Daily Times

The Senate body on Tuesday suggested uniform education policy across the country and it also approved inclusion of Pakistan Studies and Ethics as compulsory subjects in the curriculum which is being taught at private schools.

The Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education & Professional Training met under the chairpersonship of Rahila Magsi. It was unanimously agreed that to introduce and implement a uniform education system in all segments including private sector schools, public sector educational institutions and religious seminaries.

Initially, the point of different educational systems in the country was raised by Senator Ateeq Sheikh when he suggested an amendment in section 4-A of Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) Bill 2016. Ateeq Sheikh said that subjects Pakistan Studies and Ethics should be compulsory parts of the act as this was direly needed in private schools.

“Instead of teaching ethics and Pakistani culture, private schools particularly the elite chains are teaching their students dances and fashion,” the senator said recalling that once private schools were considered a symbol of excellent studies but now, regretfully these institutions are no more than houses of modern fashion and west culture.

“These schools are ruining our children morally,” Sheikh alleged.

The committee finally wetted the proposed amendment in the aforementioned section of PEIRA act 2016.

Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood agreed on a uniformed educational system in the country. Soon after holding the office, the minister said that he with the consent of Prime Minister Imran Khan, established a national curriculum council. The council was tasked to review the issue and a final and comprehensive policy would be adopted soon regarding introduction of equal education system across the country apart from class distinction.

“Moreover, due to such discrimination, the minds of the nation are divided and it direly needed to mend them through policy making,” the minister remarked.

While discussing another agenda item, the lawmakers expressed concerns over making Area Study Centre a part of Quaid-i-Azam University and declaring this a department of the varsity.

Senator Muzzafar Shah raised the point and tabled an amendment in the Area Study Bill 2017.

“Once this centre was the hub of research but its understandable that why it had been occupied,” he recalled, adding that the purpose of such institutions is to do research nationally and internally and provide details to foreign office so that the policies could be suggested accordingly.

In response, the education minister expressed his ignorance over the matter and sought some time to get details from the centre and brief the committee accordingly.

“We will collect complete records from the areas study centre regarding conference, symposiums, seminars, research papers, research articles and all other similar developments from 1997 to onward,” he assured.

The committee also directed National University of Modern Languages to re-review the case of non-issuance of PhD degree to its student Waqar Zaidi.

According to Waqar Zaidi, the varsity is victimising him while not issuing his degree. It has been eight years since he’s been waiting.

Zaidi, enrolled in the PhD Management Sciences programme in 2004.———

Published in Daily Times, December 19^th 2018.