School councils need to play active role

Rawalpindi

Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) Chairman Qamar ul Islam Raja has said that School Councils need to play active role for promotion of education and improved facilities in public schools. 

He stated this while addressing School Councils Convention organised by Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO) and ‘Alif Ailan.’ He said that PEF is educating 2.1 million drop-out students and providing free education. “Punjab government is making all out efforts for promoting education and the School Councils had been made functional across the province,” he added. 

About 400 representatives of 100 School Councils, principals of different government schools, teachers, students and a large number of parents were present on this occasion. Qamar ul Islam Raja said the recruitment process of 42,000 teachers for educational institutes of Punjab would be completed this year while 100,000 teachers would also be recruited next year. 

He underlined the need of collective efforts for promoting education and highlight importance of practical involvement of teachers and parents. The Chairman said that school councils were formed in order to bring improvement in educational institutes. “The fully empowered councils had also been provided budgets,” he informed. 

Qamar ul Islam said, Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif was giving special attention towards promotion of education and the pay scales of the teachers would also be revised soon. “The PEF was trying to promote education among the poor who could not afford to send their children to schools. 

The PEF efforts would go a long way in eradicating illiteracy and ignorance from the province,” he said. “The PEF has introduced various programs based on public-private partnership for school education in the province. Free educational initiatives of the PEF are the biggest venture of its kind in the province,” he added. 

Chairman said that PEF had also taken steps to ensure conducive atmosphere in its partner schools besides arranging capacity-building training for teachers and principals. Executive District Officer (EDO) Education Qazi Zahor ul Haq addressing the participants appreciated the efforts of civil society for the promotion of education. He said that Rawalpindi education department always welcomes civil society to take part in the promotion of education. “The NGOs are trying to create link between teachers and parents,” he added. He stressed the role of school councils to make atmosphere more conducive for education and its promotion. The school councils should also come forward to play a role to control drop-out problem. 

SSDO Executive Director Syed Kausar Abbas hoped good results of the session titled ‘Waldain ki Awaz’ held to highlight importance of education, spread awareness for provision of more educational facilities in rural areas, problems being faced by teachers and government educational institutes, the role of parents particularly to evaluate the educational performance of the children and to draw attention towards direct link between teachers and parents. “Such programmes would also be arranged in other areas,” he informed.