HYDERABAD, Dec 27: A three-day Petarians' convention concluded here on Sunday with a call to launch a crash mass education programme in schools situated in the vicinity of the Cadet College Petaro.

Bahawalpur Corps Commander Lt. Gen. S.P. Shahid, Chief of Staff Pakistan Navy, Vice Admiral Farooque Rasheed (both old CCP students) and others spoke on the occasion. Veteran CCP teacher Affan Maqsood who summed up deliberations of the workshop on "proliferation of mass education up to high school", said a crash mass education programme was needed to see as to how people could be accessed in order to help them receive education.

He said the Petarians could collect funds and work like other NGOs and added that allocation of budget and incentives were needed for the programme. He said the child labour was the main problem due to which children were not getting education.

He stressed the need for character building of teachers as well as mobilization of communities. He supported the idea of restoration of "Shahbaz House" in the CCP which was meant for children from rural areas.

He added that the CCP must try to adopt some schools to help them in terms of resources. He urged the administration of the CCP to improve its performance so that its prestige could be upheld.

Zulkader Siddiqui said the old boys had generated Rs3.2 million for their Alma Mater. He said the final draft of declaration would also be sent to the CCP management with the proposal to consider restoration of class VIIth in the college.