Alif Ailaan, a non-government organisation (NGO), had organised the seminar in Bahawalpur. Education experts, journalists and leaders of major political parties attended the event.
Wajahat Ali, the Alif Ailaan district coordinator, said 54 per cent of children in the district were not enrolled in schools at the primary level.
He said 45 per cent of the enrolled students were forced by their parents to quit education on account of various reasons.
“The government allocates 2 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for education. However, almost half of these funds are not utilised ever year,” Ali said.
Punjab Assembly member Fauzia Ayub Qureshi told the participants the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government was focusing on the education sector to develop the province. She said the statistics presented by Alif Ailaan were worrying and the government would support the NGO in its efforts to promote education.
“We will strive to increase the budget for education using the Punjab Assembly’s platform. I will also meet Education Department officials to improve the condition of schools in Bahawalpur,” the MPA said. Society for Democracy and Human Development president Syed Hafeez Qaisar said limited resources were available for the education sector in Pakistan.
“However, it is worrying that even these resources are not being fully used,” Qaisar said. He said developed nations had progressed because they had focused on education.
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Riaz Naaji said the education sector had been neglected by all governments.
“Lawmakers rarely discuss the educational budget in parliament. They are more interested in pursuing personal interests as soon as they reach assemblies,” he said.
Pakistan Awami Tehreek’s Dr Aamir said government schools needed to work very hard to regain lost ground. “All government schools have suffered irreparable loss over the years. The government should immediately change the entire administrative system in schools to make them more efficient,” he said.
Jamaat-e-Islami’s Nasarullah Khan said education should be made compulsory and teachers who perform well should be rewarded. “The facts revealed today by Alif Ailaan are enough to open our eyes,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 30th, 2014.
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