government’s forte but private schools can certainly augment the effort,” she added.
However, she said the private sector could not fully take the responsibility over. “It’s a matter of commitment.”
She was of the view that children must be imparted instruction in their native languages as that would hasten comprehension.
She pointed out that in Malaysia there was a system where in-service teachers were made to appear for examination to qualify for promotion to the next grade. She queried as to why it could not be put in place here.
“The gap between public and private schools will always be there. However it is not the gap but the extent of the gap that matters.”
The session was moderated by Lahore-based journalist Mehmal Sarfraz.
Other sessions
Other sessions at the conference included “Brave new digital world: dream or nightmare?” which looked at the pros and cons of digital technology on education and its impact on society.
Another session discussed whether children under the age of 13 should be on Facebook. It raised questions of its benefits, such as collaborative learning and its ability to bridge the social gap, and its drawbacks including time wastage and addictive nature. Panellists discussed how it is the parents’ responsibility to keep a check and balance.
A heritage awareness programme activity led by Marvi Mazhar was extremely popular, in which the hall was filled to capacity. Its emphasis was on teaching young children the importance of valuing our roots and understanding how one’s home is one’s city.
It highlighted how security was a state of mind that needs to be changed gradually. Our forgotten national language looked at ways to promote Urdu once more. A workshop on “Robotics and Society” was also well-attended.
A session titled “Politicising art and popular culture across borders” that explored the question of whether politics should have a relationship with art. The panellists included Khalid Ahmad, Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, Rashid Rana and Sanjay Rajoura. It was moderated by HM Naqvi.