President stresses promotion of technological skills

Speaker calls for raising Educational Army to increase enrolment

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday terming education vital for the country’s progress said a combination of technology and skills could help meet the challenges of contemporary world.

Addressing the ILMpossible Summit organised by British Council, the president stressed the importance of technology which had changed the dimensions of learning and concepts of formal education by making it accessible to the techno-literate people anywhere in the world.

The summit focused on British Council’s ‘ILMpossible: Take a Child to School’ project encompassing enrollment and retention of school children aged five to 11 years in primary schools across Pakistan.

President Alvi appreciated the project of British Council for enrollment of 385,000 children at schools in 65 districts and regarded it as a big service for Pakistan.

The president called the need for bringing a change in the mindset of society to lay equal emphasis on education of girls.

President said the nation could not forget the massacre of December 16, 2014 where the students of Army Public School, Peshawar laid down their lives for the country. He also mentioned the troubles faced by the children of Kashmir who were denied access to schools for last five months.

Educational Army

National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser suggested raising an Educational Army as an emergent measure to enhance the literacy rate in the country.

The speaker said that 20 million children were still out of school and concerted efforts were required to bring those Children, back to school.

He stressed the need for imparting quality education to children without discrimination as it was directly linked with the development of any nation.

Recalling the December 16, 2014 tragedy, the speaker said that, the gruesome attempt inflicted irreparable wound, however, the resilience of the students, teachers and parents of the martyrs gave a new spirit and zeal to the nation to fight against enemies of the country.

Enduring partnership

British High Commissioner-designate Christian Turner spoke about the importance of keeping children at school with education of girls equally important for the country’s development.

He said United Kingdom and Pakistan had a long history of partnership and termed the volunteers, teachers and community activists the real champions of change. On the occasion, a 30-second silence was observed to pay tribute to the martyrs of APS attack.  

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2019.