International Literacy Day

Education For All and Role of Civil Society

September 8, 2007
Nawabshah

Seminar Report
By
Nisar Brohi

Seminar Report: Education for All and Role of Civil Society

r Repot: Education For All By 2015: The Challenges
1. An Introduction
2. Objectives of the Seminar
3. Seminar Proceedings
3.1 Mr. Liquat Ali, Welcome Address
3.2 Mr. Nisar Brohi, Director, Sangat Welfare and
Development Organization
3.3 Mr. Khurram Yar, Taluka Nazim Daur
3.4 Mr. Saleh Billo, Senior Journalist

3.4 Mr. Zulfiqar Ali, Regional Manager, SRSP,

Nawabshah
3.5 Mr. Noor Ahmed, President Press Club
3.6 Mr. Rajab Ali Rind, UC Nazim, Jhuro Shar

3.7 Mr. Inayat Udasi, writer & poet

4. Recommendations of the Seminar

Annexes

Seminar Report: Education for All and Role of Civil Society

r Repot: Education For All By 2015: The Challenges
1. An Introduction
It is today’s fact that Education is the founding
force of socio-economic development of any nation,
it is therefore education has been recognized as a
universal and basic right of every individual.
However, according to government figures, over all
estimat
ed
literac
y rate
in the
country
was
50.5
percent
, for
male 63
percent
and for
female
38
percent
.
The rural literacy rate was 30 percent and urban
literacy rate was 70 percent. But the real and
independent figure is very different from the
official education estimates. Because there are
still millions of children are out of schools such
as about 6 million children of 5-9-age group who
are left out of school. The left out includes those
Children who never enrolled and those who drop out.
On the other side, our education system is
entangled with multidimensional problems,
especially in the rural areas, the most of
educational institutions are dearth of basic
facilitates. Which has created hindrances for the
poor masses to get their children admitted in the
schools, such as the low literacy rate, high drop
out rate, a large scale teacher absenteeism, weak
and poor management and supervision structure of

Seminar Report: Education for All and Role of Civil Society

r Repot: Education For All By 2015: The Challenges
our educational departments, dearth of trained and
qualified teachers, lack of dedication, motivation
and interest in their teaching profession and
shortage of
physical
facilities in the
schools
especially in the
rural areas.
2. Objectives of
the Seminar

To create
education
awareness
among the
masses

To get realized the government for its global
commitment for the promotion of universal
primary education by 2015,

To highlight the importance of education for
the socio-economic development,

To discuss the role of the local
stakeholders, including the local government
and elected representatives for the
promotion of education,

To sensitize the rural community to play
their due role for the education promotion
in their respective rural areas
3. Seminar Proceedings
3.1 Mr. Liquat Ali, Welcome Address, Head of MMA
school Nawabshah
Mr. Liquat welcomed to all the
participants and offered his
gratitude to Sangat Welfare and
Development Organization to
organize seminar on the eve of
international literacy day

Seminar Report: Education for All and Role of Civil Society

r Repot: Education For All By 2015: The Challenges
on the education for all and role of civil society.
He further said the most of the people are lacking
educational facilities and still confronting with
various problems in accessing education for their
new generation.
Education sector has bitterly been ignored in the
district, the majority of schools in the rural
areas either closed or teachers have been deputed
but they mostly remain absent from their duties.
Therefore, education of the district especially in
the rural areas is in pathetic and deterioration
condition, he further added.
3.2 Mr. Nisar Brohi, Director, Sangat Welfare and
Development Organization (SWDO)
Mr. Brohi said that Sangat Welfare
and Development Organization is
for non-profit and non-
governmental organization, working
closely with civil society
stakeholders on human and
education rights of the vulnerable
and marginalised segment of
society. The SWDO has fully
focused on the education awareness
in the rural areas as to get the majority of the
population admitted in the education institutions.
The SWDO do feel that without proper education, no
any nation could achieve socio-economic development
in nay part of the globe, because education is the
basic and founding element for the human resource
development, which ultimately leads to socio-
economic development of any society.
He further said education not only develops the
understanding of the latest trends around the
globe, but also a way to get rid of socio-
intellectual poverty. Education entails socio-
economic development and helps the people to

Seminar Report: Education for All and Role of Civil Society

r Repot: Education For All By 2015: The Challenges
understand the new development paradigm-taking
place around the globe.
The government and civil society should come
forward to play their due role for the illumination
of education in our rural society, to bring them at
a par with other people and reduce their
powerlessness and depression, he further added.
3.3 Mr. Khurram Yar, Taluka Nazim, Daur
While tracing the history of the
country, Mr. Khurram said that
education sector has rarely been
on the priority of the rulers of
the country for the last six
decades. On the other side, the
double standards in our education
system has alarmingly widen the
gulf of haves and haves not. Our
society has clearly divided into
two different classes, one the highly rich and
other extremely poor and the poor community is
desperately fighting for their survival.
It is great dilemma that rich and elite community
is taught one curriculum and the poor and
underprivileged community is other one, which is
out dated and old one.
He further said the elite class is being trained
that how to hold sway over the under privileged and
marginalized class and the poor one is either left
illiterate or given low level education just be
able to understand the obey orders of their bosses.
He suggested the ruling class to change their bent
of mind in handling the daily business of the
state, and have people-oriented approach in dealing
with the problems of the poor masses of the
country. The education is the basic right of all
masses and the government should take serious
measures for the universalization of education in
the country.

