Sharmila underlines importance of education

Provincial Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister on Information, Sharmila Farooqui on Wednesday said that education plays vital role in the rise and fall of nations and those nations which avoid education, would not progress. She said this while speaking as a chief guest at All Karachi Speech Competition (School Category) at APWA Government Girls College, Kareemabad.
Sharmila said that no one could deny the importance of education as Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah said that education is the matter of death and life for Muslims and now it was the duty of new generation to realise the importance of education and to focus all energies in getting education because the future of Pakistan depends on it.
Sharmila said that education budget for Sindh that of District Governments was Rs 60 billion and in addition, there is Rs 7 billion worth Sindh Education Reform Programme, which was under implementation with the support of the World Bank and the European Union, she added
'The worst floods in the country's history badly affected educational activities in Sindh. Floods hit 8422 schools, out of which 2784 were damaged partially, 2681 completely, while 2957 were made relief camps, however, these relief camps have been vacated and educational activities resumed.
She said the government had focused on education and health, but it was the need of the hour to increase budget for education. She said that loss caused by flood in education is estimated approximately $56 million and the Sindh Government despite having limited resources would give priority to restoration of education facilities.
She said recent floods have affected the education of 0.7 million children, and 7 districts of Sindh - Qambar, Jacobabad, Jamshoro, Kashmore, Shikarpur and Dadu were worst hit, however educational activities are in full swing again. Later, she distributed certificates and shields among successful students. Syed Azfar Rizvi Chairman Dhaka Education Society, Professor Tahira Parveen, Principal APWA Government College for Women, Professor Sabir Nizami and Director Hasina Rizvi also spoke on the occasion.