LAHORE, April 6: The fifth International Education Conference has recommended that a uniform curriculum should be implemented in all educational institutions of the country.
A ban on O and A-Level examinations would not only save national resources but also improve the local teaching and examination systems, the moot recommended.
Organized by the Tanzeem-i-Asataza Pakistan, the three-day conference, which concluded at the Punjab University on Sunday, was attended by thousands of teachers from home and abroad.
It recommended that the government should implement the 1976 Education Act in true letter and spirit.
The conference recommended that the government should withdraw Model University Ordinance and modify the existing universities acts.
The government should strengthen teachers education institutions besides arranging training courses for them in their schools.
The conference demanded that the government should open the campuses of the newly-established Urdu Science University in all provinces and arrange translation of science literature and quality foreign textbooks in Urdu.
Similarly, women universities should also be opened in all provinces.
The conference said that the government should regulate the private sector and stop ‘throwing’ university charters in the private sector.
The private sector universities should also be asked to give due importance to humanities and social sciences besides information technology and management sciences.
It said the government should also give generous grants to upgrade laboratories and libraries in schools, colleges and universities. This would help improve science and technology education in the country.
The conference also recommended that teachers should be appointed purely on merit and given fringe benefits. It also called to reactivate the teachers foundations in the country.
Earlier, NWFP senior minister for finance, planning and development and environment Sirajul Haq spoke at the concluding session of the conference.
He said the people of the country had, through million-man marches, made the Pakistan government adopt condemnation policy instead of showing regrets about the US-led attack in Iraq.
He said the US had attacked Iraq while considering that the Muslims’ leadership was weak and would not resist them. He lauded the Iraqi men, women and children for fighting courageously against the US.
He said America and its coalition forces were never in favour of the Muslims.
Mr Haq also criticized the federal and provincial education ministers for not attending the conference. “It seems that education is not on their agenda”.
He said the ministers should have attended the conference and sought guidance to streamline the education system in the country.
Tanzeem-i-Asataza Pakistan president Syed Jahan Badshah condemned the government’s policy to denationalize educational institutions and returning them to missionaries.
He also condemned the attack in Iraq.
RESOLUTIONS: The conference also adopted eight resolutions and demanded that the government should recover Shahbaz airport and Gwadar Port from Americans, withdraw denationalization of FC College, reinstate the seven sacked college teachers.
The conference also demanded that the government should end class-system education and implement uniform education system in the country.
Co-education in the country should be stopped and separate boys and girls institutions be established. The government should withdraw the Model University Ordinance. Women teachers should be posted in institutions near their homes. Women staff should be employed to replace male staff in women educational institutions in the country.
Conference’s organizing secretary Malik Muhammad Husain later reviewed the three-day activities during the conference.
In all eight sessions were held during the conference. Different study groups also discussed school education, higher education, teachers’ education, madressah education, administration of education, technical education, education for all, information technology, private sector in education and women education.