Alvi calls for full school enrollment

Says primary school enrolment rate low compared to other countries

LAHORE:

President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi called upon all stakeholders to ensure that all schoolchildren are enrolled and all FSc qualified students are admitted to higher educational institutions (HEIs).

Addressing the convocation of Virtual University of Pakistan (VU) on Thursday, he said, "Our rate of primary school enrolment is only 68 percent, compared to other regional countries’ rates of over 98 percent, whereas higher education enrolment is only 9 percent compared to around 60 percent in other regional countries." This, he said, was not sufficient to ensure the muchneeded quality of human resources required to achieve accelerated socioeconomic growth in the country.

The convocation was attended by VU faculty and students and their families. The president said that all children of schooling age should be admitted in schools and no child should be left behind, as education is essential for the country’s development. He lamented that the low enrolment rate at primary level was alarming and worrisome for the entire nation. The president added that universities usually take pride in refusing admissions to thousands of students, a practice he deemed deplorable, demanding that it be discouraged