ISLAMABAD, Oct 2: The Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) Pakistan Monday demanded a thorough discussion on the National Education Policy in the Senate and the National Assembly. The policy is in the final stages of review.

The country’s public sector education system is in total disarray and the total literacy rate remains the lowest in South Asia (below 50 per cent), but parliamentarians continue to ignore this vital national issue in their debates, said a statement issued by the centre.

The statement said that it was evident from the fact that even the national education policy had not been taken up for discussion in parliament nor had the members raised any serious questions about priorities and the status of implementation.

The very little time spent on education related matters in parliament shows lack of political will and commitment to the education sector reforms, it further said.

It also reflects badly on the government, which continues to prepare and announce major policies outside parliament, the centre warned.

The centre asked the government to present the national education policy along with the proposed revisions in parliament. It also asked the parliamentarians to debate the recommendations about revising the education policy and ensure that the final policy document reflected the public aspiration for “Education for All” in the shortest possible time.

The centre said that though parliament had worked on education through its committees, only the Standing Committee of the Senate on Education was currently active, while the Standing Committee of the National Assembly had yet to prove its usefulness.

The centre urged both the committees to hold public hearings on the draft document concerning the revised national education policy.

Our staff reporter adds: Opposition members belonging to the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) on Monday submitted an adjournment motion in the National Assembly Secretariat seeking a debate on the “revelation” made by President Gen Pervez Musharraf that Kargil conflict involved Pakistan army.

According to parliamentary secretary of the ARD Izhar Amrohvi, the motion has been moved by 17 MNAs of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and it has been filed under Rule 92 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly 1992.

The motion says, “It was stated by Pakistan that Kargil war was fought by the Mujahideen or freedom fighters with Indian armed forces.

Now it has been revealed in the book titled ‘In the Line of Fire,’ written by Gen Pervez Musharraf that the war was fought by the Pakistan Army against the Indian forces. This had shocked the nation as the chief of the army staff had confessed and conceded the statement on the subject given by India.

The situation arising out of this fact has caused grave concern amongst the general public which has appeared to be taken as a U- turn from the previous stand of Pakistan.”

The motion has been signed by Chaudhry Aitezaz Ahsan, Syed Khursheed Shah, Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Syed Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rehman, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Naheed Khan, Fauzia Wahab, Chaudhry Qamaruz Zaman Kaira, Nayyar Bokhari, Khalid Iqbal Memon, Imtiaz Safdar Warraich and Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed of the PPP and Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Tehmina Daultana, Khawaja Saad Rafiq and Khawaja Mohammad Asif of the PML-N.