PESHAWAR - Expressing concern over delay in enactment of law for provision of free and compulsory secondary education, members of a civil society organisation have urged the provincial government to pass the bill from KP Assembly aimed to ensure basic right of education to all in the province.
Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, Fayaz Ahmad, a member of Working Group for Girls Education Initiative (WGGEI), said that free and compulsory education is mandatory under Article 25-A of the constitution of Pakistan.
He said the three federating units Sindh, Punjab and Bolachistan had made progress by introducing the relevant bill in their respective provincial assemblies.
But, he said, the KP was lagging behind in this regard, as it was yet to pass the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to free and compulsory education under Article 25-A from the provincial assembly.
He said the government kept sufficient allocations for education sector despite the fact the snail pace of legislation process was depriving a large number of children of their basic right of education in the province.
Flanked by  Working Group for Girls Education Initiative members Nuzhat Amin, Laila Shahnawaz, and members of civil society organisation, Ahmad said the incumbent provincial government prioritised education under its manifesto and also imposed education emergency in the province but still no progress was seen to pass the bill from the provincial assembly.
He urged the provincial government to expedite legislation process and pass the bill aimed at ensuring free and compulsory education to all in the province.
Nuzhat Amin said if the provincial government would introduce Article 25-A that would be given right of education to more than 5,00,000 children in the province.
Therefore, he urged the provincial government to pass the KP free and compulsory bill from assembly without any further delay.
 Mir Zaman said that according to an official study around 2.8 million children were out of schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He informed that Pakistan is signatory of international protocol regarding promotion of education.