Existing education system alienates children: PM

Imran Khan says introduction of unified curriculum will promote national unity

Prime Minister Imran Khan has said enforcement of a uniform educational curriculum would unify the nation and eliminate the societal divisions created by the current education system.

“The existing system is a hurdle to the unity of the nation; rather it alienates children from Pakistan. And this has happened in every society with colonial footprints,” the premier said on Friday while addressing the launching ceremony of Radio School and E-Taleem Portal.

The prime minister said both the initiatives are remarkable particularly in view of the Covid-19 pandemic which has compelled the world to strategize for carrying on education activities.

The FM transmission for Radio School will be accessible at FM-93 in Rawalpindi, Muzaffarabad, Gilgit, Skardu and Gwadar; at FM-94 in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi and at FM-101 in Faisalabad, Sialkot, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Quetta, Multan, Kohat, Mirpur, Khairpur, Bahawalpur, Tabbouleh and Narowal.

The timings for class 1 to 5 will be 10:00 am to 12 pm while the repeat telecast could be seen from 02:00pm to 04:00pm. The Tele-school accessible at the television is already benefiting around eight million children across the country since the first wave of the COVID-19 hit Pakistan.                        

The premier said the programme would create equal opportunities for all the students of government and private schools and even the seminaries.

He appreciated the federal education ministry for using modern tools to teach the children though, he said, it would be difficult for the illiterate parents to benefit from the facility.                       

He strongly advocated the use of modern tools to train the teachers particularly in remote areas facing shortage of teachers of different subjects like science and mathematics.                     

The PM said the areas with low female literacy rate like Isakhel Tehsil of Mianwali could not produce teachers, nurses or doctors while people from other areas were unwilling to serve in those areas.  

"This way, the people of such areas are caught up in a vicious cycle. This is a great opportunity to reach out to those areas using modern tools," he remarked. The prime minister also laid emphasis on skill training to create employment opportunities to youth.                

He said the incumbent government would extend all out resources for the education sector in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. He directed the federal education minister to develop Islamabad as a model education city by utilizing all available tools and resources.

Foreign investment

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday also directed the authorities concerned to work towards removing impediments in promotion of foreign investment and industrialization in the country.

Chairing a meeting on implementation of Mobile Device Manufacturing Policy, the prime minister said provision of necessary facilities to the industrial sector would ensure its growth. He said his government had set the goals to increase industrial production in the country. 

“Strengthening the industrial sector would boost the country's revenue and provide better employment opportunities to the people,” he said.  A detailed briefing was given to the prime minister regarding the implementation of Mobile Device Manufacturing Policy by the Ministry of Industries and Production.

The meeting was told that Pakistan is a huge market in terms of mobile phones, with about 40 million mobile phones purchased annually. 

Following the implementation of the Device Identification, Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) system, the smuggling of mobile phones had been controlled, resulting in an increase of revenue from Rs22 billion to Rs54 billion.

With implementation of DIRBS system, several international companies have shown keen interest in local manufacturing of mobile phones in Pakistan, the meeting was told.