PESHAWAR: Public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have started implementing a two percent quota in admission for minority communities to ensure education equality in society.
This information is shared by Sana Ahmad, Programme Coordinator of Blue Veins while speaking at the bi-monthly meeting of the CSO (Civil Society Organization) Support Group.Blue Veins formed The group last year by implementing the initiative “Faith an Action for Equal Rights and Opportunities” to promote social cohesion, peacebuilding and interfaith harmony among diverse faith communities.
The advocacy agenda of this project revolves around the implementation of a 2 pc admission quota for Minorities in higher education and the Kalash Marriage Bill.The meeting was arranged in the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) and was chaired by the Provincial Coordinator of NCHR, Muhammad Rizwan. Sana Ahmad said out of 27 public sector universities, around 16 had offered a two percent quota for minorities on its website and the offer can be availed online.
She sought complete implementation of the government’s decision and said that Blue Veins would soon circulate printed material to churches, Mandirs (Hindu temples) and Gurdwara (Sikh temples) for information of the stakeholders.
The speaker requested members of minority communities to circulate the message among community members as admissions were going to start in the province and the maximum number of students should benefit.
Sana Ahmad said ensuring equal opportunities to all segments of society was very essential for social inclusivity.Regarding the enactment of the Kalash Marriage Bill, Yumna, Project Manager, Blue Veins, said that concrete progress towards implementation of the prioritized agenda had been made due to mobilization efforts and support of the CSO Support Group,
She said the Kalash Marriage Bill had been submitted to the Director-General of the Local Government Department KP after frequent engagements of the CSO Support Group with relevant provincial and district institutions, national human rights institutions and civil society organizations,
There were around 13 reservations by the Law Department over the proposed Kalash Marriage Bill which had been removed now through making amendments and it had been re-submitted to the LG department, she added.
“A demand for translation of the Kalash Marriage Bill into Urdu language had been fulfilled and it was now up to the LG Department to forward the document to the Law Department for legislation from Parliament,” she added.
