Seminar: ‘Educate your countrymen for social progress’

Former Balochistan chief secy stresses on improving literacy rate.

FAISALABAD: “Education and a commitment to upholding democratic norms can help end eudalism and poverty,” former Balochistan chief secretary Syed Shahid Hussain said on Thursday.

He was addressing students of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad at Iqbal Auditorium. The event chaired by UAF Vice Chancellor Professor Iqrar Ahmad Khan. The seminar was arranged by UAF’s Department of Public Relations & Publications (PRP).

Hussain said feudalism could only be ended through quality education. He stressed the need to increase literacy rate. “Education should be the main priority of the government,” he said.

He said Pakistan spent 1.2 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) on education. He said the government should devout more resources to education to eradicate hunger and poverty. He said India allocated 4 per cent of its GDP to education.

Hussain said population growth posed a great threat to Pakistan. He said Pakistan was the fourth most populous country in the world and the government needed to raise awareness of family planning to overcome challenges of a population explosion.

“Geographically, Balochistan is the largest province of the country and it has the lowest literacy rate. Quetta, its capital, is among the poorest cities of the country,” he said.

He said half of the population of Balochistan resided in Quetta. “If we ensure quality education and set high literacy rates, it will address many issues,” he said. Hussain said water scarcity was also one of the biggest problems facing Pakistan today.

UAF Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said the university offered free education to students from Balochistan.

He said the number of Baloch students at the varsity had doubled over the last four years. He said the university hoped to enrol more Baloch students and had evolved a strategy in this regard.

“Balochistan is blessed with natural resources. Education is imperative for the Baloch to ensure these resources are utilised well.”

He said education was vital for raising living standards of people.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11^th, 2014.