ISLAMABAD, June 8: Experts and parliamentarians on Wednesday stressed the need of necessary legislation so that the implementation of Article 25-A of the Constitution which ensures the right to education as a fundamental right making it mandatory for the state to provide free and compulsory education to all children from age 5 to 16 years.

Speaking at Pildat Public Forum on Enforcement of the Right to Free Education and Article 25-A of the Constitution, the experts demanded the provincial governments to increase their education budgets and the Federal government to allocate special grants to under-developed Provinces/areas to facilitate implementation of this article.

Dr. Kozue Kay Nagata, Country Representative of Unesco, believed that the insertion of Article 25-A may accelerate the pace of achievement of national and international targets for free and compulsory education but further legislation is needed for the implementation of this Article.

“Provinces must initiate required legislation urgently,” she said adding that at the moment there is a vacuum of coordination after abolition of the federal education ministry and the federal government should have a coordination mechanism in the shape of some independent directorate or commission.

She believed that education budget must be enhanced as it is just 2.1 per cent of the GDP, and said that it must be defined clearly that who will be monitoring the implementation of Article 25-A.

She believed that civil society organizations could be included in the monitoring process.

Sardar Aseff Ahmed Ali, MNA, former Federal Minister for Education said that chairman Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms Senator Raza Rabbani had assured him during discussions on 18th Constitutional Amendment that only those subjects would be devolved which were in the concurrent list.

He believed that on matters like education, health and environment, there must be a federal entity overseeing and regulating these affairs for uniform standards across the country.

He said that the Parliament did a shady and unwise act in passing the 18th Constitutional Amendment as it devolved subjects of national importance to provinces without deciding any federal role which has created a vacuum.

Senator S.M. Zafar, former Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Education believed that this was first time that free and compulsory education is made a constitutional responsibility of the state through the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

He said that responsibility is rightly given to the provinces as they are given more resources in the NFC award.

Senior Provincial Minister for Education while giving Sindh's prospective, said that education has always been a provincial subject.

Pir Mazhar ul Haq, MPA, believed that it is the right of the provinces to rule their people and provinces, should therefore be empowered. Provinces are very much capable of handling the subjects which are devolved to them.

NFC award given to the provinces was their due right. The Sindh Government would review curriculum of class 1 to 6 this year and from class 7 to above next year.

Akbar Durrani, Secretary Government of Balochistan, said that Balochistan required more than 6,000 schools to cater to the needs of all children of the province which has huge financial implications.