Day: November 11, 2012

KARACHI: Showcasing the efforts of his department, Senior Minister for Education & Literacy Pir Mazharul Haq claimed on Saturday that around 10 per cent increase had been made in women literacy rate, and a 4 per cent in the overall literacy rate in the province.

He told the media that this growth in literacy was made possible because of the ruling PPP’s commitment to the sensitive subject of education.

The education minister said that girl students from grade six to ten were being given Rs2,500 per year, and Rs3,500 in some other districts to encourage women education.

The government, he averred, was also going to launch a programme, under which Rs1,000 would be given annually to girl students of primary schools. The minister said enrolment of 3 million students under Waseela-e-Taleem programme would leave a positive impact on the literacy rate.

He said that establishment of Teachers Development Authority, community colleges and campuses of universities in different talukas of Sindh were the present of the government and these institutions will provide quality education to the people. He added that 25 new colleges had been established while planning for establishing degree colleges in 73 talukas had also been made.

He said textbooks were also being given free of cost up to class XII.

The Nation

LAHORE: The Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) announced on Saturday that it would award “15 Malala Yousafzai scholarships” for girls from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Northern Areas.

LCWU Vice Chancellor Sabiha Mansoor said the scholarships would be awarded at the request of the LCWU Student Council. Ten scholarships will be for bachelor’s degree and five for Masters and PhD. The scholarships will include hostel accommodation. She said Malala Yousafzai had defied those who wanted to impose their nefarious agenda under the cover of religion.

“Malala pursued her education without bowing to threats. She stands as a symbol of hope for women’s empowerment through education,” she said.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said Malala Yousafzai was the daughter of the nation and the pride of the country and the entire nation was praying for her.

In his message on Malala Day, he said Malala Yousafzai had won laurels for Pakistan all over the world by playing a leading role at such an early age. Praying for her early recovery, he hoped she would soon return to homeland.

Hailing the United Nations decision to declare November 10 as Malala Day, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Chairwoman Zohra Yusuf called upon the government and the people to rise to the challenge the worldwide tribute to the young girl from Swat presents them with. She stressed the need for launching efforts to realise the Millennium Development Goals on education and women’s rights.

The Express Tribune

MINGORA: The two schoolgirls wounded in a Taliban murder attempt on teenage activist Malala Yousufzai said on Saturday they were still haunted by the memory of the bloody attack.

Kainaat Riaz and Shazia Ramzan were injured when gunmen attacked their school bus in a bid to kill Malala for the “crime” of promoting girls’ education.

Speaking to AFP on the UN-declared “Malala Day” of global action to support the young campaigner and call for better schooling for girls, 16-year-old Kainaat said the October 9 attack still made her afraid.

“I am still terrified. I still get tears in my eyes whenever I think of that incident. I saw Malala in the pool of blood in front of me with my eyes,” she told AFP at her home in Mingora, where the attack took place.

Malala’s courage and determination has made her an inspiration for millions and Kainaat said she was pleased that despite the Taliban’s bid to silence the 15-year-old, Malala’s message was being heard around the world.

“She always said that we should do something for girls’ education and she did not care about her own life when she was doing this,” she said. Shazia, 13, said the friends had been chatting and joking as usual on the bus when the terrorists opened fire and she still feels “terrorised” when she remembers it.

“I am proud that I am her close friend and the whole world is commemorating international day for her, but I would be much happier if she was here with us today,” she told AFP.

She said the Taliban attack had made her even more determined to go to school. “The shooting tried to stop us from getting education – it was our test and we must pass it,” she said. UN education special envoy Gordon Brown phoned Kainaat and Shazia on Saturday.

In Mingora, security fears meant Malala’s schoolmates could not hold a public demonstration for her, but they marked the UN day with a special assembly and prayers.

“My message on this day for Malala is that the whole nation is praying for her and she will be among us very soon,” Kainaat said.

Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown, who is visiting Pakistan as an envoy of the UN Secretary General, was presented one million signatures supporting the right of education, at an event organised by National Commission for Human Development (NCHD).

The event was organised in collaboration with UNICEF, UNESCO and civil society. Mr Brown addressed the gathering and declared that Pakistan is one of the leading countries which had shown tremendous progress in the field of education.

He saluted the thirst for education among the people of Pakistan and appreciated the unshaken resolve of MNA Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Dr Nafisa Shah, who heads NCHD, for having worked tirelessly for the uplift of the people through educational projects.

Federal Minister for Education and Training Sheikh Waqas Akram, who was present on the occasion, said that the credit goes to the government and declared that according to article 25-A of the Constitution, education was the fundamental right of every child.

Chairperson NCHD Dr Nafisa Shah said that the implementation of Article 25-A is need of the hour and being a fundamental right it should be provided to all the children of Pakistan from age 5 to 16.

“I am saddened and shocked with what happened to MalalaYousafzai, who is a torch bearer for women education in this part of the world. This attack only confirms our view that Taliban are the enemies of Pakistan and of humanity,” she said.

She said that the attacks were related and part of a larger plan to attack moderation, federalism and a progressive Pakistan, which the government strives and struggles to build.

According to Ms Shah, Malala was a keen promoter of education in her province, as she had once said: “I would like to establish an education foundation and promote education particularly for those children involved in domestic labour”.

Fahad Hussain as an ambassador to the right to education (RTE) criticised the insufficient efforts of the government towards the amelioration of the plight of education in Pakistan. He emphasised that extreme measures were required to uplift the marginalised and deprived communities in the country.

Ms Beela Raza Jamil, the head of Idara-e-Taleem-o-Agahi (ITA), in her speech called for revolutionary measures to be undertaken by all the stakeholders to ward off backwardness in the field of education.

Dawn