Move to enforce compulsory education bill
Draft sent to standing committee despite minister s opposition
Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood interacts with teachers and students at a school in Islamabad on the first day of the reopening of educational institutions. PHOTO: NNI
LAHORE:
The government s failure to notify the Free and Compulsory Education Bill after its approval six years ago has resulted in an inordinate delay in formulation of the rules of business for its implementation.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government also kept the bill in the cold storage during the past almost two and a half years. Finally, in the recent session of the Punjab Assembly, 13 lawmakers from the PTI, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) jointly presented an amendment under private members business to implement the bill.