PESHAWAR: Former lawmakers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly belonging to different political parties vowed to sustain support and momentum for prioritizing girls’ education beyond party lines in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The pledge was made in a meritorious event organized by Blue Veins, a non-governmental organization and the office of the Speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly where ex-lawmakers renewed and recharged their commitment through pledged statement to support girls’ secondary education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and use their influence as individuals, political activists and representatives of their political parties.
According to a press release issued here on Tuesday, the signed pledge statement reads “We as legislators of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly representing different political parties, have unanimously supported the agenda of girls’ education by increasing resources to girls’ education and allocating budget with the 70: 30 ratios to improve gender parity in education. During our tenure, we did all possible efforts to ensure that girls’ education remains a development priority for KP”
Through the pledge, the lawmakers agreed to support and advocate for policies and programs that promote and ensure equal access to quality education for girls while recognizing the importance of educating girls as a mean to achieve gender equality and empowerment.
Speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani said, “The members of all political parties have made significant contributions in promoting right based agenda including girl’s education.
We as political activists, acknowledge that educating girls and women benefits not only individuals, but also families, communities, and entire societies, the lawmakers said and added, we recognize the significant barriers that prevent girls from accessing and completing their education, including poverty, discrimination, and cultural attitudes”
Dr. Sumera Shams, ex-chairperson of the Women Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) said “Women parliamentarians and political activists beyond party lines believe that when girls and women are educated, they have the power to shape a brighter future for themselves, their communities and the world. “We are committed to inculcate all the efforts for girls’ education in our political party manifestos and election campaigns.” she added.
