IT decisive for economic development: Murad Raas

LAHORE: Punjab Minster for Education Murad Raas has said that economic development is deeply correlated education sector. Punjab government is bringing changes in the provincial education system aim at setting up new standards.
The Provincial Minister was speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Thursday. LCCI President Mian Tariq Misbah presented the address of welcome and talked highly about the role of quality education in economic turnaround while Senior Vice President Nasir Hameed Khan Haji Muhammad Asif Sehar, Zeshan Sohail Malik, Malik Riaz Iqbal, Saleem Asghar Bhatti, Ibrahim Sheikh, Sheikh Sajjad Afzal, Shahzad Butt, Imran Bashir also spoke on the occasion.
“Our focus has been on quality education”, the Minister said and added that use of information technology in education system and uniform curriculum are top priorities of the Punjab education Ministry. He said that the Punjab government is utilizing latest technologies for setting the school education system on modern lines.
The Minister said that translation of Quran has already been a part of curriculum. He said that 1000 new science & IT labs and 400 libraries will be established soon. He said that daily 50% students will attend school on rotation basis. He said that 70% schools are those who are taking fees up to Rs.5000.
He said that serving of meal to students in school program will be started soon. Insaf Academy Program is also being launched through which, student can get their education while sitting at home. He said that 22000 students have been brought back to school. He said that reservations of publishers in respect of uniform curriculum will be addressed. He said that registration of private schools has been started.
Murad Rass said that Transfer and posting system for teachers has been made transparent though an APP while the entire education system in Punjab will be automated. He said that the Punjab government is taking steps to introduce uniform curriculum but this will be happened in phases.
LCCI President Mian Tariq Misbah said that the country is experiencing the most unusual circumstances caused by Coronavirus which has altogether changed the complexion of activities across the globe.
He said that Single National Curriculum is the need of the hour. Though the government will have to face a lot of challenges in this regard but once it is properly implemented, the gaps among the students of public and private educational institutes in terms of competence and adaptability will be greatly bridged.
The LCCI President said that in addition to introducing Single National Curriculum, Punjab Ministry of Education will have to implement strong mechanism to monitor the performance of teachers in public sector. It is high time that our teachers should change their mental approach from lasting their service till retirement to nurturing a nation with commitment and dedication.
Mian Tariq Misbah said that there are some governance issues in educational institutes as well which require to be addressed by way of devising effective planning and introducing latest management system well supported by information technology.
He said that these steps will not only improve the ratio of meaningful learning but also enhance the employability level of our students upon passing out from colleges and universities.
LCCI Senior Vice President Nasir Hameed Khan said that genuine reservations of publishers and school owners should be addressed as they have bearded heavy loss due to COVID-19.