ILM Pakistan Movement launched

Islamabad
Aimed at empowering country’s educational process, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal launched ILM Pakistan Movement on the occasion of Independence Day at the Higher Education Commission (HEC) on Friday.
The movement is aimed at enabling Pakistan’s education system to improve students’ academic achievement, attitudes towards civic responsibility, respect for diversity and tolerance. It will also empower teachers to improve performance level of students, bring forth parents as active participants and stakeholders and will also increase awareness for quality education.
Minister for Education and Training Baleegh-ur-Rahman, HEC Chairman Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, vice chancellors, academics, researchers and students were present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Ahsan Iqbal said that this is the age of knowledge revolution and it is imperative to strengthen our knowledge economy if want to compete in the comity of nations.
Congratulating the nation on Independence Day, he said that real independence is when there is freedom of knowledge and intellectual growth in any society. Saluting the efforts and sacrifices of the founding fathers, he said that they struggled for creation of Pakistan with meagre resources but the motivation and commitment was so high that nothing could stop them from achieving the set targets.
He mentioned Science Talent Farming Scheme for students, endowment fund for 50,000 talented students, standardisation of examination system, national curriculum council and creation of knowledge corridor with partner countries as the government’s commitment towards prioritising education. “To create harmony, we have to embrace the global challenges of knowledge revolution.”
About Vision 2025, Ahsan Iqbal said that knowledge is an important component of this Vision and that’s why the government is ensuring complete participation of our academics and researchers. He said that the explosion of information is exponentially growing in the world and unless we have the ability to innovate and embrace inventions, we will not be able to compete in the knowledge revolution.
He said that through launch of ILM Movement, the government will further strengthen the holistic framework for achieving knowledge objectives set in the Vision 2025.
Baleegh-ur-Rahman said that our destination is a brighter and safer Pakistan and that can only be achieved through knowledge revolution. He said that Vision 2025 provides a comprehensive roadmap for aligning our knowledge base with socio-economic demands. He appreciated the Planning Division for taking special care of the educational development initiatives. He also mentioned successful launching of the National Curriculum Council, which he said was aimed to develop basic standards for curriculum development in all federating units of the country.
He informed the gathering that Pakistan will also adopt Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 along with other nations at United Nations in September this year and that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will represent Pakistan on this occasion.
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed also underlined significance of knowledge for a nation’s growth and appreciated the initiatives for development of education at all levels. He also mentioned the potential of Pakistani youth, which he said if tapped properly will take Pakistan to new heights. He said that initiatives of ILM Pakistan Movement will be expanded across the country. He also mentioned government’s initiative to provide access to higher education in every district, adding that it is being ensured that quality is not compromised and for that purpose strict quality assurance measures have been implemented. “Time and the challenges that this country has faced have proven that solution to all our problems lies in quality education, which is not limited to major cities but reaches all nooks and corners of the country.”