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Public Forum on the Enforcement of Right to Free Education and Article 25-A of the Constitution of Pakistan
A Joint Public Forum was organized on 8th June, 2011, on the Enforcement of the Right to Free Education and Article 25-A of the constitution. Speakers urged the provincial governments to pass necessary legislation for the strict implementation of Article 25-A of the Constitution. The article makes the right to education a fundamental right and makes it mandatory for the state to provide free and compulsory education to all children between 5 and 16 years of age.

The experts urged the provincial governments to increase their education budgets and the federal government to allocate special grants to underdeveloped provinces and areas to facilitate implementation of the article. The forum unanimously adopted an "Islamabad Resolution on Enforcement of Article 25-A".

Experts believed that a separate and independent system for monitoring of enforcement of the Article should be evolved by the provincial governments.

Sardar Aseff Ahmed Ali, MNA, former Federal Minister for Education, Senator S. M. Zafar, former Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Education, Ms. Shehnaz Wazir Ali, MNA, former Chairperson Higher Education Commission, Pir Mazhar ul Haq, MPA, Senior Provincial Minister for Education, Sindh, Ch. Javaid Ahmed, MPA Chairperson, Punjab Assembly Standing Committee on Education, Mr. Ali Sher Madad, Minister for Education Gilgit Baltistan, Mr. Akbar Durrani, Secretary Government of Balochistan, Mr. Fareed Qureshi, Special Secretary, Elementary and Secondary Education, KPK, Dr. Allah Buksh Malik, Provincial Secretary, Literacy and Non-Formal Basic Education Punjab, Dr. Kozue Kay Nagata, Director / Representative UNESCO, Professor Laeeq Ahmed Khan, Education Expert, Dr. Eshya Mujahid Mukhtar, Education Economist and Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, Executive Director PILDAT spoke at the Forum.

Sardar Aseff Ahmed Ali said that chairman Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms Senator Raza Rabbani had assured him during discussions on 18th Constitutional Amendment that only those subjects would be devolved which were in the concurrent list. He believed that on matters like education, health and environment, there must be a federal entity overseeing and regulating these affairs for uniform standards across the country. He said that the Parliament did a shady and unwise act in passing the 18th Constitutional Amendment as it devolved subjects of national importance to provinces without deciding any federal role which has created a vacuum.

Dr. Kozue Kay Nagata believed that the insertion of Article 25-A may accelerate the pace of achievement of national and international targets for free and compulsory education but further legislation is needed for the implementation of this Article. Provinces must initiate required legislation urgently. She said that at the moment there is a vacuum of coordination after abolition of the federal education ministry and the Federal Government should have a coordination mechanism in the shape of some independent directorate or commission. She believed that education budget must be enhanced as it is just 2.1% of the GDP. She said that it must be defined clearly that who will be monitoring the implementation of Article 25-A. She believed that civil society organizations could be included in the monitoring process. She stressed that there should be common national education policy as without it, provinces may adopt different pathways.

Ch. Javaid Ahmed, presenting Punjab’s view said that the Punjab Provincial Government is making all efforts for the implementation of Article 25-A. He said that there should be one curriculum in public and private sectors of education across the country.
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