Spreading the light: Balochistan govt launches five-year education plan
CM says support of federal govt required, claims allocated Rs45b is insufficient for development
CM says support of federal govt required, claims allocated Rs45b is insufficient for development. PHOTO: ACTION AID
QUETTA:
Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch launched a five-year education sector plan on Monday with a pledge that his coalition-led government would use all available resources to change the province’s educational structure.
“We should not blame others. Instead, we should make earnest efforts to improve our education and get rid of poverty and backwardness,” the chief minister said.
Federal Education Minister Engineer Balighur Rehman, Education Ministers of all provinces, Education Secretaries, educationists, teachers and people from different segment of life attended the conference.
Calling poverty and backwardness “the main enemies of Balochistan”, he said the coalition government was committed to revamping education and other provincial departments.
Dr Abdul Malik said that if the central government had financially supported the province, it would have progressed very fast as they had only Rs45 billion for development which was insufficient. “We, representatives of the people, should focus on our districts by pouring more funds for education from our own MPA funds,” he said.
Referring to corruption, Dr Malik said that we had to get rid of this menace and strengthen the process of accountability. Unfortunately in the past there was mass scale corruption in education, therefore today you will find many highly teachers behind bars, he added.
The chief minister said that he had given complete authority to the Education Department so that the Department could operate without any political pressure and had introduced National Testing Service (NTS) in appointments particularly in education. “I have strictly directed authorities concerned that the NTS process should be made transparent,” he said, adding that Public Service Commission of Balochistan was also being restricted.
He acknowledged that running a coalition government in Balochistan was not an easy task, however, when he assumed the post of chief minister the government departments were in a very bad shape.
He said that government was striving to control corruption, improving the situation and ensuring education and health to the masses because it was our responsibility to do so.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2015.
Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch launched a five-year education sector plan on Monday with a pledge that his coalition-led government would use all available resources to change the province’s educational structure.
“We should not blame others. Instead, we should make earnest efforts to improve our education and get rid of poverty and backwardness,” the chief minister said.
Federal Education Minister Engineer Balighur Rehman, Education Ministers of all provinces, Education Secretaries, educationists, teachers and people from different segment of life attended the conference.
Calling poverty and backwardness “the main enemies of Balochistan”, he said the coalition government was committed to revamping education and other provincial departments.
Dr Abdul Malik said that if the central government had financially supported the province, it would have progressed very fast as they had only Rs45 billion for development which was insufficient. “We, representatives of the people, should focus on our districts by pouring more funds for education from our own MPA funds,” he said.
Referring to corruption, Dr Malik said that we had to get rid of this menace and strengthen the process of accountability. Unfortunately in the past there was mass scale corruption in education, therefore today you will find many highly teachers behind bars, he added.
The chief minister said that he had given complete authority to the Education Department so that the Department could operate without any political pressure and had introduced National Testing Service (NTS) in appointments particularly in education. “I have strictly directed authorities concerned that the NTS process should be made transparent,” he said, adding that Public Service Commission of Balochistan was also being restricted.
He acknowledged that running a coalition government in Balochistan was not an easy task, however, when he assumed the post of chief minister the government departments were in a very bad shape.
He said that government was striving to control corruption, improving the situation and ensuring education and health to the masses because it was our responsibility to do so.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2015.