KARACHI, March 16: The Sindh Governor, Dr Ishratul Ibad, has stressed the need for maintaining bottom-line criteria for provision of facilities in private sector educational institutions.He pointed out that the private sector was playing an appreciable role in the field of education, but needed coordinated measures for continuity and enhancement. Hesaid this at meeting held at the Governor House, which was attended by ProvincialEducation Minister Dr Hamida Khuhro, Secretary Education Hashim Leghari, Additional Secretary Mohsin Mushtaq, and EDO Education Aijaz Ahmed besides representatives of private schools.

The governor emphasised that all facilities – from bright and airy rooms to maintaining the quality of education – should necessarily be taken care of, while issues like fee structure, teacher’s training and sports activities, etc also needed attention.

In this regard, the governor issued directives for mutual coordination and dialogue between schools managements, teachers, parents and the education department.

He said experience of private sector schools and their cooperation should be sought for improving the standard of education in government schools.

Ibad said that improvement, brought about in any sector, would be welcomed. He, however, said that undue and violative activities would be checked, adding that torturing schoolchildren in schools would not be tolerated.

He made it clear to the officials of the education department to avoid interfering in the affairs of private institutions in the name of rules and regulations.

While, the governor called on educational institutions of good repute and credibility to expand there scope to rural areas as well.

“We will have to make collective efforts for the promotion of education in every part of the province and country, and to introduce modern and quality education to the new generation.”

He assured the government’s full cooperation to institutions for promoting the cause of education in rural areas.

Meanwhile, speaking at a ceremony, also held at the Governor House on Wednesday, Ishratul Ibad said the present government was making all-out efforts to improve the quality of education especially higher education.

Ibad, who is also chancellor of public universities in Sindh, distributed cheques among students who had participated in the provincial youth convention held at the University of Karachi last month.

The governor was of the view that financial resources besides trained faculty and bright students were the basic components for quality education. He, however, regretted that financial resources had always remained an obstacle in the impartation of quality education especially in our province.

The present government, he said, had substantially enhanced the budget for education and this increase was to the tune of about 1,200 per cent for higher education.

Ibad said a process had been started in which all public sector universities in Sindh would be getting a “handsome amount” for development, which included the development of faculty, producing PhDs, and the research work, etc.

At the same time, the government was taking every step to improve primary and secondary education as well, Ibad added.

He said that students could in many ways become part of this campaign of promoting education as well as improving academic standards, and this could be done by them without affecting their academic process.

Cheques of Rs5,000 each were given by Ibad to participants of the youth convention, and Rs10,000 each to 21 students of the province who had qualified for the National Youth Convention to be held in Islamabad next month.

Three students were awarded Rs25,000 each for obtaining first three positions in last month’s youth convention. While a special prize of Rs35,000 was given to a student who spoke extempore on the topic of ‘extremism’ during the closing ceremony of the youth convention. Ibad said these cash awards were mere tokens of appreciation.

The governor directed Sindh Minister for Information Technology Syed Mustafa Kamal to develop a comprehensive

website for students in the province. — APP