President Dr. Arif Alvi, on Monday, said that the mindsets prevalent in our society need to be altered in order to promote education for girls.
Addressing the Ilm Summit 2019, organized by the British Council, President Arif Alvi said that there is a great need to put an emphasis on enrolling girls in schools across the country.
The Ilm Summit was organized to commemorate the achievements of enrolling 385,000 students in schools across 65 districts in the country.
Promoting Education
President Arif Alvi said, “In order to achieve this, we must change mindsets in our society.” The President recalled his meeting with a few boys enrolled in Bhurban, Murree, and their excitement about getting education.
His excellency Dr. @ArifAlvi, President of #Pakistan emphasised on the importance of #education yesterday at #ILMPOSSIBLE #ILMsummit2019 #EducateAchild #BritishCouncilPakistan pic.twitter.com/UwWdXETgWD
— British Council Pakistan (@pkBritish) December 17, 2019
He said that when he inquired the boys about the education of their sisters, they responded that their sisters were at home and did not need to be educated. Dr. Alvi stressed that this mindset needs to be altered in order to create an environment that encourages education for girls.
Read more: Reforming college education: Pakistan needs to up its game
He also highlighted the need to create an encouraging environment for students in schools across the country, particularly for girls. The President also addressed the need to improve toilets and other hygiene facilities for females in schools.
President Alvi observed that sports play an important role in encouraging children who are not enrolled in schools. He said that he was an avid player of hockey and football during his school days, and regaled an incident during a football match in school when he failed to score an important goal for his team.
#President of #Pakistan and Chief Guest, @ArifAlvi gave an outstanding opening speech in which he expressed that he is overwhelmed to be part of #ILMpossible Summit and emphasised on the importantance of education and how it can change the world. #ILMsummit2019 #Educateachild pic.twitter.com/ncGENiiXGf
— British Council Pakistan (@pkBritish) December 16, 2019
Dr. Alvi emphasized that education is an instrument that can aid in combating regional and global challenges, including environmental protection and climate change. He also stressed upon the need to innovate education practices as per technological advancements.
On the occasion, Dr. Arif Alvi also paid tribute to the students who were martyred by the barbaric 2014 Army Public School (APS) attack in Peshawar. He also highlighted the challenges faced by students in Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir, where schools have been shut down due to the inhumane curfew and security lockdown imposed by the Narendra Modi-led government for the past five months.
Raising an Educational Army
Christian Turner, British High Commissioner-designate, also addressed the event and highlighted the importance of keeping children in school. He emphasized on the need to provide education to girls in order to contribute to the development of the country.
Honourable Guest of Honour, @AsadQaiserPTI visited the stalls accompanied by Mr. @CTurnerFCO and Mr. Amir Ramadan, Country Director, British Council. pic.twitter.com/Lop4V4ageH
— British Council Pakistan (@pkBritish) December 16, 2019
Asad Qaiser, National Assembly Speaker, stressed on the need to raise an educational army to increase the literacy rate of the country. He lamented that 20 million children have been deprived of their right to an education, and demanded concerted efforts to bring them back to school.
Read more: Magic Bullet for improving Education in Pakistan?
Qaiser stressed that education is vital for prosperity and progress in any country, and said that all children must be provided quality education without any discrimination. The National Assembly Speaker emphasized that a uniform educational system throughout the country would allow the rural areas to enjoy the same privileges as the urban areas.
He urged the social sector organizations to support the government in its efforts. Asad Qaiser put forward the suggestion of giving incentives to educationists and improving their capacity for sustainable growth in order to improve educational standards.
Article 25A ensures free and compulsory education. The provision of education to its people shall enable them to be better citizens of the global world. #EducationforAll #RighttoEducation @pkBritish @TabeerCDIP pic.twitter.com/qbce6I5LUI
— Asad Qaiser (@AsadQaiserPTI) December 16, 2019
Prominent actress Kubra Khan, and Humaira Bachal, the Founder of The Dream Foundation, also addressed the event and put forward their views on the strategies to improve educational standards.
#ILMBASSADOR @KubraMKhan said "#ILMpossible by the @pkBritish has greatly helped to instil the lost trust back into schools. ILMpossible in collaboration with #Educateachild @EAA_Foundation are doing a great job at it." pic.twitter.com/Nn6x0JfkWG
— British Council Pakistan (@pkBritish) December 16, 2019