Education for all: Minister stresses need of uniform education system

Uniformity only solution to end divide between different classes of society

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood on Monday underscoring the need of a uniform education system said it was the only solution to end divide between different classes of society.

Addressing a press conference after conclusion of 11th Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPMC), the minister said that a curriculum council would be established to review the syllabus being taught across the country.

The federal education ministry would work with the collaboration of all stakeholders who participated in the IPMC to discuss challenges and targeted goals in the education sector, he added.

He said presence of representatives of provinces was proof that the government was sincere in trying to resolve challenges being faced by the education sector.

He said that federation and provinces have strong coordination over different educational matters.

To bring 25 million out of school children back into the classrooms, he said, was the biggest challenge and pledged to achieve this task during next five years with the support of the provinces.

"We will request the Prime Minister to launch educational volunteer programme to achieve the tasks," he said.The minister said that three different kinds of curricula were being adopted by the educational institutions in the country. The government schools, English medium and Wafaq-ul-Madaris all had different syllabus and standard of education, which was dividing people in the social sphere.Shafqat said in the IPMC it has been decided to ensure implementation of one curriculum in the country and quality of the education would also be improved.  

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2018.