LAHORE - Provincial Minister for Education Mian Mujhtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman Tuesday speaking at seminar disagreed with Orya Maqbool Jan, when he (Orya) commented that MNAs, MPAs should send their children into the government schools and the minister also did not appear on the same page with the columnist on the question of adopting national language as means of national development. The seminar on the subject Child Rights Protection - Responsibilities of Civil Society and Media was organised by Hameed Nizami Press Institute of Pakistan (HNPIP) in collaboration with Punjab Education Foundation at local hotel here. Chairman Chief Minister Task Force for Elementary Education Raja Anwar, Senior journalist Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami, Punjab University Dean Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences Dr Mugees-ud-Din Sheikh, Shaista Pervaiz Malik and others were also among the speakers. Mian Mujtaba said the recent reports showed that over six million children in Punjab were not attending schools but the government was committed to achieve the 100 per cent literacy rate by 2012 by sending all those children to schools. He presented a profile of government efforts to promote literacy rate and provide quality education and said a children rights could be protected only by providing them education. He said Punjab government has made 12 per cent increase in the education budget besides allocating Rs6 billion for educational endowment fund to provide free of cost education to the needy children even up to the level of higher and universities education even attainable in America. The minister, however, rejected the Oryas comments for adopting Urdu as only medium of instruction, education and said the parents wanted their children should attend the English medium schools to stand at par with the world. He argued three districts of Punjab have a higher enrolment rate, compare to the other districts of the province, where the Punjab government has set English medium schools. Mian Mujtaba also refused the criticism on parliamentarians that they were not sending their children to the government schools. I ask him (Orya) whether his own children are going to the schools of the government, he posed a question and added that we were now fully focusing on the betterment of the government schools, which were defaced by the previous government. Raja Anwar informed the gathering about the efforts being put by the Punjab Education Foundation as well as those of his Task Force for elimination of illiteracy in the Punjab. He said the rights of the children could be protected only by a literate society. The other speakers emphasised the need of media and civil society with added focus on protecting children right. They demanded of the government to take immediate measures to eliminate child labour by ensuring strict implementation of the law on the subject. They were of the views that our children were our future and every individual should share his bit to provide them better and conducive environment for education, health and other facilities.