ISLAMABAD, Jan 25 (TNS):Minister for Interior and Planning, Development and Reforms Prof Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday said the government had released funds for initiating reforms in education, improving curriculum on modern lines and bringing madaris in the mainstream education system.
Addressing the concluding ceremony of 5th National Stakeholders Conference, Dissemination of National Education Assessment System (NEAS) Findings 2016-17, he said that the assessment of the educational system is very necessary.
The conference was attended by the Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Engr Muhammad Baligh ur Rahman, Vice Chancellor Allama Iqbal Open University and Chairman Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Haiderabad.
He said attention was not given to assessment of education system in the past which kept the system faulty.
While congratulating the Ministry of education, NEAS and other concerned departments for holding successful educational assessment, the minister said that present government has laid foundation of knowledge economy in the country.
“We belong to a class of people who have transferred from the chalk and board system to 4G technology, adding that, “coming generations would use more advanced technology.”
The basic of literacy, he said is computer literacy which would transform the entire system based on modern technology.
The major issue of the Muslim Ummah, the minister said was to not paying attention to scientific inquiry and innovation.
Under Vision 2025, Ahsan Iqbal said that Planning, Commission has released funds for four major programs of the ministry of education and professional training.
The first programme was the development of the curriculum under which the ministry of education has finalized the modern curriculum for the federal capital schools.
The second programme was the comparative study and reforms of the Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education, under which the educational standard of the entire boards across the country was assessed and modernized with new technological facilities.
Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) have successfully done reforms and adopted modern technology while the other boards of the country need to carry out the desired reforms, he added.
Due to assessment of the boards, it was observed that levels of education standard across the provinces were different which was a major problem for the education system, the minister said.
In this regard, Minister for federal Education Engr. Baligh ur Rahman successfully brought federal and provinces at one platform for ensuring same standard of education, he lauded.
He said the constitution of a “National Task Force” comprising best educationists was need of the hour and it will not only identify the issues in education sector but would resolve them.
This task force, he said will take necessary steps to raise the standard of the education and bring it at par with international level.
The ministry of federal education will soon notify this task force so that it could work during the tenure of the next government, he said.
The third programme, the minister said was training of the teachers to make them aware of the modern curriculum so that they can go toward interactive learning.
He informed the participants that a state of the art teachers training center in Islamabad would be set up and it would be the best institution of Asia.
“We will allocate funds for this project,” he said adding that under this programme teachers across the country would be able to teach the students by utilizing modern technology.
The last and fourth programme was the reforms in Madaris and introduction of modern education.
Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister for Education Baligh ur Rahman appreciated the issuance of educational assessment report 2016, saying that the report was better than previous and it would be improved in future.
This report, he said was conducted with the government funds rather than the donors.
He said the government has started preparation for presenting itself in the international assessment report to be held in 2019.
The universities have been linked with industries for promotion of research culture and socio-economic development, he added.
The most of the schools were studying the syllabus of 2000 when assessed the curriculum, he said adding’ that there was need to introduce the new generation with modern technology.
The ministry has finalized the syllabus for class one to five with collaboration of national and international experts, the minister said. The curriculum of international level and according to the Pakistani culture has been prepared, he added.
First time in the history of Pakistan the standard of education was being raised, he said.
A pilot project for the Madaris has been announced which is continued successfully, the minster concluded.
