Girls education top priority of incumbent government: Shafqat

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood Thursday said the girls education was top priority of the incumbent government.

He stated this in a virtual meeting held here with Lord Tariq Ahmed of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth and the UK Prime Minister's special representative on preventing sexual violence in conflict.

Lord Tariq Ahmed of Wimbledon congratulated the government of Pakistan on exceptionally well administering to combat COVID-19 and reopening of Schools after six and a half month closure.

The minister apprised the steps taken by Federal Education Ministry to keep the educational activities continue during closure of schools through teleschools, online classes and workshops from which almost 8 million students benefited on daily basis.

He underscored that the girls education was the highest priority of PTI government and to encourage the poor families towards education, our government has introduced a cash transfer program which pays two thousand rupees per girl for a quarter.

Exchanging views on issues of female's education in certain far flung areas of the country, the minister said, if the school is just one mile away from home, the parents feel insecure to send their girls to school, hence the government is providing tablets to them and also arranging online classes by developing informal educational set-up in that community.

While discussing the Single National Curriculum (SNC), Shafqat Mahmood said, our educational system was divided into three streams; resultantly producing three different mindset and ultimately causing a divide in the nation.

The SNC will not only bring uniformity in education system of the country but also promotes love, interfaith harmony and tolerance, he added.

I am personally reading model text books to ensure that no hate material is its part which could stir hostility and impedes the way of developing a tolerant society, the miniter remarked.

For minorities, first time, there shall be freedom to study their own religion and every faith will be respected, the minister said.