ISLAMABAD:
Two public colleges in Islamabad will offer O and A level classes under a pilot project. The announcement was made by Prime Minister (PM) Raja Pervaiz Ashraf at a ceremony here on Thursday.
The PM also acknowledged the importance of health and education, emphasising the need to spend more on these two fields.
“We must put our education system on new and modern lines,” PM Ashraf said. The ceremony, organised at the Islamabad Model College for Boys (IMCB) F-8/4, also marked the repainting of 184 government school buses under the Yellow Buses Scheme. These buses operate across the ICT.
The two schools where the O and A level classes will initially be offered are IMCB F-8/4 and Islamabad Model College for Girls I-10/4. The fee for a student will be Rs5,000 per month, much lower than private institutions, according to Federal Directorate of Education Director-General Dr Shahnaaz Anjum Riaz.
However, the exact date for the beginning of the classes has not been finalised because some teachers are still being trained, Director Model Colleges Tariq Masood told The Express Tribune after the ceremony.
PM Ashraf also announced a computer laboratory for the college and Rs1 million for the college library.
The PM termed investment in human resource imperative to achieve a place in the modern world. “The balance of power is gradually shifting towards Asia and Pakistan has got a unique location, being the gateway into the resource-rich Central Asia.”
Educationalists at the ceremony were happy with the announcement. Muhammad Iqtidaruddin, principal of the IMCB G-11/1, said the lower fees mean more students will have access to O and A levels education. Dr Mujahid Zamir, principal of IMCB I-10/1, also commended the step, terming it a “milestone” in Pakistani education system.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 21st, 2012.
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