KOHAT, Dec 26: NWFP Minister for Education Maulana Fazle Ali Haqani said on Tuesday that the provincial government would not implement the new curriculum in the province if its recommendations were not incorporated.

“We would not allow anyone to secularise the education system,” he said while addressing as chief guest at the Gold Medals Award, 2006, ceremony organised by the NWFP boards of intermediate and secondary education here.

Mr Haqani said that rise and fall of nations depended on education, but unfortunately only 2.2 per cent of the GDP had been allocated for this sector in the country.

He said President Gen Pervez Musharraf, during a meeting in Islamabad, had agreed with the NWFP government proposals to raise allocation for the education sector up to 4 per cent, but regretted that the ministry of education had not yet taken any action on the president’s directives.

Eulogising the achievements of the MMA-led provincial government, he said that they had provided free of charge books to students of class 1 to 10 and started stipend of Rs200 per month for girl students of class 6 to 10.

Similarly, the provincial government had employed 40,000 teachers and announced Rs1,000 allowance for those teachers who were working in far-flung areas.

Later, the minister awarded gold medals to students of the six boards of intermediate and secondary education of the NWFP who had clinched top positions in secondary and higher secondary exams of the 2003-2004 session.

The Kohat board remained on the top by getting 17 gold, 11 silver and 13 bronze medals followed by Peshawar with 16 gold, 12 silver and 10 bronze medals.

Bannu, Swat and Mardan boards got 12 gold, 10 silver and bronze medals each. The Abbottabad board remained third with 14 gold, 12 silver and bronze medals each.