There has been no progress on legislation three months after a draft for the implementation of Article 25-A of the Constitution was sent to the provincial government.
The School Education Department (SED) says the draft prepared by the Education Commission Punjab, and handed over to the SED in November 2012, was sent to the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
SED Deputy Secretary Qaiser Rasheed says the draft had been forwarded to the CM’s Secretariat “as soon as it was received”. He said the department had not heard back from the CM’s Secretariat.
Shahid Iqbal, a deputy secretary to the chief minister at the CM’s Secretariat said the draft had been sent back to the SED. “We have sent it back to the SED.” Iqbal could not say when.
SED Secretary Aslam Kamboh was unavailable for a comment. An SED official speaking on the condition of anonymity said there was a lack of political will to pursue the matter.
SED Deputy Secretary Rasheed denied Iqbal’s claim. He said his department had not received word from the secretariat. “The delay is on their end.”
The ECP draft and its proposals
Article 25-A of the Constitution, makes free, compulsory, schooling a fundamental right for every child from 5 to 16.
The Punjab government set up the Education Commission Punjab, headed by Justice (retired) Khalilur Rehman Khan, last year in August 2012 to formulate a law draft for implementing the Article 25-A. The commission produced a draft which was handed over to the Schools Education Department.
The draft proposes repeal of four laws and amendments to another 20 laws. It gives the government two years for addressing the legal aspects for ensuring an effective implementation of the law.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 20th, 2013.