LAHORE: Punjab Minister for School and Education Dr Murad Raas has said the government will make amendments to the law to introduce proper check and balance in private school sector of the province.

He was presiding over a meeting with the chief executive officers (CEOs) of Multan District Education Authority at committee room of minister’s block on Wednesday. SED Secretary Ambreen Raza, CEOs and other officers were also present in the meeting.

He said the government would contact parents of the children studying in private institution to bring better regulation and would also address their complaints and grievances against [private] schools.

He said the government would get services of the legal consultants for registration of the private schools and would also constitute a committee to address its problems.

The minister said the government was planning to extend cooperation to the private school sector so that it could help them to bring every child to the school. “We will take measures to end child labour and illiteracy from the country. It’s the fundamental right of every child to get education,” he said.

He said change could only be brought about in the country through education. “We will ensure 100 per cent admission in schools to bring about social change,” he said.

The CEOs of Multan, Khanewal, Vehari and Lodhran also discussed with the minister different issues being faced by the government schools.

GCU: Government College University (GCU) Sustainable Development Study Centre has established a multi-sequential atomic absorption spectroscopy laboratory and biochar furnace room for the identification and quantification of heavy metals in soils.

GCU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah and Punjab Agricultural Research Board (PARB) executive member Dr Akram Qazi on Wednesday inaugurated the laboratory and furnace room set up under a project funded by the research board.

Project Manager Dr Waqasuddin Khan said that the PARB had awarded Rs21.9m research project to the GCU for cost-effective improvement in nutritive value of rice and wheat crops. He also gave a presentation on the project and its use to benefit farmers across the country.

He further said that multi-sequential atomic absorption spectrometer was imported from Germany at Rs4.5m.

“The… spectrometer will be used for the identification and quantification of heavy metals and it will provide an opportunity to test the soil and water analysis of farmers’ fields,” he added.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2018