ISLAMABAD – The Centre for Peace and Development initiatives (CPDI) has urged the government to immediately undertake appropriate legislative, administrative and legal initiatives to ensure that Article 25-A of the Constitution is implemented in letter and spirit. The said article says the state is required to provide free and compulsory education to all children of five to 16 years of age. According to a statement issued by the CPDI, the government schools across the country, including in areas under the direct jurisdiction of the federal government, continue to require the students of five to 16 years of age to pay fee and other charges of various types, which is a clear violation of the Constitution.
The ICT Compulsory Primary Education Ordinance 2001 has been rendered inadequate and incomplete in view of the insertion of Article 25-A in the Constitution. It is because the 2001 Ordinance does not declare the education as free; nor does it cover all the children from 5-16 years of age.
