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Pakistan to provide free education

cctv.com 10-19-2004 09:44

Apart from poverty, illiteracy is the biggest challenge facing most developing countries. Pakistan has a population of 140 million, ranking seventh in the world. Only half of its people can read and write. To deal with this problem, the government launched an "Education for All" program in 2001, providing free education to all children. Compulsory education for all is the next step.

Providing education to everybody, especially in early childhood education, is on top agenda of Pakistan's government policy. 66 percent of primary school children in Pakistan actually enroll in school, but the drop-out rate is high. In Punjab, the country's biggest province, 9 million students enroll every year, but 4 million drop out. The main reason for this is poverty.

MIAN IMRAN MASOOD (Minister for Education,Punjab Provincial Gov't, Pakistan):

"To reach our education goals, we've taken three steps. The first step is free education for all children... no tuition fees for students. The second step is free text books for all children. And the third step is a stipend of 200 Rupees for girls when they go to school."

Poverty also means there is no money to build and maintain good schools. 40,000 of Punjab's 63,000 schools lack proper roads, electricity and drinking water. Efforts have been made to upgrade these schools to attract more students. But despite this and the government pledge of free education, many parents would rather have their children work and add to the family income than go to school.

MIAN IMRAN MASOOD:

"We've launched a media campaign to educate parents that they must send their children to schools. In three or four years time, when infrastructure has improved, we'll make education compulsory. We'll ask the police to force parents to send their children to schools. If they do not, the police will have the power to send them to jail."

Apart from providing free education for all and improving school infrastructure, the government is also stressing the QUALITY of education. Teaching training is a main focus.

In the first year of the campaign, the number of students enrolled in Punjab rose by half a million. More than 10,000 schools have been repaired across the country. And in some urban areas, the number of girls enrolling outnumbers boys.

QURATULAIN (Student, LDA Model High School for Girls):

"My father is also a doctor, my uncle is also a doctor, and I want to be a doctor too"

Although there is still a long way to go, people in Pakistan are now beginning to realize that access to education is not a dream, it is a basic right.

Editor:Wang Ping  Source:CCTV.com


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