ISLAMABAD, Nov 26: The government will spend Rs2 billion on setting up primary and middle schools throughout the country. This is in addition to Rs700 million already allocated for the uplift and rehabilitation of the education sector.

Federal Education Minister Zobaida Jalal expressed these views at a meeting on Education for All attended by different stakeholders and donor agencies of the UN here on Monday.

The government, she said, was committed to achieve the goal of 100 per cent literacy. She added that a plan of action had been finalized and political commitment for EFA at the highest level. She said that their aim was to provide quality education to all the children particularly girls of the remote areas. Quality education would promote quality of life, social mobility, and empowerment of women and respect for human rights.

Unesco director Brandis said the main purpose of the meeting was to discuss the ways to mobilize the plan and implement the recommendations.—PPI

Our Staff Reporter adds: The EFA goals include enforcement of compulsory primary education, universal access to quality basic education, female education, social and political mobilization and community involvement and participation.

It also includes mainstreaming special education programmes for children through early detection in schools, improvement and rehabilitation of existing schools and new primary/elementary buildings only in poor areas subject to resource availability over a period of three years, merger of male and female elementary managers at the district level and exemption of age limit for qualified female teachers.

Ms Attiya Inayatullah, the social welfare and special education minister, present in the meeting, appreciated efforts of the education ministry for preparing a comprehensive plan of action for achieving EFA targets. During the meeting, views were also exchanged on the challenges facing the implementation of the plan at the provincial and district levels and to sensitize the donor community to the needs of the government in the Dakar follow-up process in the light of the commitments made at the world education forum in April 2000.

Those who attended the meeting include Tariq Farooq, secretary education, Dr Nasim Asharf, team leader president’s task force and human right, Ms Ingeborg Breines, director Unesco Islamabad, Mr Ouder Yucer, resident representative UNDP, provincial education secretaries and Ms Anjum Riazul Haque director Unesco and partners of EFA goal.