Saturday, May 10, 2008, Jamadi-ul-Awwal 3, 1429    

Academic year to start from April, syllabus to be amended

Raja Zahid

Islamabad—The Federal Minister for Education Professor Ashan Iqbal has reversed the previous government decision regarding the start of academic year and announced that next academic year will start from April.
While addressing a press conference here on Friday, he said that previous government decision regarding the start of academic year in May has failed to match the country atmosphere and affecting student negatively.
Answering a question, Federal minister said that decision has been made in 13th Inter Provincial Education Ministers Conference held here under his supervision. He said that all provincial Education ministers including the Education minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) have agreed on this decision.
Responding another question, he said that present education syllabus will go through the current academic year and in next year it will be changed after making consensus of all stakeholders. Responding a question regarding new education policy he said that government would call a National Education Summit in the last week of June in which all stakeholders will participate and added that newly education policy will be started as ‘Next Step for New Education’.
He added that in the light of all stakeholders’ suggestions a complete document summery will be formulated and then it would be presented to National Assembly for debate. To a query regarding the missing infrastructure of government’s schools and colleges, he said that government would implement the Rs. 7.6 billion projects with the cooperation of provinces and added that mega project would soon be withdrawn from military and handed over to provincial governments.
All alleged that previous government has handed over a very week education system to current government and added that it would take time for its betterment. Responding another question Minister said that presently country have almost 7000 Union Councils in which 4000 Union Councils have lacked High School for Girls and added that that there was no High School for Boys in almost 2000 Union Councils.
He informed the media persons that almost 70 % High Schools were doing work without Science laboratory and 95 % High Schools lacked proper compute lab.
‘This is the real (Educated Pakistan) handed over by the previous PNL-Q government to this government, he stated. Responding another question regarding next education budget he said that Ministry determined to get health budget for education and added that few new projects would be started after allocated amount of next budget.
He added that this government has utilized only two-month time so far and added that government has inherited the deficit of Rs. 500 billion from the previous government. “It is impossible to get healthy amount for education in the forthcoming budget but in next year budge ministry would definitely get healthy amount for budget” he said. To a question he said that students union elections would he held soon a complete code of conduct for students unions would be implemented after making debate with the students unions.
He said that government would strictly monitor the violence factor in educations institutions and completely discourse the routine politicos.
He said that government would soon start the smart school program for betterment of education as grassroots level. He added that teachers vacant posts would be fulfilled in all education institutions and added that teachers would be given a teacher guide book.