From Zeeshan Mirza
KARACHI: President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday said the mosques might play a vital role in the provision of education to out-of-school children along with imparting religious ethos for bring about socio-economic development of the country. He said the mosques had a central place in Muslim society and could be utilized to educate people about important social issues.
The President expressed these views while chairing a meeting about the vital role of Masaajid and Madaris in promoting education and creating awareness about health issues.
The meeting was attended by the Caretaker Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Inter-faith Harmony, Dr Aneeq Ahmed, and religious scholars from various schools of thought. Addressing the meeting, the President said that educating 26 million out-of-school children was an uphill task in the wake of inadequate educational infrastructure. Building new schools would require tremendous resources as well as time, he added.
He said that utilizing almost 2.5 lacs mosques across the country could be a unique and cost-effective avenue to bring these children back to education. The President said that mosques could be used as centres of education by incorporating the Government’s Accelerated Learning Programme.
“Pakistan should have mosques at the centre of society, simultaneously imparting worldly and religious education to fight the challenges of society,” he added. The Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Inter-Faith Harmony apprised the meeting that Mosques could be used at the optimum level by enhancing the role of “Pesh Imam” who would ultimately supervise educational activities.
