ISLAMABAD, Dec 6: The education ministry is planning to double the national education budget to four per cent of gross domestic product and increase teachers' salaries as ways to enhance literacy and standard of education , says Education Minister Javed Ashraf.

He was winding up a debate on the literacy situation in the Senate on Monday on a private members' day. He said the government also planned to set up technical schools at tehsil level across the country to promote vocational education.

The minister acknowledged the present education budget of two per cent of the GDP was "too meagre" and agreed with complaints made by several of 25 Senators who spoke on a motion moved by Pakistan Muslim League member Mrs Razina Alam Khan, and said: "We are asking for it to be doubled."

"We have to raise teachers' salaries," he said and added: "We are going to the pay committee to ask for a pay raise." He said the country lacked qualified teachers and told the upper house that a $100 million programme had been launched for teachers' training.

Most opposition members used the debate to attack the government's performance in the education sector over the past five years. The treasury members defended the government but acknowledged deficiencies and mainly blamed them on lack of funds and trained staff.

Opposition members accused the government of not having an education policy and not doing enough to increase the literacy rate, and called for a uniform system of education throughout the country.

Mr Ashraf clarified that the government had not introduced any education policy of its own and said it was following a 10-year plan formulated in 1998 but said a mid-term review would be made.

He put the country's current projected rate of literacy at 54 per cent from 44 per cent recorded in the 1998 census and said a national action plan was underway to increase it to 86 per cent by 2008.

Responding to criticism on non-governmental organizations by some senators, he said NGOs were funded by the United Nations and other donors and not by the government. But he said the government was setting up a system to monitor the NGOs' performance.

Some members also complained about corruption in government-run educational institutions and high fees charged by private institutions. The education minister rejected allegations from several Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal members that the government was seeking to undermine Madressahs and said it only wanted to help them from its own resources to voluntarily introduce subjects of English, mathematics and science.

He also denied allegations from some MMA members that the Aga Khan Foundation was introducing a separate syllabus for its schools in the Northern Areas and that it had issued an objectionable questionnaire to students.

The minister said the foundation had been allowed only to set up an examination board to which only private schools could affiliate and which would not change curriculum.

About the questionnaire that some MMA members complained had asked students if they ever had sex, the minister said it was actually issued by the Unicef in an educational programme about AIDS and was later withdrawn. The house was adjourned until 4.15 p.m. on Tuesday.