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Conference on education: ‘Allocate more funds to revamp education system’

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a conference on Tuesday called for revamping the educational system in the country and allocating more funds for education. The two-day conference “Education as the basis for freedom and democracy” was organised by Friedrich Naumann Stiftung (FNS).

The speakers said problems confronting the education system would not solve as long as the literacy level was low. The dropout rate was one of the highest in South Asia and educational opportunities were limited, they said. The problems like ghost schools and teacher absenteeism was continuing to plague the education system.

Stressing the need for quality education, Jorg Dehnert, the director for International Academy for Leadership, Germany, briefed the audience about the German education system. He said though population and workforce in his country were highly educated, it needed considerable improvement.

He said, “An estimated 5.2 percent of Germans between the ages of 25 and 64 participate in training or upgrading courses and they prefer vocational trainings.” Resident Representative of FNSt Peter Bochman said Pakistan was hit by one of the most terrible disaster which one could not imagine.

The earthquake has given an important lesson that the safety of educational institutions should be as many school buildings have collapsed and hundreds of students have died, he added. Peter added that Pakistan government has decided to start the evaluation of school buildings.

He said, “We should not forget that we have to compete with the world which is moving very fast in this direction.” He also suggested reducing the expenditure for army in a period of 20 years at least by 50 percent so as to use it for educational purpose.

First secretary of German Embassy Ellen Goelz said the present curriculum in public schools was not developing the element of free thinking in the minds of younger generation. Ellen said such type of curriculum inculcated a narrow approach of history, religion and social norms among the students, adding that it was high time to solve the curriculum issue.

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