Improving education: ‘Clerics, educationists should get on one page’

Speakers say religious influences adversely affecting education, need reform.

News Desk December 11, 2013

Speakers say religious influences adversely affecting education, need reform. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD:

Educationists, intellectuals, religious scholars and civil society activists at a discourse here on Tuesday stressed the need for dialogue and effective policy at state and individual level for the promotion of education, said a press release.

The discussion on “Basic Right to Education: In the perspective of Religion and Constitution” was jointly organised by the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) and Alif Ailan, a non-government organisation campaigning for the promotion of education.

The constitution clearly makes the state responsible for providing free, quality education to all children from age five to 16, they said. However, it is a big challenge for the provincial governments to act upon this article.

The first session of the discussion, “Educational Prosperity: Constitutional Demands and our Responsibilities”, was chaired by Dr Noor Ahmad Shahtaz, who highlighted the role of the Council Islamic Ideology and dubbed the problem of education “imperative”.

Earlier, Muhammad Amir Rana and Mosharraf Zaidi conceptualised the essential role of education and the role of clerics in the religious paradigm. They also added that a change in political system was also vital in this regard.

An introduction to Article 25-A of the constitution was given by Institute of Social and Policy Studies research fellow Ahmad Ali in which he described how education has become a responsibility of provincial governments post devolution.

Meanwhile, during the second session chaired by columnist Khursheed Nadeem, “The Importance of Education and the Role and Position of a Teacher: In the Light of Religion”, speakers emphasised on the need for education, the role and position of a teacher, convergence of religious and modern knowledge, promulgation of education, responsibilities of electronic and print media, and the role and position of a teacher in society in accordance with religion.

Suggestions and recommendations in religious and constitutional perspective and feasible reforms in this regard were presented in the final session.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2013.