Public education: Standards need to be raised, says author

ISLAMABAD:

Access to quality education at public schools is a must, and the government needs to play its role more effectively in this regard.

These thoughts were expressed by senior journalist and author Zubeida Mustafa at a panel discussion on Article 25-A of the Constitution titled ‘Covering the right to education, from access to quality learning for all’.

The event was part of the Children’s Literature Festival at the Lok Virsa on Friday.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Mustafa said recent years had seen a healthy discussion on issues such as the number of out-of-school children. However, she said more pressing issues such as the quality of education, ghost schools, and absent teachers drawing salaries needed to be addressed.

She stressed on the need to raise the standard of education at public schools.

“Serving government servants from the prime minister down to lower division clerks should be made to send their children to public schools,” she suggested, adding that this would automatically improve public education, which lags far behind private education.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2015.