ISLAMABAD, July 9: Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) Pakistan has demanded of the government to make accessible to all citizens information and reports of the parliament and its committees as the house is being run by their representatives.

“The parliament and its committees function on behalf of the citizens of Pakistan and, therefore, all information and reports related to their meetings and initiatives should be easily accessible to everybody,” the centre demanded in a statement issued here on Sunday.

It said parliamentary committees must implement completely transparent procedures in the course of considering legislative bills, formulating recommendations on issues under their consideration, and exercising parliamentary oversight on government departments. In particular, the standing committees on education should take the lead in terms of ensuring compliance with international best practices vis-a-vis good parliamentary governance.

It observed that performance of most parliamentary committees had so far been highly questionable, especially in view of their closed-door meetings, lack of access to information and transparency in relation to their proceedings, limited interaction with relevant stakeholders, and little impact on public policies and their efficient implementation.

“For example, the role of parliamentary committees, including that of education, was negligible in formulation and approval of budget 2006-07,” the statement said.

Access to information and transparency in the proceedings of education committees could significantly improve their credibility and effectiveness, and would positively contribute to the efforts towards good governance and democratic development.

By themselves implementing transparent procedures, the parliamentary committees on education would set a very good example and, hence, would achieve the moral standing and credibility, which was required to persuade education ministry and related departments for greater transparency in activity, it added.

At present, the ministry of education and related departments operated in a culture of secrecy and suffered from the widely recognised problem of inefficient and corrupt practices. The government must know that appropriate implementation of citizens’ right to information was universally recognised as an effective anti-corruption tool, it stated.

Among the parliamentary committees, the standing committee of the Senate on Education had been very active, and had made important recommendations on a large number of issues. However, the committee could significantly improve its effectiveness and public image by proactively seeking feedback and views from relevant civil society groups and stakeholders like associations of teachers and lecturers.