LAHORE, Oct 5: Teachers are backbone of the education system and the only factor that can help a nation progress as well as leave an impact on generations.

The teachers, being an enlightened community, must also play their vital role by giving input for making legislation for implementation of Article 25 A of the 18th Amendment in the Constitution. The article provides for free and compulsory education.

This was a consensus among speakers at a Dialogue for Action on “Popularising the Right to Education (RTE) Campaign in Pakistan” organised by Idara-i-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) in connection with the World Teachers’ Day 2011 at Children’s Library Complex on Wednesday.

Speaking on the occasion, ITA Director (Programmes) Baela Raza Jamil spoke of the challenges with regard to the implementation of Article 25 A regarding Right to Education and demanded that the Punjab government must take input from all stakeholders, including teachers’ unions and associations, as well as NGOs working in education sector.

MPAs Rana Ijaz, Ghazala Saad Rafique and Abdul Rehman Rana, who are actively involved in standing committees on education, said the Punjab Assembly would surely take input from all stakeholders before finalising legislation for the implementation of Article 25 A.

Ms Rafique said the existing system had degraded teaching profession and only those, who could not find any other job, were joining it. She said now all mothers, even who were illiterate, wanted that their children should get education and help their families come out of financial crisis they were caught in.

Abdul Rehman Rana said the education system needed to be decentralised from the secretariat level to district level. He also stressed that the government must deal education on a war footing and increase budget massively to fill the gaps in terms of developing infrastructure and recruiting teachers, who could impart quality education. He lamented that no political party’s manifesto spoke about education as a priority.

Public sector teacher leaders Malik Allah Dad and Aslam Pervaiz Butt stressed the need for continuity in policies adopted in the education sector. They regretted that the government kept teachers busy in additional duties and a lot of time of students in public sector got wasted.

Pakistan Coalition for Education’s Rabia Khan, Former Punjab DPI (secondary education) Jamil Najam, and Pakistan Association for Continuing & Adult Education chairman Inayatullah also spoke on the occasion.