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Thursday March 28, 2024

‘Hand over elementary, primary education to women’

By our correspondents
May 25, 2017

Islamabad

President Mamnoon Hussain on Wednesday suggested the handing over of the sector of elementary and primary education to women, who, he insisted, could better handle the young students and prepare the new generation with solid foundations of knowledge.

He made the suggestion during the inauguration of the women’s campus at the Riphah International University here on Wednesday.

Calling for the provision of equal opportunities to women to attain higher education, the president said the contribution of educated women workforce could boost national progress.

He said it was necessary that the women attained higher education and contributed in different fields to increase the pace of national progress and development.

The president said exclusion of women, the country's half of population, from the national mainstream, could adversely affect the country's ability to compete the global race of development.

He said the women’s participation would not only double the country’s workforce but would also ensure dedicated teachers, bureaucrats, scientists, engineers and experts of different fields.

The president said besides formal education, focus should also be laid on training and character-building of students.

He mentioned that new educational curriculum was in the making under the supervision of State Minister Engineer Balighur Rehman and that he was hopeful that it would promote a sense of peace and harmony among different segments of the country.

"Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said seeking knowledge was an obligation upon every man and woman, while our Constitution also guarantees equal opportunities for education without any gender discrimination. However, there is some reluctance to impart education to women due to some local customs in the country. The denial of education to more than half of the country’s population is no way justified socially and is contrary to the spirit of the Constitution," he said.

The president said the Riphah University had adopted the correct measures by setting up a separate campus for its girl students. He urged other universities to follow suit.

The president also said it was also the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education Commission to encourage this trend and was hopeful that in times to come, they would be able to establish similar set ups.

He said the new women campus would play an important role in helping the students attain higher education in the field of their choice and serve the nation.

The president while calling for measures to end poverty and deprivation from within the society said steps must be taken to ensure that no one was being exploited and everyone had the opportunity to equal rights.

He called for ending customs against women in the society such Watta Satta and Vani, honour killings and other such heinous crimes and stressed the need for allowing women to freely cast their votes and express their point of view. He added that it was important to break away from the shackles of archaic traditions that oppressed women to attain education.

"This would be a way forward to empowering over half of the country’s population and heading towards an exemplary society," he added.

He said contrasting views existed in the society regarding higher education of women and many of such negative thoughts were nurtured in the nursery of ignorance.

He said some social norms also discouraged the girls to quit their education on attaining a certain age and opt for early wedlock instead.

"This practice has resulted in the waste of immense resources utilised during higher education of girls particularly in technical fields. Such approach is not right. If Hazrat Khadija (RA) could efficiently carry out business activities spanned over many countries and if Hazrat Ayesha (RA) has strength to compile a large sum of Hadith, then our daughters can also follow their footsteps in creating a balance in managing their homes and businesses,” he said.

Chancellor of the Riphah International University Hassan Muhammad Khan and Vice Chancellor Dr Anees Ahmed were present on the occasion.