PPP, PTI representatives fail to show up at all-parties conference on education. PHOTO: PAKISTANTODAY
He was hosting an all-parties conference to create better education opportunities in Sindh, organised by I-Saps in collaboration with Alif Ailaan on Thursday, with the aim of bringing everyone together on one platform to understand the importance of education and the role played by political parties in improving the education sector. While representatives from most major political parties were present, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) — the ruling party of the province — and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf were conspicuous with their absence.
According to Ali, over three million children in the province were out of school. He also pointed out the need to monitor dropout students. While over 700,000 children are enrolled in primary school every year, only 150,000 complete their Matriculation, he said.
Urging the politicians to implement Article 25-A, he also stressed the need to allocate funds for renovation, educate and train teachers and stop posting and transfers of teachers on the basis of political affiliations.
Pakistan Muslim League-Functional's (PML-F) Mehtab Akbar Rashdi labelled the education department as the most politicised department, adding that the Sindh government had no strategy or will to eradicate the menace of corruption.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) MPA Irum Azeem Farooq pointed out that several meetings were being held about the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. "The MQM has put forward a number of suggestions and ideas on the assembly floor," she claimed, adding that if the government did not incorporate these ideas in the budget, it becomes clear who does not want Sindh to be educated.
"How can the problems be solved if the ministers and secretaries do not even bother to come and listen?" asked Aslam Ghauri from the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam — Fazl, complaining that those who came to the conference left as soon as they had delivered their speeches — a pointed reference to the MQM, PML-Q and PML-F representatives.
However, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Senator Nehal Hashmi, in his concluding speech, said that instead of blaming each other, the parties should each fulfil their own responsibilities. "It would be easy for me to detach myself from the matter at hand by saying that it is not the federal government's duty to look into provincial issues following the 18th Amendment," he pointed out. "But we cannot close our eyes as the Sindh government has done."
For him, Sindh would do well to learn from Punjab where, according to him, he himself could not influence the posting or transfer of any teacher. "This is the time to step up and take action," he declared. "We need to upgrade schools, respect teaching as a profession and stop the blame game."
Published in The Express Tribune, May 23rd, 2015.
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