Seminar Report: Education for All and Role of Civil Society

r Repot: Education For All By 2015: The Challenges
He proposed that uniform educational policy should
be implemented in all parts of the country.
Curriculum should be adopted keeping in mind the
contemporary global development trends, and as well
as protecting the local and national values and
traditions.
It has been largely noticed that during the last
couple of years the mother languages are
discouraged in our educational institutions, which
resulted into large-scale drop out rate of the
students. So, that trend should be reversed in
order to control the drop out ratio, which happens
due to language problem in the early years of
children in the schools he further added.
In the last, he offered his full support to Sangat
team for the promotion and illumination of
education in the district especially in the rural
areas.
3.4 Mr. Salleh Billo, Senior Journalist
Mr. Billo suggested that while
chalking out any educational plan,
especially the girl’s education
should be given top priority. Until
and unless we would not focus on
the girl’s education, we would not
be able to have prosperous and
developed society. Due to
indifferent attitude of government
as well as the civil society, today we have a very
low ratio of educated women in the country. Our
education system/institutions have very
discouraging elements and unfavorable environment
for the girls to have education freely.
He further said, there is large-scale ignorance
regarding the girls and women rights, therefore,
our female class has been having with manifold
problems in the society. They are confined in the

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houses just bearing babies and performing the
duties in their houses.
He further said that especially women segment of
society has deliberately been kept away by their
respective male members from the education.
Simultaneously, the previous governments have never
designed women oriented policies, which would have
help them in getting education freely and join the
social development sphere, he further added.
It is high time that the government and other
stakeholders should come forward to collectively
and collaboratively make sustained efforts for
developing gender equality approaches in socio-
economic polices of the country, and to ensure the
women participation in the decision making process.
3.4 Mr. Zulfiqar Ali, Regional Manager, SRSP
Mr. Zulfiqar said that quality
education is the way to achieve
socio-economic and moral heights in
the world. Education has been top
agenda to all developed and
advanced country and nation around
the globe.
But, our government has always shown reluctant
attitude towards education promotion in the
country.
He further said that the role of local government
for the promotion of education is very
disappointing. The so called elected members of the
local government have been involved to developing
markets rather than establishing and opening
libraries in the remote and backward areas of the
district.
There seems no significant change in the education
scenario at the local level. There are a large
number of schools are either closed or
dysfunctional, but the local government rather
making bound to the teachers who are working under

Seminar Report: Education for All and Role of Civil Society

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the district education department, they put blame
provincial government for the education problem. A
large numbers of school teachers are regularly
remaining absent from their duties and used to sit
and serve the interests of the local Nazims and
Naib Nazims, in order to get protection from any
expected punitive action.
It is high time that the local
elected representatives should
realize their due role for the
promotion of education in their
respective areas,
in order to make the educational
institutions as functional. Other
wise we would have a lot of
sufferings and miseries if we would
not take corrective measures for
the betterment of our education system.
3.5 Mr. Qadir Bux, President Press Club
While speaking in the seminar,
Mr. Qadir said the educational
professionals have a paramount
important role in the promotion
of education.
They are the nation-building
actors of the society. It would
not be an exaggeration to say that the teachers
have had a decisive role for any change in any
society; they are the change agents of the nation.
But on the other side, it is the great dilemma that
the most sacred profession has been systematically
made inefficient and corrupts in our country.
He recalled that during the 90s decade, a large
numbers of so called teachers were recruited in
public educational department, which was the sowing
of seeds for the destruction and deterioration of
education in the country. Due to slaughtering of
merit culture by our so-called democratic

Seminar Report: Education for All and Role of Civil Society

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governments in the appointments of the teachers has
played havoc with the education system, and
ultimately brought many problems for the society.
He recommended that either this so called
inefficient army of teachers should be fired or
given trainings for their capacity building, and
after that trainings and education they should also
be made bound to pass the proposed test/examination
for their service continuity in the education
department, if they failed they should be either
fired or send to other departments, but don’t let
them to play the future of the nation. He also
appealed to teaching professional to make hard work
for their capacity and skill development, than they
could build the future of nation.
3.6 Mr. Rajab Ali Rind, UC Nazim
said that it is onus and
responsibility of all stakeholders
of the society to work collectively
for the education awareness in the
society, in order to have better
socio-economic future of the
nation.
He suggested establishment of
Union, Taluka and district level
education watch groups consisted
upon representatives of all stakeholders of civil
society and the civil society group should work
very closely with the local elected and educational
department for the betterment of education
especially in the rural areas of the district.

Seminar Report: Education for All and Role of Civil Society

r Repot: Education For All By 2015: The Challenges
3. Recommendations of the Seminar
♦ There is badly need of awareness campaign
regarding the importance of education in the
rural community
♦ The all stakeholders should be provided massive
capacity building training in order to ensure
better performance and understanding of their
roles and responsibilities.
♦ The communities should be sensitize and given
proper orientation, as to play their role in the
enhancement of education levels and standards.
♦ The physical infrastructure isn’t properly in
place yet, there, the creation of proper
infrastructure is critically important.
♦ The monitoring staff needs to be made mobile to
ensure effective functioning
♦ The public representatives should refrain from
unnecessary interference and political clout over
education officials.
♦ A number of managerial staff is from teaching
cadres. They should be provided with necessary
managerial training

Seminar Report: Education for All and Role of Civil Society

r Repot: Education For All By 2015: The Challenges