The Balochistan assembly. -File Photo

 

QUETTA: Balochistan cabinet on Thursday approved the inclusion of regional languages in educational curriculum of the province as a first step towards promotion of indigenous languages.

Chief Minister Balochistan, Dr Malik Baloch chaired the cabinet meeting that discussed education, law and order, development and other issues related to the province.

The cabinet decided to include Balochi, Brahvi, Pashto, Persian and Sindhi in educational curriculum of the province.

Under the 18th Amendment, all provinces have been empowered to amend the educational curriculum.

"We have decided to promote regional languages," Sardar Raza Muhammad Bareech, the Advisor to Chief Minister Balochistan on education told Dawn.com after a cabinet meeting.

Ruling National Party and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) wanted to make the regional languages as medium of instruction in educational institutions.

However, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ministers Nawab Sanaullah Zehri and Mir Sarfaraz Bugti objected over this.

"We argued that Urdu, the national language has to be the medium of instruction in educational institution," Sarfaraz Bugti said.

Subsequently, the cabinet included the regional languages as optional in consensus with all coalition partners in the government.

Sardar Raza Muhammad Bareech said the names of veteran Baloch and Pashtun political leaders would also be included in the educational curriculum of the province.

Dr Malik Baloch had already stated that the names of veteran Baloch nationalist leader Mir Ghous Bakhsh Bizenjo, Pakhtun nationalist leader Khan Shaheed Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai and others would also be included in the curriculum.

Apart from education, Balochistan government made a number of decisions with regard to law and order situation in the province.

"The cabinet decided to impart modern training to levies personnel in the province," Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal, the provincial information minister said in a press briefing after the cabinet meeting.

He said the frontier corps would train the levies personnel so that they could effectively play their role in maintaining law and order in the province.

Ziaratwal also stated that the cabinet also approved an increase in the salaries of provincial ministers, members of assembly, deputy speaker and speaker of Balochistan assembly.

He however refused to provide in the information about the salary increase to media. "We will take the opposition on board then we would share it with media", he added.

Frome : DAWN January 9, 2014