Ex-MPAs pledge to continue efforts for girls education

PESHAWAR: Former lawmakers from the KP Assembly belonging to different political parties have renewed their support for prioritizing girls’ education beyond the party lines.

The pledge was made at an event arranged by Blue Veins, a non-governmental organization, and the office of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker where the past lawmakers renewed the commitment through a written statement to keep on supporting girls’ secondary education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and use their influence as individuals, political activists and representatives of their political parties.

According to a press release issued here on Tuesday, the signed statement read: “We as legislators of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly representing different political parties, have unanimously supported the agenda of girls’ education by increasing resources for girls’ education and allocating budget with the 70: 30 ratios to improve gender parity in education.

The former lawmakers agreed to support and advocate for policies and programmes that promote and ensure equal access to quality education for girls while recognizing the importance of educating girls as a means to achieve gender equality and empowerment.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani said: “The members of all political parties have made significant contributions to promoting rights-based agenda including girl’s education.

The former provincial legislators said in the statement: “We as political activists, acknowledge that educating girls and women benefits not only individuals, but also families, communities, and entire societies.”

They said they recognize the main barriers that prevented girls from accessing and completing their education such as poverty, discrimination, and cultural attitudes.

Dr Sumera Shams, the former chairperson of the Women Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) and having affiliation with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, said “Women lawmakers and political activists beyond party lines believe that when girls and women are educated, they have the power to shape a brighter future for themselves, communities and the world.

“We are committed to including all the efforts for girls’’ education in our parties manifestos and election campaigns.”

Shagufta Malik, a former KP Assembly member from Awami National Party, said: “Opposition parties played an important role in promoting girls’’ education by serving as a watchdog of government policies and programmes related to education. “We have raised awareness about the challenges faced by girls in accessing education and urged the government to address these issues.

Qamar Naseem, Programme Manager of Blue Veins who is associated with Pakistan Education Champions Network said: “Financing is critical to ensure that girls have access to quality education and can reach their full potential. By investing in girls’ education, governments and organizations can create a more equitable and sustainable world for all”.