Daily Times

LAHORE: A book, based on the challenges being faced by Pakistani women in getting education, was launched at a local hotel on Tuesday.

The launching ceremony of the book titled ‘Challenge Education Pakistan: Reflections of an Educationist’ by former Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) vice chancellor Dr Sabiha Mansoor was attended by educationists, teachers and people from all walks of lives.

Lahore School of Economics (LSE) Director Dr Shahid Amjad Chaudhry, Beaconhouse National University (BNU) Professor Tariq Rahman, social rights activist Abbas Rashid and author Dr Sabiha Mansoor were present on the occasion.

LSE Director Dr Shahid Amjad Chaudhry said that many of us lived but did not document our lives, adding that Dr Sabiha Mansoor has the honour to write her whole life and experiences. Dr Sabiha is intellectually gifted, he said, adding that her passion for education, particularly higher education, is commendable. Dr Shahid said the author’s suggestions in the book should be taken seriously in order to bring improvement in the education sector of Pakistan.

Dr Tariq Rahman lauded the work of Dr Sabiha Mansoor, saying she is the pioneer of socio-linguistic surveying in Pakistan and she has published extensively on the role of languages, especially English, in the education system of the country. “This book is a happy blend of the author’s personal life and her intellectual and professional involvement in education for the past 40 years,” he added.

Tariq further observed that the book is to be valued both for its scholarship and the sincerity of personal commitment, which gives it a unique quality.

Addressing the occasion, author Dr Sabiha Mansoor was of the view that the book was an outcome of reflection in praxis. “As a Pakistani woman, I faced many professional challenges that required grit and determination to overcome,” she added. Mansoor said that after spending 40 years in education sector, she decided to add all these years in a document. It was really difficult to write personal experience of professional life, the author added.