LAHORE, May 13: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has emphasised the need for continuous review of what is being taught at the educational institutions in the country in order to keep pace with the modern world.

Speaking at the first convocation of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences on Saturday, he stressed that “we need to continuously revise curricula in order to make progress and become a developed nation.”

He also called for upholding merit in all spheres of life and pointed out that corruption and nepotism were the two social evils that blocked the progress of a nation.

Highlighting economic turnaround of public-sector corporations achieved during the last six years, he said it was done by appointing the competent and honest persons in charge of these institutions and backing them with full force.

He said if a right person was put in a right place, nothing could stop him from producing the desired results. He said nobody could block “our way to prosperity and progress if a right person is put in the right place in pursuance of the principles of merit.

“Let me tell you there is no dearth of resources or talent for development (in Pakistan). We just need to follow merit.”

He further said “we (Pakistanis) are second to none. Indeed we are mentally superior to others. Our individuals have a great potential. What we lack is organisation, dedication, honesty, and focus.”

The president said the economic turnaround had enabled the government to allocate record funds for all tiers of the education sector in the country.

He said the Higher Education Commission’s funding had grown to Rs22 billion from a mere Rs600 million five years ago. “It has been made possible only because of the economic gains achieved by the government,” he said.

Musharraf said he had always talked about economy because it was the basis of everything. “Unless the economy is doing well, you can hardly spare resources for sectors like education,” he said, adding that a holistic approach needed to be pursued while developing the education sector in the country.

He said the government was spending huge funds on all tiers of education because it believed in the development of human resource, which was the key to a nation’s progress and prosperity.

“We are living in a knowledge-based world. The total GDP of 57 Muslim countries, endowed with natural resources, is only around $2,000 billion which is less than half the GDP of Japan and several other smaller developed nations lacking natural resources. Why is it so? It is because we (Muslims) stand nowhere in the knowledge-driven economy,” he concluded.