QUETTA: Political parties have underlined the need for a joint political alliance to promote education in Balochistan, Pakistan's least developed and resource-rich province.

Baloch and Pashtoon nationalists along with religious political parties expressed their concerns over the deteriorating condition of education sector in Balochistan during a seminar organised by a non-governmental organisation at a local hotel on Saturday.

“Education is the only panacea to all ills of the society,” Muhammad Qasim Khan Suri, the provincial president of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) told the moot.

Besides political leaders, newly elected councilors from Quetta also spoke at length about the deteriorating state of education in Balochistan. They urged upon the provincial government to turn its announcement of education emergency into action and ensure provision of education to children of the province.

“Rulers are mere paying lip service when it comes to education sector,” Ghullam Nabi Marri, the central leader of Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) lamented. He said under a pre-planned conspiracy, children in the province were being deprived of education.

According to the provincial education department, out of 3.6 million children 2.3 million children are deprived of education in the province.

“There are only 12,000 schools for 22,000 settlements in Balochistan,” Sardar Raza Muhammad Bareech, the advisor to chief minister on education revealed.

Most schools in Balochistan remained deprived of boundary walls, buildings and clean drinking water.

The political leaders said that despite having rich mineral and natural resources, children in Balochistan were denied the right of education. “In most schools, there are no bathrooms and clean drinking water,” Qasim Suri said.

Newly elected councilor of Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), Hamdullah Bareech however stated that for the first time in the history of the province, substantial funds were allocated for the education sector. He said the present government allocated 24 per cent funds during the current financial year.

The speakers emphasised the need for coordinated efforts by political parties to ensure maximum enrolment of children in schools. They also spoke at length to develop a consensus to form a joint political alliance for promotion of education in the province.