Criticizing the federal government ‘for transferring departments to provinces under the 18th amendment without shifting financial resources’, Punjab Education Minister Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman on Tuesday said the Shahbaz Sharif’s government is facing difficulty to run the higher education department in present circumstances with its own budget.
Addressing at Hameed Nizami Press Institute of Pakistan (HNPIP), he said that they would go to the Supreme Court if the central government remained unwilling to shift financial resources of the transferred departments to Punjab. He said the government required Rs 200 billion for provision of missing facilities to Punjab’s schools.
Punjab Education Foundation Chairman Raja Muhammad Anwar, Punjab University former vice-chancellor Khairat M. Ibne Rasa, educationists Adeeb Javidani, Dr Parveen Khan and Rashada Qureshi also expressed their views at the HNPIP’s organized seminar on ‘Quaid-e-Azam’s concept of education and the responsibilities of media.’ Institute’s Director Absar Abdul Ali conducted the proceedings.
The minister vowed to bring improvement in the existing educational system, saying the provincial government was already trying its best to introduce parallel education system and to raise literacy rate in Punjab. However, he added, it was a long term process and the results would become visible after some years. If the policies of the Punjab government continued, 100 per cent literacy rate would be achieved in 2015, he held.
While regretting the previous governments’ lack of interest for education, he said that had the government put attention on science and technology, the country would have been fallen in the list of the developed countries. Speaking in the context of Danish School Project, Mian Mujtaba said that those who criticized the state of the art educational project of the Punjab government actually did not want the poor to get standard education.
Counting the Shahbaz’s government steps for improvement of education, the minister said that the provincial government had established state of the art computer laboratories in schools and fixed millions of rupees for the free education of the poor students under the Endowment Fund. He said that the government was trying to lay foundation of Pak-Turk University in Lahore with the cooperation of Turkish government. Mujtaba Shuja appreciated the HNPIP for arranging seminar on the important topic. He also appreciated the role of media for bringing awareness in the society and added the media should publish and telecast more stuff on education. He said the Quaid’s dream for the country was yet to achieve.
Ibne Rasa highlighted the Quaid’s vision for education and urged for the unity among the people of the country. He said the national solidarity was the need of the hour. The renowned educationist stressed for the urgent requirement of introducing scientific and modern educational system in the country.
Raja Anwar while regretting on the educational backwardness of the Pakistani people especially of the poor class, said that no one in past had turned attention to provide educational facilities to poor children. Millions of children were still not in the position to enter into schools due to poverty, he added. Now, he said, if the Punjab Chief Minister established Danish Schools for the children belonging to poorest of the poor class, some people instead of appreciation started criticism.
Raja Anwar, who was the close friend of late Zulfqar Bhutto and former activist of PPP, appreciated ‘the commitment and hardworking of Shahbaz Sharif for bringing educational revolution in the province.’ He also encouraged the media for its role to secure freedom of the people.

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SALMAN MUSHTAQ
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