LAHORE, April 6: Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has urged the private educational institutions to reserve seats for talented children of the poor in every class.

Speaking at a private school function here on Sunday, the chief minister asked the private sector to cooperate with the government in improving the standard of education. “The elite educational institutions must open their doors to talented but poor children.”

These institutions could also help improve the standard of education in the country by inviting the teachers of public schools as well as those of less-privileged private schools to their training programmes and workshops, he said.

The chief minister said one of the primary aims of the government was to make quality education affordable and accessible to all sections of people. Unfortunately, the masses cannot afford the good education provided by some elite private institutions. “It is the duty of all of us to undo this discrimination,” he said.

He said acquisition of knowledge was the basis of Islamic teachings. Education, learning and enlightened research formed the cornerstone of the great Islamic civilization but had now been abandoned by the entire Muslim world including Pakistan, he observed.

The chief minister lamented that even after over 50 years of independence, the literacy rate in Pakistan was lowest in the world. However, he added, the government was determined to overcome this shortcoming as education topped its list of priorities.

He said allocation for the education sector had been increased substantially and a number of schemes launched to make improvements in shortest possible time. The steps included free education up to the matriculation level, universalization of primary education, promotion of adult literacy and women education, improvement of the existing public schools and participation of the private sector and NGOs in the education sector.

Addressing the students at the function, the chief minister said education did not just mean learning a few facts and memorizing a few lessons. “Its basic purpose was character-building.”

He said a truly educated person was aware of his social responsibilities and moral obligations. He urged the students to develop these traits and strive to build Pakistan in accordance with Quaid-i-Azam’s vision.

The school’s executive director, Umer Aziz, and principal Hassan Rizvi were also present on the occasion.