MULTAN, March 15: The current system of education is an extension of the colonial era policy of imparting different education to haves and have-nots.

Local body, rural development, labour welfare, manpower and overseas Pakistanis Federal Minister Awais Ghani observed while addressing Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) members here on Friday.

The minister said only five per cent of the population had been getting quality education while rest of the people were either deprived of it or being taught in fusty institutions.

The government had planned to establish a standard educational institutes in each district for workers’ children. At least 20 to 30 per cent admissions would be reserved in workers schools for the ineligible to integrate elite and worker classes, he added.

He regretted an annual collection of Rs3 billion under the head of education cess had previously been ‘devoured’ instead of spending on workers’ education.

He said the government was following a calender to complete its tasks before Oct 2002.

The labour policy was in the final stages of being envisaged, he said, adding some 56 different laws relating to industry and labour were being reduced to six to simplify the procedure. Three of the proposed laws had been drafted while as many were in the pipeline, he said.

Mr Ghani urged the local business community to establish Workers’ Employers Bilateral Committee (WEBCOM) in Multan to sort out all the issues relating to the relations of employee and employer. He said the committees had been working well in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.

‘The issue of minimum wages for the industrial workers was sorted out by the webcoms,’ he said.

He claimed it was ironical the Punjab had not even used 20 per cent of the funds provided by the federal government for the well being of workers and consequently the grants elapsed.

He announced the government would soon establish the workers’ colony in Multan to provide low-cost residential plots to the industrial labour.

To a question, he reiterated the government was up to provide equal opportunities to all in their careers.