Education basis of socio-economic change: AJK president

ISLAMABAD, June 19: The AJK President Sardar Masood Khan while describing education as the basis of socio-economic change has said that only those nations which had promoted education and worked hard to ensure quality of it has achieved progress in the world.

He was speaking to a delegation of the Sudhan Educational Conference called on him under the leadership of Maj (retd) Sardar Mushtaq here at the Kashmir House on Saturday. He said that among many factors contributing to high literacy rate in Azad Kashmir today, one factor was the contribution of the education-focused social organisations for promoting education.

The AJK president said that visible progress has been made in the field of educational and social uplift in the liberated territory during the last seven decades, but in our opinion, the desired goal has not yet been achieved, and more struggle is needed in this regard.

Appreciating the performance of the Sudhan Educational Conference, Sardar Masood Khan said that this oldest educational organization had played a key role in the promotion of education and social development in the liberated territory. “The SEC has not only created awareness among the people about the significance of education and literacy, but it has also played an important role in reforming the society by eradicating the social evils,” he added.

Earlier, the delegation told the state president that a part of the office of the conference at Chota Gilla near Rawalakot has been devoted for the girls’ hostel while a big part of the property of the conference has also been provided to the University of Poonch on negligible price.

The delegation asserted that promotion of education and to put the liberated territory on the track of development is our top priority and their organisation was providing both merit and need-based scholarships to the students of the entire Azad Jammu and Kashmir without any discrimination.