Addressing an “Education for All” Seminar held under the banner of MSM, MQI President Dr Hussain Mohi-ud-Din Qadri has said that the government should increase the education budget up to 5% of GDP which should be gradually jacked up to 10%. He said that the religious seminaries will have to be brought into the mainstream. He highlighted the need for teaching peace curriculum in the educational institutions and said that education is the only weapon through which the destiny of the nations can be changed. He said that around 25 million children are out of school in the country. He said that 95% of the educational budget is consumed in salaries and other related areas with little left for the development of the educational sector. He said that Pakistan is the only country of the region that spends minimum resources on education.

MNA Riaz Fatyana, educationist Qais Aslam, pro-vice Chancellor Minhaj University Dr Shahid Soroya, MSM central President Irfan Yousaf, Zia-ur-Rehman and others also spoke on the occasion.

In his speech, Riaz Fatyana said that he has been a fan of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri for a long time. He said that he defended him and PAT in the National Assembly over the sit-in the party had staged. He said that Dr Qadri is an asset for the nation. He said that no government implemented Article 25-A of the Constitution, adding that the education budget is decreasing instead of increasing. He said that none of our universities figure anywhere in the international ranking. He said that the intellectual basis of the State of Madina is knowledge and welfare. He said that in addition to the infrastructure building, the government must also spend on human development in an equal measure. He said that the youth, which is 60% of the country’s population, need to be imparted skills along with education. He said that 25 million children are out of school, stating that there is a dire need to bring them into the schools. He said that quality education is the need of the hour.

Renowned economist Dr Qais Aslam said that the salaries of the cooks in Islamabad are higher than those of the teachers. He said that the teachers will have to be respected for education to spread in the country. He said that Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri always talks about education and training, adding that the conduct of the Seminar is a welcome initiative. He said that it must be a matter of great concern for the policymakers as to why the children do not want to get admitted to the public sector schools. He said that students will have to be imparted technical education for fast-paced education. He said that many centuries, the economy continued to revolve around agriculture, stating that now is the era of technology and we cannot get economic stability by detaching ourselves from technological innovations.

Pro-vice chancellor MUL Dr Shahid Soriya said that data is not available for policymaking in the higher education. He said that general education is not throwing up recognizable talent. He said that many reforms are required for the educational sector, stating that the future of Pakistan is linked with the quality of higher education.

MSM President Irfan Yousaf briefed the audience about ‘Education for All’ project and thanked the guests for their time. A resolution demanding increase of the educational budget up to 5% of GDP was also approved. Ikhlaq Hussain, Ehsan Sumbal, Fraz Hashmi, Bilal Sultan, Ahmad Leghari, and Owais Tahir also spoke on the occasion.