One book, one uniform to end discrimination among children: CJP

ISLAMABAD: The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Mian Saqib Nisar, on Tuesday emphasised the need for a uniform education system in the country, saying just one book and one uniform countrywide could eliminate discrimination among the children.

The observation from the country’s top judge came during the hearing of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council’s (PMDC) case. “There is no better jewel than education. There should be a level playing field in the educational set-up,” the chief justice remarked while presiding over a three-member bench.

The PMDC has filed a petition against the December 2017 ruling of the Lahore High Court (LHC), which declared the PMDC illegal and nullified its 2016 regulations for admissions to MBBS and BDS in medical colleges. The chief justice reminded the state that bridging this educational gap was its responsibility. “Education of children between the ages of five and 16 is the state’s responsibility. Is the state doing its job? Is Article 25A of the Constitution just for show?”

PMDC's counsel Muhammad Akram Sheikh agreed with the chief justice alleging that students from the Cambridge regulated schools got preferential treatment. “If O level students will get preferential treatment, then what’s going to happen to others?” he asked.

Sheikh drew the court’s attention to the quality of education in rural areas. “Feudal lords don’t allow schools to be opened in their areas,” he said. The chief justice concurred, noting that there was an area where a school was turned into a buffalo farm. “Maybe the waderas there don’t want children to get education. Our legislators will have to do something about this,” he said.

Legal counsel for Dr Asim Hussain, Sardar Lateef Khan Khosa, who has been summoned for appearance before the court on Wednesday (today) in a separate suo moto hearing to explain why he devised policies that benefited private medical colleges, was also present in the court. Khosa remarked that 30 million children in the country were not going to school. “This loss of the children’s education is taking place because of you and us,” he said.