Increase in education budget is one of many other positive initiatives of ruling party: Baligh

ISLAMABAD, Mar 28 (APP):Although still there are several loopholes in the country’s education system, however increase in annual education budget from Rs 550 billion to Rs 850 billion was one of many other positive initiatives taken by ruling party, said Federal Minister for education Engr Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman on Wednesday.
He said that number of out of school children decreased significantly from 26 million to 22.6 million during 2013-17.
Besides, the minister said the government is on the path to progress and expects to increase the economic growth rate to 6 percent and add around 10,000MW to the national grid by the end of this year.
The minster was addressing to the ground breaking ceremony of new campus of Center for Advanced Studies in Engineering (CASE) here at sector B- 17.
He said that Pakistan has been gifted with young population which would prove to be a valuable asset for the country.
“Establishment of such institutes would be a big opportunity for the youngsters to get enroll themselves with this institute and enhance their capabilities at maximum level”, he added.
While recalling the some odds faced by CASE due to non-fulfillment of criteria set by Higher Education Commission (HEC), Baligh Ur Rehman said these obstacles ultimately proved positive for the CASE as it got huge piece of land to build a vast campus which, he said, would be converted in university hopefully.
He suggested the CASE administration that although they have a good team to perform, however the quality of education should not be compromised at any cost.
The minister further said that large number of students was beneficiaries from public-private partnership programs being run in the country very successfully.
Talking about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and many other mega projects, he said “I know many projects were long run and could not be completed overnight in his party tenure as some of them are set to complete by 2030.
However, they all would go in benefit of the country and nation”.
“The social action projects are student-led initiatives that tackle issues related to local communities, ranging from environmental actions to issues of social justice and gender abuse.
These projects help develop students’ leadership and team building skills and also to enhance their understanding of local issues making them committed to change”, he recalled.
While recalling the past, he said that in 2012 there were rumors about the country’s breakup but now days almost all think-tanks are taking that the Pakistan is being developed and if it kept continue with same pace soon it will be enlisted in developed countries.
Similarly, he added, in the past overall there are 26 percent faculty members in the universities are PhD which now increased to 40 percent that should be increased more as the developed countries have 100 percent ratio of PhD faculty members in their universities.
To reply a question by a media person, the minister claimed that his partyever respected constitution. “I fully endorsed it that no one is above constitution but some elements misused constitution though out history in the past”, he regretted.
National Assembly Standing Committee on education and professional training Chairman Amir Ullah Marwat speaking on the occasion said that many local leaders of his party insisted him to give approval of CASE bill, but I ever rejected requests due to condition that “the set legal criteria could not be ignored in this regard”.
He said that country needed creativity instead production of just more PhDs. “without industry linkages with academia, no country can be developed”, he suggested.
CASE’s official briefed to participants of the ceremony that so for the institute has produced over 50 PhDs and over 1850 graduates and others while it offered 10 percent merit based scholarship in each academic program.
“Now the institute has special focus on cyber security system due to which it has got almost 12 awards for showing best performance in Information Technology sector”, he claimed.