Business community asked to play role in uplift

Islamabad : The business community is playing key role in the economic development of the country and it should come forward to cooperate in renovating FG schools in Islamabad that would be a great noble cause for nation building.

This was said by Dr. Ali Ahmed Kharal, Director General, Federal Directorate of Education while addressing traders and industrialists at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry. He said that current government is keen to engage and partner with non-profit & service oriented organizations and communities to provide free education.

Dr. Ali Ahmed Kharal said that under PM’s Education Reforms Program, plan was made to upgrade 422 schools in Islamabad by improving their infrastructure for providing quality education and stressed that business community should join hands in this noble cause with FDE in order to provide quality education environment to students.

He said ICCI could adopt some schools to renovate them and equip them with better facilities. He also apprised the business community of the recent initiatives of FDE to enroll out-of-school children. He said that FDE with the help of 2,500 teachers conducted a survey and identified 11,069 out-of-school children in Islamabad. He emphasized that business community should also come forward to adopt these children for providing them education. Both sides discussed signing a formal memorandum of understanding to move forward on this project. Many members of business community showed interest to adopt schools for renovation.

Speaking at the occasion, Ahmed Hassan Moughal, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that no nation could develop without education and stressed that government should focus on developing a uniform education across the country as various education systems are dividing nation into classes, which is against the spirit of building a united nation. He said Pakistan is a country of young population and government should focus on vocational education and skills development in youth to meet the needs of business and industry. He said government should introduce entrepreneurship subject right from school level to foster entrepreneurship spirit in youth. He said there is big difference between private and public education systems and assured that ICCI would like to help FDE uplift the standard of public sector schools.

Iftikhar Anwar Sethi, Vice President, ICCI, Muhammad Ahmed, Ajmal Baloch, Khalid Chaudhry, Mian Waqas Masud, Ch. Irfan and others also spoke at the occasion and assured that business community is ready to cooperate with FDE in improving the standard of public sector schools in Islamabad.