PESHAWAR, Nov 4: Speakers at a seminar here on Monday urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to introduce a uniform education system and restore student unions in the province.

The seminar on education was arranged by Islami Jamiat Talba, the student wing of Jamaat-i-Islami. Provincial general secretary of Jamaat-i-Islami Shabbir Ahmad Khan presided over the event, however, Provincial Minister for Information Shah Farman, who was scheduled to attend the seminar as chief guest couldn`t turn up.

IJT central general secretary Zubair Hafiz, provincial chief Sohail Babar Rahi and Shoaibud Din Kakakhel addressed the seminar, which was attended by a large number of students.

The speakers said that education could play key role in brining positive change in the society. It was essential to make serious efforts for promotion of quality education along with provision of facilities to the educational institutions in the province, they added.

The speakers demanded of the government to take serious steps for introducing a uniform education system and promotion of academic and research activities at educational institutions. They also demanded of the government to abolish self-finance scheme and restore student unions.

Addressing the seminar, Shabbir Ahmad said that youth had an integral role in the social and economic development of the country. `The country faces many challenges that can be only addressed by promotion of education,` he added. He said that youth had the potential to meet the growing challenges but there was only need to create awareness among them about all those issues.

The JI leader said that Pakistan was yet to get economic and social independence. `We still wage a war for independence and recognition as a sovereign state,` he added.

Mr Ahmad said that the country`s sovereignty and territorial integrity was challenged by external forces as rulers had become puppets and were following foreign agenda.

He said that US had become economically bankrupt. `Now economy of China is stronger than that of United States. It poses great challenges to America on the economic front,` the JI leader said.

He blamed the rulers for turning Pakistanis into a slave nation. He stressed the need for making serious efforts for promotion of useful education and equipping youth with modern technology to meet the challenges faced by the country.