Resource distribution: ‘Education must be devolved to district level’

MPA says substantial funds allocated for education.

BAHAWALPUR:

Provincial governments should establish a finance commission award on the pattern of the National Finance Commission to ensure equitable distribution of resources, speakers at a seminar on Bahalwalpur’s education budget said on Saturday.

The seminar was organised by Alif Ailan.

National Assembly Member (MNA) Sabeeha Nazeer and Provincial Assembly Member Fauzia Ayub Qureshi addressed the seminar.

Qureshi said the government had prioritised education and had allocated substantial resources to improve standards.

She said under a new school education reform policy, the government had addressed teachers’ concerns.

“The government believes that we need motivated teachers to help us achieve targets,” she said.

She said teachers should engage students who seemed unreachable or who resisted learning activities and disrupt them for others.

She said teachers should develop ways to engage challenging students by developing their intrinsic motivation.

She said the government hoped to enrol every out-of-school child.

She said the chief minister had taken special interest in Bahawalpur’s girls schools and reports of missing facilities there.

She said most schools had been equipped with basic facilities.

MPA Syed Wasim Akhtar said that in accordance with NFC award’s formula, the provincial government should establish a district finance commission award.

“When resources are being allocated in accordance with population and area, people will stop accusing the government of having discriminatory policies,” he added.

He said curriculum should be uniform across public schools and seminaries till matriculation.

Hafeez Qaisar said the seminar had been held to highlight priorities and requirements of Bahawalpur’s schools so that the district government’s budget could be spent where needed.

Writer Malik Habib Ullah Bhutta said education was a basic right.

“Our education system should focus on developing strong and capable individuals who will run the country,” he said.

He said the government should establish more technical education institutes in the country.

Former MPA Samiullah Chaudhry said there could be no development until a long term education policy was formed and implemented.

“It is the responsibility of every Pakistani to ensure their children go to school,” he said.

Writer Syed Tabish Alvari said the incumbent government’s interest in education was evident from the number of programmes it had launched.

He said the government should allocate education budgets for each district according to its population and number of schools there.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2015.