This was stated by Federal Education Minister Zobaida Jalal, while speaking as chief guest at the 6th convocation of the DHA College for Women here on Friday.

She said the government of President General Pervez Musharraf had acknowledged that women have an important place not only in society but also in policy decision making in national affairs. For this purpose, she said, 33 per cent of seats were allocated for women in the local government polls in the country.

Encouraging female literacy was not only a programme of educating individuals, but also a process of enlightening the whole society,” she said.

She said the government had also started community awareness programmes which were essential in making the people realize the importance of female education.

“An educated woman guarantees an educated family,” Ms Jalal said, adding that she was happy that the objective of the DHA College for Women had been to groom the overall personality of the students by providing them with opportunities to discover their talents.

She stressed that curricular and extra-curricular activities were essential parts of the academic lives of students and the DHA College for Women seemed to have reached a harmonious balance between the two.

The minister pointed out that no educational institution could prosper without having a competent faculty.

Ms Jalal made it clear that she was trying her best to provide opportunities to every girl child of the country to acquire education.

She stated that efforts were also being made to enhance the percentage of those who opt for higher education in the country.

In her welcome address, principal of the college, Dr Tayyaba Mamoon, said the institution had earned a commendable position of being among the foremost colleges in the country.

She said the present enrolment at the college was over 2,500 students and the 120-member faculty consisted qualified people.

Dr Tayyaba pointed out that the institution had initiated M.A. Economics in 1997 and also planned to start post-graduate classes in other disciplines.

She said the DHA College for Women is one of the few colleges in the city which offered fine arts as an elective subject. —APP