Minister of State welcomed all the participants from all over Pakistan and said that this draft policy has been presented here to discuss with all the stakeholders of education. It’s just the beginning and this draft policy will be opened for further and wider discussions and consultations countrywide after this two days consultative meeting, said the Minister.
We should not make any document or policy in haste; proper consultations are required on this policy as it is very important for the future of education in the country, stressed the Minister. We would never violate our constitution and therefore this policy will be finalized after getting the suggestions and recommendations from the entire stakeholders including all provinces, education departments, academicians etc.
Minister of State said that this policy draft includes following chapters; Aims and Objectives of Education, Islamic Education, Early Childhood Education and Care, Non formal Education including literacy and adult literacy, Tertiary Education, Information technology, Library and Documentation, Physical Education and Sports, Private Sector Education, Special and Inclusive Education, Deeni Madaris, National Testing System and Assessments, Character Building, Career Counseling, Guidance, Girl Guide and Boy Scouts, and Financing of Education etc. All the chapters of policy are very important, be it Islamic teachings or ECEC or character building, all these components are highly important for a good and sound education policy, said the Minister.
National Education policy 2009 was a consensus document but there is always room for improvement, this revisiting of our national education policy will incorporate all the latest trends in education, stated the minister. He added that it’s unfortunate that we recently came across some misprinted science textbooks along with the outdated computer science books. So we took quick and serious action against it and to avoid such situation in future we have already started working on our new national curriculum in National Curriculum Council. He also praised the roles of NEAS and FBISE regarding the improved assessments and examinations systems respectively. Minister of State said that we have already registered for TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) 2019 with our own resources, to have an international assessment of our education system which is the need of the hour. Moreover he talked about the increase education budget of HEC and provinces which is directly related to the improved tax to GDP ratio and better fiscal space for education in the country.
In the end, Minister of State hoped for a productive discussion on the National Education Policy Draft 2017, among the education stakeholders.
PREVIOUS NEXT
