to ensure transparency while all the stakeholders would submit their project plans to the provincial/city government and the Education City would also submit its master plan, it was decided.

The meeting held that admissions to institutions in the Education City would be given on merit besides 10 per cent fee exemption and other facilities would also be provided to deserving students as per the charter of the higher education and in this regard an endowment fund would also be established.

It was decided that decisions regarding provision of utilities to the project as per the laid down rules and conditions would be ensured while the Sindh government would extend all-out assistance in this regard.

The meeting decided that from the time of establishment of the Education City, the SGAD would function as the focal department.

Dr Adibul Hasan Rizvi (SIUT), Noor Mohammed (AKU), Nisar Ali Effendi (Sindh Madressah Board), Shahid Aziz Siddiqi (ZMU), G.D. Junejo (SSUET), Land Utilisation Secretary Aftab Ahmed Memon, Education Secretary Sabhago Khan Jatoi, DCO Javed Hanif, KWSB MD Ghulam Arif, EDO Master Plan Iftekhar Ahmed Qaimkhani and others attended the meeting.—APP