JEDDAH: All political appointees in Pakistan embassy schools in the Kingdom will be replaced with professional teachers within a year, said Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal.
Ahsan Iqbal said these schools will be turned into excellent educational institutions and all those appointed on political grounds will be axed. He bemoaned growing nepotism in the appointments in these schools.
"Overseas Pakistanis are spending a huge amount of money on these schools but in return they don’t get quality education for their children, this cannot continue," Iqbal said.
The Pakistan government will make sure that the standard of education in these schools is raised and brought on a par with other international schools.
Iqbal said Nawaz Sharif’s government is working on a five-year and a 20-year plan to solve the country’s longstanding problems. "After the ouster of Sharif government in 1999 all development projects were stalled and that triggered the energy crisis, led to unemployment and economic meltdown," Iqbal explained.
“Infrastructure has collapsed and a major revamp is needed to ensure good governance.”
He said many overseas Pakistanis have volunteered to help the country overcome problems. He refused to give a time frame for overcoming the power shortage saying the energy crisis is more serious than thought. Worn-out power transmission lines, poor distribution system and line losses are some of the factors that have aggravated the situation.
Privatization of industries has been on the PML-N’s agenda and industries and companies suffering losses will be privatized, he said adding that privatization of Pakistan Steel and PIA is being considered.
Iqbal accused the Pakistan People’s Party government of making thousands of political appointments in various sectors. PIA, he said, is suffering a loss of Rs. 3 billion a month. Pakistan Steel and PIA managements have been asked to prepare a plan to turn the companies into profit-making enterprises, failing to do so will prompt the government to intervene, the minister warned.
About skirmishes on the Pakistan-India border, Iqbal said there are extremist elements in both the countries who want to vitiate relations and it is for the leaders of the two countries not to let these people succeed.
On the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, he said it might create a vacuum and that may lead to instability in the region.
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