January 15, 2009	Thursday	Muharram 17, 1430

KARACHI, Jan 14: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad has said that the government will fully support two non-governmental organizations in order to allow them to turn the Khatoon-i-Pakistan School and Rana Liaquat Ali College of Home Economics into “modern institutions of learning, and no opposition from any quarters will be tolerated so far as reforming schools and colleges are concerned,” says a press release issued by the NGOs on Wednesday.

According to the press release, the governor made these comments in reply to a question as to why the government had withdrawn the notification handing over management of the aforementioned schools to the Bookgroup and Zindagi Trust during a visit to the SMB Fatima Jinnah Government Girls School on Tuesday.

The governor was accompanied on the visit by Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq, MQM leader Farooq Sattar and City Nazim Mustafa Kamal.

They were shown around the campus of the school — handed over to the NGOs by the government last year – by Zindagi Trust president Shehzad Roy and Bookgroup chairman Sami Mustafa.

These two organizations together raised over Rs30 million, renovated the building and constructed several facilities including an air-conditioned library, computer and science labs etc at the school, adds the statement.

The governor, the education minister, and Dr Sattar praised the NGOs for improving the physical facilities as well as the programme of studies at the school.

Dr Ibad and Pir Mazhar said that both the Pakistan People’s Party and the MQM were committed to bringing about fundamental changes in public sector schools, and that they would provide all support to Zindagi Trust and Bookgroup to reform more government schools, the press release says. It quoted them as saying that the NGOs should take up more public sector schools and establish modern standards of education, both by way of using modern textbooks, modern management practices and ongoing and rigorous training of teachers.—Staff Reporter