ISLAMABAD, Oct 11: Education Minister Zobaida Jalal on Saturday proposed revision of the latest report of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on human resource development, since it was not based on factual data.

According to a statement issued here, the suggestion was made by the education minister while talking to a delegation of the Unesco led by its director-general at Paris.

Ms Jalal expressed her concern over the declining pace of Human Development Index of Pakistan and said available facts and figures on enrolments and literacy rate did not include the students of private educational institutions and Deeni Madrassas, which were imparting education to a large number of students.

The minister told the delegate that the private sector in the country was playing a significant role in promotion of literacy and education in Pakistan and that without the support of the private sector, it would be difficult for the state to impart education to all of its citizens.

Ms Jalal also urged upon the delegate to revise the report, so that it should be based on factual data after which the ranking of Pakistan in HDI be ascertained.

She proposed establishment of professional linkages between Unesco Institute of Statistic (UIS), Canada, and the Academy of Educational Planning and Management (AEPAM), Islamabad, for attainment of factual data in the country’s education sector and stressed the need for the enhancement of cooperation between Pakistan and Unesco.

The delegation, according to the statement, agreed to the proposals of the minister and appreciated the efforts of Pakistan for promoting quality education in the country and lauded the efforts of the minister and her team for representing the case of Pakistan at the 32nd Unesco General Conference in Paris.

The delegation told the minister that Pakistan would soon be the role model for the rest of the developing nations, at least in the education sector. The delegation also informed the minister that according to their observation, no other developing country in the region had moved so fast as Pakistan in providing quality education to its citizens.

The minister also discussed the ongoing initiative of decentralisation in educational planning and management in Pakistan and asked for establishing professional linkages between the international institute of educational planning, Paris, and the planning and development wing of the ministry of education, Pakistan, for capacity building in education planning and management at the provincial and district level.

The minister also told the delegate that the Higher Education Commission of the country was implementing the structural reforms in higher education and the Commission would always be receptive to work closely with Unesco to avail international expertise and support in the higher education sector.

The Unesco director-general assured the much-needed support and said that a specialist in higher education would soon be recruited for the Unesco office at Bangkok, who would be available to assist the Pakistan’s HEC. It was also agreed by Unesco to provide services of an expert who would be working with the National Institute of Science and Technical Education (NISTE), Pakistan.