Dismal situation: Govt urged to increase budget for education

JI MPA Syed Wasim Akhtar says govt should repair dilapidated school buildings

BAHAWALPUR: The government should increase the education budget and immediately release funds for repairing dilapidated school buildings, Jamaat-i-Islami Punjab naib ameer Syed Wasim Akhtar said on Tuesday.

He was addressing an event organised by Bahawalpur District Parents’ Unity group. National Rural Support Programme District Coordinator Ali Mirza was also present on the occasion.

The group members present on the occasion briefed Akhtar about the problems they faced at schools in various union councils of Bahawalpur.

Mirza said that there was no middle school for girls in four union councils. “In these areas, girls face a lot of difficulty in continuing their education after primary level,” he said.

He said primary schools located in Yazman tehsil’s Union Council 117/DB and 110/DB had poor drainage. “Sewage water passes through one of the schools,” he said.

Junaid Nazeer, a parent, said that Akhtar should raise the issue at the Provincial Assembly. “The government should take notice of the condition of schools in Bahawalpur and provide immediate funds,” he said.

Akhtar said that the demands would be presented in the assembly soon. “The government should take steps to improve the condition of schools located in far-flung areas of the province,” he said. He said that media should also play its role in highlighting the condition of schools located in the backward areas.

NRSP Tehsil Coordinator Zain Ahmad and Habibullah were also present during the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2016.