Technical education necessary for socioeconomic transformation Senior educationalist and Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA)

KARACHI (PPI): If there is a way to bring a socioeconomic revolution in Pakistan it is to bring drastic changes in our educational system which needs liberal funding, a better curriculum and a special focus on the technical education with aim at to reduce joblessness amongst youth.
Senior educationalist and Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA) leader Prof Iftikhar Azmi said if the government really wants to make Pakistan a country of literate people it should spend more than 5precent of GDP on education sector for coming 10 years. He regretted that successive governments have not given a due focus on the education sector. He said the education funds are meager and they are mostly spent on non-developmental side, like petrol for vehicles of ministers and bureaucrats their lavish travelling and entertainment expenses. He said it is also a tradition in this country that the allocated budgetary funds are purposefully lapsed. He said this leaves very little funding for new educational projects. 
Prof Azmi said changes in curriculum are necessary so that make education a source of economic empowerment of youth. He said this object could be achieved by giving priority to technical education. He demanded that education up to matriculation, preferably to intermediate, should be made compulsory and totally free of cost. He said the government should abolish the fees of education boards at least up to class X, or pay these fees from its own kitty so that education up to matriculation could be really made free. He said textbooks, notebooks, uniforms and some pocket money should be given to each and every students from class one to class ten.

He said corruption and political nepotism should be ended from the education department. He said during the tenure of last education minister in Sindh, huge amounts of sports funds of government colleges were embezzled. He said despite repeated demands the Sindh government is still reluctant to hold an inquiry into this scam.
He suggested a system of semester exams and credit hours in passing the examinations of matriculation and intermediate, so that if a student cannot give full time to studies due to economic problems, as millions of children are working to support their poor families, he or she should pass the exam in installments. He said this system of credit hours or semester examination at secondary and higher secondary level would greatly boost literacy and education in Pakistan.
Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) leader and Chairman Medical and Social Welfare Committee of Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi, Dr S M Qaiser Sajjad said education and health are basic pillars of any society. He said the vital sector of basic education is badly neglected in Pakistan.

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