ISLAMABAD April 9: At least 59,000 children and adults from more than 100 countries in the world participated in the largest Simultaneous Lesson, while breaking the record.

The programme was organized by the Global Campaign for Education, a coalition of charities, as part of the celebrations for “Education For All Week” started from April 6.

The attempt to make the record was made at three different times including 9am, 1pm and 7pm on Tuesday.

In this connection, the Unesco in collaboration with the Ministry of Education organized a big lesson at the Higher Education Commission Auditorium on Tuesday.

The director/representative of the Unesco, Islamabad chapter, Ms Ingeborg Breines, the joint secretary, Sarfaraz Syed and Sania Sayed were the chief guests.

Ms Breines said the teachers training was our top priority because they contributed in building the future of a country. She said the aim of this programme was to provide quality education so that parents might not hesitate sending their daughters to schools even if there was co-education. “I am very confident of the success and our targets are feasible.”

Sania Syed, giving one of the biggest lesson to more than 200 children and teachers, stressed the need for creating an environment in which children wanted to study rather than they were forced to study. “Teachers do not have the right to beat children to make them learn”, she said. Children have talent, which needs to be developed, she added.

Similar sessions were held at Quaid-i-Azam University, Frobbles, City School, Roots and Girls Guide Centre. At QAU, it was held under the supervision of Aijaz Hussain. He said there were two major areas of concern —- education and poverty. He said informing people about importance of education was a noble cause.

“Building the momentum to eliminate gender disparities by 2005” is the theme of the Education For All Week. The focus is on Dakar goal No: 5 and Millennium Development goal No: 3, which call for the elimination of gender disparities in primary and secondary education.

The objectives of the campaign is to create awareness among people, who have no opportunity to attend schools, and to send all the children of the world to schools.

Girls are as intelligent as boys and it has been scientifically proven that male and female brains have the same power. — Jamal Shahid