20 parliamentarians endorse EPC

Islamabad: At least 20 parliamentarians from all provinces and political parties of Pakistan and civil society organisations have extended support to the newly formed Education Parliamentary Caucus (EPC).

The EPC has been formed to address key bottlenecks in the current education system of the country as well as table suggestions for improvements to decision-makers.

The key focus of the efforts would be to make sure that education policies and plans can bridge the implementation gaps and effectively cater to the diverse real needs of children, adolescents, and adults for quality education in Pakistan.

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani has endorsed the initiative and extended his support to ensure quality education for all the children in Pakistan as enshrined in Article 25-A of the Constitution of Pakistan. Balochistan Assembly Speaker Mir Jan Muhammad Khan Jamali also joined the virtual launch of EPC.

Addressing the meeting, he said that it was the responsibility of parliamentarians to take this initiative; we should have done it long ago. “The only way forward for Pakistan is education and skilled education for girls and boys,” he added.

Other parliamentarians represented in the EPC include Wajiha Qammar, Parliamentary Secretary, Federal Education, and Professional Training; Dr. Nausheen Hamid, Parliamentary Secretary, Federal Ministry of National Health Services and MPAs from Punjab Aisha Nawaz Chaudhary, Tahir Khalil Sandhu and Abbas Ali Shah; MPAs from Sindh Tanzeela Qambarani, Syeda Marvi Rashdi; MPAs from Balochistan Bushra Rind, Ahmed Umar Khan Kalat, Senator Sana Jamali; and MPA Shagufta Malik from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Speaking about the EPC, MPA Chaudhary said, “Education is above all of us, it is the right of our children and duty of the state. The EPC is a great across party across province initiative, and engaging stakeholders from all across is very important.”

Excited to work towards the common objective of promoting education in Pakistan, PPP MPA Rashdi said, “The EPC is a great initiative that will surely help, observe and scrutinize the work of the Department for Educations in the provinces.” Lawmakers from Balochistan have especially stepped forward to contribute in the EPC.