Tent schools to be set up in quake-hit areas
Cabinet urges for Eid celebrations with simplicity
By Our Special Correspondent

RAWALPINDI—Government has accorded approval to set up tent schools in the quake hit areas in Azad Kashmir and NWFP.
The approval was given in Inter-Provincial Conference held in Army House Rawalpindi under President General Pervez Musharraf Saturday.
Besides Prime Minister, Chief Ministers of all four provinces, Education Minister Javed Ashraf Qazi, Minister for Industries, Jahangir Tareen and other senior officers participated in the meeting.
It was decided in the conference that tent schools will be established in AJK and NWFP and federal government will provide all resources for this purpose. Every school will be set up in a big tent where the minimum number of students will be 40. Stationery, books and other facilities would be provided by the federal government. UNICEF, education ministry, NGOs and representatives of the provinces will conduct survey to start classes forthwith in tent schools. They will submit their reports within a week so that the education system could be revived fully in the quake stricken areas.
Meeting also decided that educational budget will be allocated as much as 4 percent of GDP in the next year.
Addressing the meeting President General Pervez Musharraf said that promotion of education is a matter of paramount significance for the government. Quality education plays vital role in setting the foundation of sustained development. “We can not overlook quality education”, he added.
President also approved restructuring of examination system saying that educational institutions will not be allowed to be used for politicking nor any one will be allowed to indulge in political activities in them so that educational activities don’t suffer. English will be taught as compulsory subject from class one, he added.
President observed that increase in educational budget was inevitable so that literacy rate in the country rises and all the matters are settled under a plan. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said government was attaching much importance to human development. “We are increasing education budget”, he told. Education system is being improved up to lower level.
The conference also decided that academic year will start from August in the areas other than quake hit areas.
A conference of all the four chief ministers will take place within a few days which will give final shape to education related affairs in collaboration with education ministry.
It was also decided that matter concerning higher education would be settled by the provinces instead of districts. District governments will oversee administrative matters at metric level.
The Cabinet Committee on Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation on Saturday asked the governments of Azad Kashmir and NWFP to collect data of quake dead and injured to pay compensation to maximum number of victims before Eid, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said.
Briefing the journalists on the meeting, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said it urged the general public to donate maximum number of tents and blankets for the quake-stricken area where winter is expected to set in soon.
“We have got plenty of medicines and ration. But what we need are tents and blankets,” he said.
Pakistan, he added, has also appealed the international community for these most essential items. “Local industry has also been asked to produce 300,000 tents which are needed in the quake-affected areas of AJK and NWFP”.
He said new tent villages will be set up at Fateh Jang and Chakwal to accommodate people displaced by the earthquake while `transit’ will be provided to them in Islamabad’s sector H-11.
The halls of four schools in Rawalpindi will be converted into makeshift hospitals for patients with bone injuries, he added.
The Minister said the Punjab government has been asked to make arrangements for extra 25,000 beds in hospitals to cope with the rush of wounded persons.
Sheikh Rashid said each cabinet member has been asked to visit the affected areas for one day.
“They should go there purely for relief work without any protocol,” he said.
Replying to a question, the minister said the relief work will pick up pace once all the roads are opened for traffic, though the helicopters are reaching even the far off areas.
Sheikh Rashid said there were some 25 percent areas which can be called `inaccessible’ and are mostly situated in Neelum Valley and Kaghan Valley.
“But aid and relief operation in these areas is going on through helicopters,” he added.
He said there have been a few incidents of looting of trucks carrying relief goods, but the situation is now improving gradually.
“The people who loot these trucks have got nothing to do with quake affectees. They will not be spared,” Sheikh Rashid said.
Replying to a question, Sheikh Rashid said despite all the CBMs and improvement of relations with India, some apprehensions are always there.
“That is why Pakistan cannot accept Indian helicopters with Indian pilots”.