- State minister says projects of water, sanitation, hygiene launched in capitals’ schools
ISLAMABAD: Under the Prime Minister’s Education Programme, one hundred projects involving construction of classrooms, setting up of science laboratories, provision of drinking water, healthcare, up-gradation of toilets and construction of pilot women and girls toilets are being implemented in schools in the federal capital.
This was revealed by State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb while speaking at a ceremony held here at a local girls college under ‘Sehatmand Pakistan, Hamarey Hath Hamara Mustiqbil’ with regard to global day of hand washing.
Marriyum said that the teachers and parents should become part of the awareness campaign. She said that the government or any institution alone could not solve social problems and all the institutions, civil society and people belonging to different walks of life would have to contribute to achieve the development targets.
She said that all issues pertaining to health would have to be tackled to make the future generations safe and healthy. She said that healthy children would make a happy family. Through this ceremony the ministries of Climate Change, Education, Health, CADD, Information and Broadcasting, other institutions and partners were promoting hand washing for a ‘Sehatmand Pakistan’ and healthcare.
She said that besides being state minister, she was also representing the Sustainable Development Goals Secretariat. She informed the audience that the government had entered into international agreements under the agenda of development for clean drinking water, ‘Sehatmand Pakistan’ and making the future generation safe.
“When a child falls sick, he does not go to school and when an adult becomes indisposed he does not go to office or undertake other normal activities which affects overall performance of the country,” she said. The PTV and the Radio Pakistan were telecasting and broadcasting programmes for the awareness of the parents regarding prevention of diseases among children, the need for hand washing and issues like usefulness of clean drinking water.
“If the schoolchildren learned how to wash their hands they could secure themselves against a number of diseases. The schools must also continue taking practical steps for health and cleanliness,” she said. She said that the performance of the government in all the areas of national activity was quite commendable and the country could boast of a status of champion in regards to sustainable development goals.
Marriyum said that the parliament was the first legislature that had established a full-fledged secretariat for SDGS which was playing an active role in this regard. The secretariat was exercising oversight on the national development projects and the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms also had a special SGDS unit, she added.
At the provincial level, SDGS centres had also been established. The achievement of SDGS was Pakistan’s international obligation and the government was firmly committed to the attaining of those goals through its political and economic strategies, she said.
Marriyum said that the achievement of SDGS was only possible through a public-private partnership. The SDGS were also part of the Vision 2025. Like other countries who were benefitting from public-private partnership, Pakistan had also started working on similar lines which had already started paying dividends, she added.
The state minister said that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had done tremendous work in all the areas setting a worth emulating example for other provinces. She said that the children were being sensitised on the need for hand washing and clean water and the teachers and parent were playing a very significant role in creating awareness.
A public awareness campaign about drainage related issues had also been unleashed. She said that different sources and avenues were being used for awareness of parents in regards to the health of the children. She said that the provincial governments were also focusing on resolving problems pertaining to health, education, drainage and other issues.
She said that the media had a pivotal role in creating awareness about the social issues and it should continue that through its programmes. Besides Marriyum, Minister for Professional Education Balighur Rehman, Aadviser on Education Reforms Ali Raza, students and those participating in the ceremony on the occasion made a pledge to promote hand washing for healthcare.
