'Universal access to primary education key challenge'

Speakers pledge to promote quality education by empowering students

ABBOTTABAD: Speakers and delegates attending a convention on student quality have pledged to promote quality education across the globe by empowering students.

This was pledged during the two-day 10th National Convention on Students Quality Circles which concluded at the Modernage College in Abbottabad on Sunday. The convention had been organised by Equip Pakistan, an organisation which strives for the uplift of quality education throughout the country.

The convention saw the participation of local and foreign delegates including from the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Norway, Thailand, Ireland, Sri Lanka, Jordan and Albania, and more than 1,000 students from across Pakistan.

On the concluding day, Thailand Saithya Sai School Founding Director Dr Art-Ong Jumsai shared the ‘value based education philosophy of Saithya Sai School’.

He explained how they had developed a mechanism to teach students self-sufficiency by growing their own vegetables and producing their own electricity and gas at the school.

Jumsai emphasised on the prevention of global warming by adopting environment-friendly resources. He also talked about the effect of meditation theory and gave examples from the life of the world’s famous scientists.

From Germany, Global Sustainable Excellence Concepts President Roland Jahnke discussed development goals set by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Jahnke stressed the need to promote lifelong learning opportunities for all saying that universal access to primary education is the key challenge world is facing nowadays. “If we want sustainable development, we will definitely have to give first priority to quality management,” he added. Jahnke, while explaining the sustainable development goals (SDGs) under UNESCO, briefly went through the future activities plan regarding focus on kindergartens, primary schools, higher secondary education and e-learning.

Jahnke said that for effective communication, students will have to interact with foreigners through a host of modern communication and networking tools such as social media.

“It [exposure] would not only increase their knowledge but would improve their speaking power,” he said.

EQUIP-Pakistan Director General Abdul Wahid Mir said that students at the convention have strengthened Pakistan’s face through proving their capabilities in different competitions. He was of the view that youth must excel in education in order to serve humanity.

“Go ahead with the same positive and innovative approach and work for the bright future of Pakistan,” he added. Mir expressed his gratitude to international participants for gracing the event, noting that quality must be practised in the true sense in institutions for academic excellence.

Earlier, the convention featured case studies on various key issues faced by the youth. Apart from that, debate, paper presentation, quiz, game development, radio jockeying, 60-second filmmaking and college competitions were also held among the participating schools and colleges.

Schools which secured the top three positions in the competitions were awarded certificates and souvenirs.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2018.