LAHORE – Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that provincial government will evolve a comprehensive policy for providing education and training in various skills to the special children so that they could become useful citizens to play a due role in national development instead of being a burden on others.
The CM said this while addressing a seminar regarding welfare of special children arranged by Special Education Department at Chief Minister’s Secretariat, here on Friday. Special Assistant to Chief Minister Begum Zakiya Shahnawaz, provincial secretaries, representatives of non-governmental organizations associated with the education and rehabilitation of special children and social workers were present.
The chief minister said the policy of two per cent quota in government jobs for the disabled would be fully implemented in order to help them become self-reliant. Setting up a steering committee for evolving a comprehensive and meaningful policy framework for the welfare of special persons, the CM required the committee to evolve a consolidated roadmap for the betterment of special persons with the collaboration of welfare organisations and others concerned and submit recommendations within two weeks.
Continuing the CM stressed the need of providing scholarships from the Punjab Education Endowment Fund to the special children for meeting their educational expenses. Similarly, vouchers should be also given to the deserving disabled children for free education under education voucher scheme of Punjab Education Foundation. He directed that a comprehensive survey should also be conducted in the province so that an authentic data on disabled persons could be available for evolving a comprehensive policy for their welfare.
“The disabled children are not a burden on the society and they can be rehabilitated through education and necessary training. Therefore, Special Education Department is providing free education and other facilities to special students in the province,” the CM added. He directed speedy progress should be made for the setting up of a state-of-the-art institution in the provincial capital for rehabilitation of special children.
The CM further said the society would have to adopt a positive attitude towards special persons as they were not a burden but a means of earning blessings of Allah Almighty. He said the proper look after of special children was the collective responsibility of the society. He said professional and qualified teachers were also necessary for the education and training of special children. Therefore, he said, due attention should be paid to the training of the teachers of the special education so that they could perform their responsibility of education and training of the disabled children efficiently.
The CM further said free education and training in information technology and vocational skills was being imparted to 17,000 needy youth in South Punjab with the cooperation of UK’s Department for International Development and disabled youth should also be included in this programme.
Similarly, he said, special children should be included in the various training programmes of TEVTA and Punjab Vocational Training Council.
Special Assistant Begum Zakiya Shahnawaz, Member National Assembly Pervaiz Malik, Secretary Special Education Department Abdullah Sumbal, Secretary Higher Education Department Dr Ijaz Munir and representatives of NGOs engaged in the rehabilitation of special persons also addressed the seminar. The speakers also presented various recommendations regarding a comprehensive policy of rehabilitation of special persons.