KARACHI, Feb 13: Sindh took the lead among provinces in making education free and compulsory in compliance with Article 25A of the 1973 Constitution when on Wednesday the provincial assembly unanimously adopted a bill entitled “Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education”.

The Article 25A reads: “The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such manner as may be determined by law.”

Senior Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq, who tabled the bill in the assembly, termed the day historic and said the law would help achieve 100 per cent literacy rate by 2015, a target set under the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

Under the bill, any parent who fails to send a child to school may be imprisoned for three months or can be fined up to Rs5,000.

The law makes it mandatory for private schools to admit 10pc underprivileged students on merit to provide them free education.