BAHAWALPUR: The federal government is planning to enforce education emergency across the country.

This was said by State Minister for Education and Interior Affairs Baleeghur Rehman at a seminar entitled “Movement for social change” organised by the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), Punjab, here on Saturday.

The minister said the implementation of education emergency plan would be ensured by the NCHD with the collaboration of other partner organisations.

The minister also referred to government’s about 15 programmes and schemes like Apna School Programme and Maktab Scheme aimed at bringing maximum number of children to schools. These programmes, he said, would be launched soon.

Under the Maktab system, he said initially 100 such schools at a total cost of Rs50 million would be opened in mosques in the country to teach Quran to children along with free education up to primary level. This would serve as a pilot project and the federal government had already released the amount.

Baleegh said the education ministers from all the provinces in their joint meeting held in Islamabad recently had agreed to form a joint council to formulate a national education policy with particular reference to the preparation of a uniform curricula.

He claimed that with the setting up of the national council, difficulties confronted after the devolution of education under the 18th amendment to the provinces stood sorted out.

He asked the provinces to raise their budget for education sector and improve the human development index. Baleegh said the government had increased the HEC budget from Rs45 billion to Rs170 billion.

Former social welfare minister Begum Shaheen Attiqur Rehman pointed out that presently there were about 30 million illiterate persons in Punjab and there was a need that each UC should have literacy centres.

The seminar was also addressed by Federal Additional Secretary Education Dr Allah Bakhsh, Japan International Cooperation Agency’s Ms Chiho Ohashi and UNDP’s Jaimi Jimlsan.

LAW AND ORDER: New Commissioner Saqib

Zafar at a meeting on Saturday directed the DCOs of Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan to ensure law and order in their districts.

He also asked them to nab hoarders and profiteers.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2015

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