KARACHI - The Sindh Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution for improving school emergency and management mechanism. The resolution was moved by PPP lawmaker Saira Shahliani and was passed unanimously by the house.
It stated that this mechanism would include ban on anyone entering school premises without management approval and increase in number of women helpers in the school.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said that the provincial government had formed a committee for the safeguard of children on the recommendation of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
The minister for education informed that there is a budget for school management that is given to school headmaster and training for it is also given in schools.
“In order to ensure improvement in schools managements, they are handed over to private institutes having better past records,” he said adding that USAID is also supporting in improving management in schools.
The mover Saira Shahalwani said that delegation of provincial lawmakers had also visited school of Ibrahim Hyderi where a gatekeeper had molested a girl. “The gatekeeper who is accused of the crime had his duty hours in night but he came in morning hours,” she said adding that it was negligence on part of school as to what he was doing in school without his duty hours.
MQM MPA Heer Soho said that protecting children is duty of all and in this process not only teachers should be trained but syllabus should also have some awareness content.
PML-F lawmaker Mehtab Akber Rashidi said that all schools could not be given to private managements, therefore, the government should made some reforms in the syllabus.
Adviser to CM Sindh on Social Welfare Shamim Mumtaz said that the provincial government had initiated work on including child safeguard issues in curriculum but it is also necessary for parents and teachers to play their due part in this process also.
The House also passed a private bill titled Barret Hodgson International University at Karachi (amendment) bill from MQM parliamentary Leader Syed Sardar Ahmed.
The bill was aimed at making changes in the Barret Hodgson International University at Karachi bill, including omission of word international from preamble, title and other places.
It also included the replacement of word chairman by chairperson. Amendments were also made in board of governors which would now include DR MS Habib as lifetime chairperson or in case of his demise and incapacitated to perform duties, the board should appoint a nominee.
It would also include, the chancellor, vice chancellor, serving or retired judge of the high court to be appointed by the chief justice of the high court, a nominee of higher education commission, secretary education or his nominee, two persons of outstanding merit to be appointed by foundation and two members of the provincial assembly appointed by speaker and five person of eminence representing various disciplines and professions.
A bill titled UIT University Bill, 2017 presented by MQM lawmaker Farhat Seemi was also introduced in the house.
An adjournment motion from PML-F lawmaker Nand Kumar regarding law and order situation in Tharparkar after killing of two brothers at the hands of dacoit was declared out of order on technical grounds by Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durrani.
However, the Minister for Home, Sohail Anwer Sial assured the lawmaker that he was personally monitoring the situation and soon the killers of both brothers would be arrested.
He said that they had immediately taken notice of the incident and police of Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar and Umerkot districts are overseeing this case. “IG Sindh and I had visited the area and monitoring the case on day to day basis,” he said. The house which began almost two hours late from scheduled timing was later adjourned for Thursday.