Parents To Be Bound To Send Children To Schools: Murad Raas

Punjab Minister for School Education Murad Raas Friday said the provincial government had all set to introduce legislation to make it binding for parents to send their children to schools.

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Dec, 2018 ) :Punjab Minister for School Education Murad Raas Friday said the provincial government had all set to introduce legislation to make it binding for parents to send their children to schools.

Addressing a press conference to showcase Punjab School Education Department's 100 days performance here at the DGPR, he said all government subsidies and health cards would be stopped of parents who would not send their children to schools. Punjab Information and Culture Minister Fayaz ul Hassan Chohan was also present.

Murad Raas said all provincial ministries would present their 100 days performance to the public during December.

He said three laws were ready to be presented before the Punjab Assembly which included legislation for the private schools and compulsory licence for teaching besides training. He said the government had launched New Deal 2020 Plan under the 100 days plan under which drop out ratio of children from schools would be checked.

About the need of elementary education, he said the percentage of children at Primary level was 62 while only 25% students studied from grade 6 onwards, adding, there was need to retain students after primary level and for this purpose government had decided to start afternoon classes at primary schools.

The minister said to check a huge dropout of 37 per cent students from school afternoon schools would start in primary schools from March 2019 in which students would be offered education from class 6-8.

He said the regular morning teachers would teach in the afternoon classes and they would be paid extra remuneration for their services.

To a query, he said most of the children left school after primary education so it was necessary to strengthen elementary education and increase facilities for the students, adding the government would start class 6 to 8 at the primary schools in the afternoon.

He said a database system was also being prepared in which all teachers and students of public sector schools would be registered.

About his predecessor, the minister said school education department was run like a kitchen adding that former School Education Minister Rana Masood Ahmed Khan had fled the country.

The minister said urdu would be medium of education at primary level in Punjab while English will also be taught to students.

The minister said all schools would be provided basic facilities, adding the government was establishing health rooms at all public sector schools, claiming the first health room was being established at Government Central Model High School in Lahore while 1700 health rooms would be established in different government sector schools in the province.

The school education minister said that Punjab Education Professional Act would ensure that teachers were properly trained, adding the people had opened schools in small streets and therefore untrained teachers were hired to teach there.

He said a law would come into force against unregistered schools, adding that Punjab Education Foundation would operate with from one office instead of the three and it would save Rs 20 million of the public money.

Murad Raas said the teachers would be allowed one week holidays only, adding the the school education department was working to introduce uniform education policy.

He said class 5 examinations were being abolished from this year and added the education department would provide bicycles to male students while vehicles vouchers would be introduced for the girl students at school level.

He said initially the program will be launched in 20 districts of the province adding that this was a step towards making education more accessible to the schools in the remote areas of the country of the province.

He said the government would repair flood affected schools in the province. The School Education minister also announced to hold School sports in the year 2019, adding the government was committed to introduce teachers friendly policy from the next academic year. The relief would be provided to the female teachers with the introduction of new transfer policy.

School Education Minister Murad Raas said 100 libraries besides 200 science laboratories would be set up in public sector schools during the next six months by the Punjab School Education Department.