MAIN ELEMENTS OF NATIONAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE
(30th & 31st May 2006)

The National Education Conference was a mega event held in the prestigious National Library Auditorium, Islamabad. Around 500 delegates from all over the country participated. The National Education Conference was inaugurated by Mr. Mohammad Mian Soomro, Chairman Senate.

Contours and modalities of the policy review process and its pace were shared by Mr. Javed Hasan Aly, Team Leader, National Education Policy Review Team. Keynote speaker Dr. Manzoor Ahmed, Rector International Islamic University spoke on The Problematic of the National Education Policy. The Federal Minister for Education, Lt. Gen (Retd.) Javed Ashraf apprized the conference audience of the major initiatives taken by the Government in the field of education. The Chairman Senate underlined the importance of developing a competitive economy with highly skilled human resources.

Subsequent to the inaugural session, the Conference participants divided into five Working Groups for brainstorming session on:
I. Education Governance
II. Quality and Standards in Education: Curriculum and Textbooks
III. Quality and Standards: Teachers Education and Assessments
IV. Parallel Systems in Education
V. Issues of Relevance in Education

On second day of the National Education Conference, presentations were made by eminent scholars and educationists which was followed by a Question-Answer session. Dr. A.H. Nayyar, Educationist underscored the impact of population growth and resource allocation for education. Dr. Shaukat Siddiqui  underlined issues related to Teachers’ education and career planning, Mr. Abdullah Khadim Hussain, former Joint Educational Advisor, Ministry of Education shared his views on the relevance of education, Dr. Arifa Syeda, Chairperson, Standing Committee on Status of Women reflected on expectations from education and Prof. Ikhlaq Ahmed spoke on governance issues in education.

The Working Group sessions reconvened after the plenary session on May 31, 2006. After the groups deliberated on different issues, a summary of recommendations was prepared.

The Concluding session of the National Education Conference was chaired by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Shaukat Aziz. The Federal Education Minister shared the summary of Working Group recommendations with the conference participants. The keynote speaker            Allama  Javed Ahmed Ghamidi, eminent scholar articulated how to best integrate Islamic values in education without creating distortions. The National Education Conference concluded with the remarks of the Prime Minister on importance of education in producing a skilled workforce and civilized individuals.