By NNN-APP,
Lahore, Pakistan : Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani Saturday said that provision of quality education is the top priority of the government.
“My government is also working to further improve the quality of education in the country”, he said while addressing the annual reunion ceremony of the Formanite Alumni Association (FAA) at the Forman Christian College.About the quality education, the Prime Minister said that imparting world class education is important for Pakistan.
He said Pakistani youth deserve the best educational opportunities and FC College is a leader in this noble task.
The prime minister lauded the services of Forman Christian College for the cause of education and said that the college has rendered outstanding service to Pakistan as a large number of Formanites have served the country as politicians, educationists, businessmen, doctors, jurists, intellectuals and scholars.
“In my own Cabinet, Formanites are holding important positions as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defence. A number of your graduates have excelled in the civil and military services, Law, Education and business as well”, the Prime Minister said.
He said FC College has a long and glorious tradition of producing leaders who have lived by the college motto “By love, serve one another”. It is this spirit of service which is vital for the future of nations.
He said that education emancipates the minds of the people and FC College is rightly pursuing the tradition of liberal arts in higher education.
The prime minister said that education needs to produce useful workers in a global economy, prepare people as voters in a democratic process and inculcate core values of integrity, commitment to excellence, respect for the rights and dignity of each human being, discipline and accountability, justice and service to community.
“These values will contribute to a better Pakistan”, he said.
Appreciating FC College’s role in promoting religious harmony, he said FC College is a model of interfaith harmony.
He said that by learning to live together in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust, people of all faiths can contribute to the solution of a major problem that faces our world today.
About the enrolment in colleges, he said the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan is striving to double the enrolment in colleges and universities within five years, and triple the enrolment within ten years time.
The Prime Minister said that the progress made by Forman Christian College during the last six years is the result of a strong partnership between USAID, the Government of the Punjab, and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
The prime minister also expressed satisfaction that the Rs 500 million invested in Forman Christian College by the federal governemnt has been wisely spent in the service of improving the quality of higher education in Pakistan.
The Formanites Alumni Association annual reunion ceremony was attended by Federal Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, MNA Jehangir Khan Tarin, FAA President Ch.Ahmed Saeed, Co-Chairman Abu Dhabi Group Pervaiz Shahid and Rector FC Collge University Peter Armacost.