PESHAWAR, Nov 20: The World Population Foundation, in partnership with the Pakistan Village Development Pakistan (PVDP), is planning to start the Life-Skills Based Education (LSBE) programme in seminaries, it is learnt.
PVDP representative Zia-ul-Haq, speaking at a convocation held here on Tuesday to acknowledge the volunteerism of teachers of 45 public and private schools of Peshawar, said that after the success of the LSBE programme in state-owned institutions it would be launched in seminaries.
“A meeting of a review committee will soon be held to chalk out a programme to implement it (in seminaries). But before that, the heads of seminaries would include a few Quranic verses (in the curriculum) and delete anything that they object to and don’t want their students to be taught,” said Mr Haq.
A selected number of teachers from seminaries would be trained to run the programme in their institutions, Mr Haq said.
Speaking on the occasion, Qadeer Baig, a representative of the WPF, said training to lead a healthy life was important for the students along with formal education. He said about 40 million Pakistanis were in the 10-24 age bracket but unfortunately a majority of them were leading a life that was exposed to high risks and unsafe practices.
Mr Baig said the youths had to face a number of problems when they reached adulthood and pragmatic measures were badly needed to address these problems.
The programme was being run since May, 2003, by 200 teachers selected from different schools and who had agreed to implement it, he added.
Some of the speakers on the occasion underlined the need for attaching due importance to the LSBE.
Teachers of 45 public- and private-sector schools were awarded the ‘best teacher award’ at the convocation. Children, through different plays, poems and speeches, shared their experiences and issues they were taught during the LSBE programme.
Bushra Khatoon, a master trainer of the programme and principal of the Jogiwarha Government High School for Girls, said it was not only useful for students but also for the teachers who had learnt how to train the students for a better life.