Government promotes culture of merit: minister

Provincial Minister for Communications and Works, Chaudhry Muhammad Zaheer ud Din Khan has said that the present Government had promoted the culture of merit to provide the rights to the deserving people with the continuity of President General Pervez Musharraf's policies.
While, in the past the "merit' was mercilessly ignored in result of political pressure, injustice or in violation of the rules and consequently different hurdles were created in the way of national development.
He stated this while addressing the functions held in connection with the distribution of 970 educators appointed in different schools of Faisalabad district under Chief Minister's Educational Reforms Programme held hereon Saturday at Government Comprehensive High School and Crescent Model High School. District Nazim Chaudhry Zahid Nazir, DCO Tahir Hussain, EDO (Education) Mian Abdul Rauf and other officers of the Education department were also present on the occasion.
Provincial minister said that the promotion of Education was among the top priorities of the government and the Chief Minister Punjab after the assumption of his office by attaching special attention towards education sector made a revolutionary declaration to provide free education upto Matric and by fixing three years' target for the improvement and promotion of educational sector, a decision had been made to spend a huge amount of Rs 18 billion on educational projects during this period.
By taking these revolutionary steps the ways had been paved to achieve the destination of prosperity he added. Appreciating the capability and eligibility of the male and female teachers selected on merit he advised them that the responsibilities of educating the future generation were being entrusted to them, now it was their duty to play their role for the development of the country and guide and train the students with a missionary zeal in the light of religious and moral values by their proper and meaningful character-building.
District Nazim, Chaudhry Zahid Nazir said that the district government was spending 70 percent of its budget for the promotion of education under which the projects of providing missing facilities in the educational institutions and improving the standard of education were being implemented.
He said that there were 28,000 vacancies of teachers in the schools of this district, out of which appointments would be continued to make up the deficiency of 3000 teachers and within a two years' period 2000 educators had been recruited on the basis of 100percent merit with their personal capabilities and qualifications.
He stressed upon the teachers to be punctual and observe discipline to justify their attachment with a sacred and noble profession. He said that the contract of lethargic, careless and irresponsible educators would be cancelled.
EDO (Education) Mian Abdul Rauf said that in the provision of quality education the role of the teachers was very important and their being capable and intelligent was utmost necessary that was why the Chief Minister had particularly directed to abide by the merit policy in its true spirits under which 970 educators had been recruited which included 636 male and 334 female teachers.
Provincial Minister Chaudhry Zaheer ud Din Khan, District Nazim Chaudhry Zahid Nazir, DCO Tahir Hussain, EDO (Education) Mian Abdul Rauf and District Education Officer Mrs. Shahida Rasheed distributed appointment letters among the newly recruited educators.