It is not easy to change 75-year-old habits, says PM Shehbaz Sharif

ISLAMABAD (92 News) - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that it is not easy to change the 75-year-old habits.

He was addressing a ceremony after laying the foundation stone of the central campus of National University of Technology (NUTECH) on Friday.

He said that the doors of the Aitcheson College are still closed for the poor. "Education is the right of each segment of the society. There should be no difference between the poor and the rich for getting education," he added.

The prime minister said that he had established Danish Schools despite severe criticism. "Vocational skills are the secret of success in the modern period. Skilled youths will earn a good reputation for Pakistan across the world," he added.

APP adds: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the government was promoting the skilled-based vocational training to expand foreign remittances that would ultimately help improve the current account deficit of the country.

He, pledging to make the vocational education as the government’s number one priority, said skilled human resource earn more than the raw labour, hence increasing the country’s foreign remittances.

He hoped that after completion, the campus would play key role in promoting technical and industrial education in the country.

He recalled that he for the first time in 1997, put his full force to promote vocational training in the country when there was no comprehensive institution to look after this important area of the education sector.

Similarly, he said the Punjab government led by him established Punjab Education Endowment Fund (PEEF) for which Rs 2 billion annual funding was allocated to provide scholarships to the talented and deserving students on merit base. He said this great project under Dr Amjad Saqib brought educational revolution in the province.

Likewise, he said Danish Schools’ project was also his brainchild which helped bridging the gap between rich and poor. “Until there is no discrimination of rich and poor especially in the education sector, the Quid-e-Azam’s vision of educational right for all cannot be fulfilled.”

He said only one month had left for this government and he was still making efforts to provide maximum relief to the people.

PM Shehbaz also distributed certificates among the high achiever youth in various fields.

Minister for Education and Professional Training Rana Tanvir Hussain said that the coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with its untiring struggle brought the country out of deep crisis and set it on the right path. "Therefore, I hope that the people will vote for the PML-N in the general elections."

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Shaza Fatima said vocational education was as important as it was the formal education. She said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during his previous tenures as Chief Minister Punjab worked really hard to promote technical and vocational education in the province.

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal and Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb were also present on the occasion.