Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has inaugurated Enrollment of Children in Schools Campaign 2016 under Parho Punjab Barho Punjab Programme.
A ceremony was held at Model Town in this regard.
Addressing the ceremony, the chief minister said that education is the only key to progress and prosperity and creating tolerance in the society. That is why Punjab government has taken a number of steps for the promotion of education in the province, he added.
Efforts would be continued for ensuring hundred per cent enrollment of children in schools and the entire nation has to lend a helping hand to the government for the achievement of this great objective, he said.
He said that this is a noble cause for which the chief minister, ministers, secretaries and government machinery of district and the parents will have to play an active role so that the target of enrolment of children in schools could be achieved. He said that according to an independent survey, 92 per cent enrollment targets have been achieved in Punjab however, it is a challenge to maintain it and government, authorities of education department and parents will also have to provide support for coping with this challenge so that results of the enrollment campaign could be achieved on permanent basis
He said that Punjab government has taken revolutionary steps for the promotion of education and girl and boy students have benefited however, results of some steps are still awaited. He said that standard of education will have to be further improved in government schools so that maximum children could be given the right of quality education.
Shehbaz Sharif said that government is taking continuous steps for providing missing facilities in schools along with ensuring attendance of teachers and students. He said that all these steps are necessary for judging the quality of education in any society. Strenuous efforts are being made for achieving educational targets but we have to still move ahead in this field, he added.
He said that Daanish schools have been established in backward areas. He said that laptops worth billions of rupees have been distributed among deserving girl and boy students. He said that IT labs have been established in 5000 schools while 180000 teachers have been recruited purely on merit during seven years. He said that scholarships of billions of rupees have been provided to more than 100,000 privileged students through Punjab Educational Endowment Fund. However, these scholarships have been provided to the students for higher education because if investment was not made on the future of the nation then our children will not become literate. Similarly, right of education has been provided to boy and girl students through voucher scheme of Punjab Education Foundation and scores of children are benefitting from this scheme. Government is continuing the process of awarding cash prizes to position holder students in examinations while they are also sent abroad for study tours, he added.
The chief minister said that besides all these steps, the teachers will have to give education to the students of the standard at par with private schools. He said that attendance of teachers in schools should be 99 per cent adding that availability of missing facilities and shortage of teachers in schools should also be removed immediately. He said that a third party audit is also necessary for the steps being taken regarding quality education.
These are challenges which will have to be coped with jointly and it is our obligation to move forward and provide quality education to the children of the nation as they deserve the same quality education as is right of children of elites, he added.
Referring to the steps regarding elimination of child labour from brick kilns, the chief minister said that cruelty was committed to the children at these brick kilns. Shehbaz Sharif said that he took the responsibility of elimination of child labour from brick kilns and enrolled the future of the nation in schools so they can be saved from destruction. He said that heinous trade of mortgaging of children at brick kilns has been eliminated and thousands of children are going to school while hundreds of owners have been arrested for child labour.
He said owners of brick kilns are afraid of raids today, adding that he considers that the system should be so effective and institutional that it should work automatically. He said that durable system is vital for achieving targets of future. He said that serious efforts will have to be made for making effective institutional system in education, health and other sectors.