LAHORE, April 10: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi has said he is working on a policy to make quality education affordable and available to all classes of people.

Speaking at the 69th convocation of the Kinnaird College on Thursday, the chief minister said the crisis of education in the public sector was serious. He said the government was looking at new initiatives to rectify chronic problems. He said the education standard could not improve until and unless the dignity of teachers was restored.

He said the government had pledged to ensure that women enjoyed their due status in society. It was also putting a special emphasis on women’s education.

Being committed to the cause of women’s uplift, he said the government had provided women more seats in assemblies, established more women colleges and universities and allocated a larger quota of jobs for them.

He said the government was determined to rectify the gaps in imparting modern science and technology education and increase the literacy rate. In order to improve the literacy rate and provide chances of getting education to more and more children, he said, the government had made education free up to the matric level.

Appreciating the achievements made by the Kinnaird College and the KCites, the chief minister said the college had been a model institution for the education of girls. Terming KC a nursery of female leadership, he said it was encouraging that the college had opened new departments and launched new courses.

He announced a special donation of Rs10 million for the college besides two new coasters. He announced an annual grant of Rs1.6 million for giving scholarships to the needy students. He also announced Rs300,000 grant as emergency relief to miscellaneous staff. He said the government would also consider the college demand for 50 acres for a new campus.

Earlier, the chief minister inaugurated the construction of Phase-III of the new postgraduate building and the new landscaped garden on the college campus.

Principal Dr Mira Phailbus explained the achievements won by the college students in academic and co-curricular activities.

Speaking about financial constraints, she said the government grant-in-aid to the college had been reduced drastically. She said the college’s board of governors was forced to raise fees in 1997 and the present tuition fee was Rs1,700 per month and had not been raised further since 2000. Besides, she said 20 per cent of the college students were also being given financial assistance and fee waivers. She claimed that no needy student was denied admission to the college.

KC board of governors’ chairman Dr Alexander John Malik also spoke on the occasion.

The chief minister gave away medals to position holders.