LAHORE - Parents of Peshawar Army Public School (APS) students, who are under treatment in Punjab, met Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday. They lauded the chief minister for providing best treatment facilities in different hospitals of Lahore.
The chief minister also gave laptops to the students. Speaking on the occasion, Shahbaz Sharif said that sons and daughters of the nation who are studying in Army Public School Peshawar are pride of the nation for they faced a big tragedy with courage and bravery.
“Nation is still grieved at the tragedy in which innocent boy and girl students were martyred. The whole nation shares the grief of the parents and relatives of the martyred children. The supreme sacrifices of innocent children have united the nation in the war against terrorism and the nation is determined to root out the menace of terrorism,” the CM held.
Shahbaz Sharif said that after Peshawar tragedy, national action plan against terrorism was evolved with national consensus under which solid steps were being taken against the menace of terrorism and a decisive war is being fought against terrorists in which victory will be of Pakistan.
The chief minister said that the supreme sacrifices of innocent children had wakened the nation and the whole nation is united, determined and on one page. He said that the blood of innocent children will not go waste and terrorism will be rooted from the country.
He said that Peshawar tragedy was a lesson for 18 crore people of the country that Pakistan cannot progress without elimination of the menace of terrorism. Therefore, he said, the whole nation learnt a lesson from Peshawar tragedy and displayed exemplary unity and solidarity against terrorism. He said that children will also be sent abroad on the recommendation of the medical board.
The parents said that the chief minister and the Punjab government had shown great hospitality to them and their children and they are guests of Punjab government for the last 28 days and will never forget the cooperation and hospitality of Punjab government. Fateha was also offered on this occasion for the martyrs of Peshawar tragedy.
Also, Shahbaz Sharif directed the department concerned for formulating short term action plan for preparing skilled manpower according to its demand at the local and the international level. He also asked the department to prepare a practicable roadmap with regard to skills development and submit the same within three weeks.
The chief minister said that while presiding over a high level meeting on Wednesday which reviewed proposals regarding preparation of skilled manpower and its demand in the province.
Shahbaz Sharif said the target of making 20 lakh youth skillful upto 2017-18 has been fixed and the technical and vocational training institutions will have to play their active and vibrant role in this regard.
The chief minister said that now vocational training institutions would have to give results. He stressed the need for harmonizing syllabus of preparing skilled manpower according to modern demands and making the teachers associated with technical training institutions abreast with modern knowledge.
Shahbaz Sharif directed that new vocational courses should also be introduced according to local and foreign requirements. He said that attention should also be paid to on-job training and the institutions should be made binding of it. He said that steps should be taken for coordinating programmes of various departments and institutions associated with vocational training.
He said that the apprenticeship programme should be implemented as per law and modern method of e-learning should be promoted in technical and vocational institutions.