ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has asked Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah to formulate a ‘charter of improvement’ for health and education sectors in consultation with all parliamentary parties.

The suggestion was made in a letter that Mr Sharif sent to Mr Shah on Oct 30, in response to the latter’s idea of promoting the two sectors.

“In the context of the much-needed structural reforms in education and health sectors, I certainly look forward to working with you and other parliamentary leaders, as you have kindly suggested to formulate a consensus-driven ‘charter’ for improvement of health and education sectors,” the prime minister said.

Though education and health were provincial subjects, he said, the federal government could not abdicate its paternal obligation to serve people.

“Education and health are not only central to the income-earning potential and socioeconomic life of individuals, but they also enhance their freedom and ability to make choices. Form a national vantage point, human capital is as critical as any other form of capital for rapid economic growth,” Mr Sharif said.

Budgetary allocation for education sector should be increased to four per cent of the Gross Domestic Product, he said and added that the government was working on a health insurance policy.

A source close to the opposition leader told Dawn that after receiving the letter, Mr Shah had formed a team of experts to prepare the charter. He will ask educationists and senior doctors for their input.

The source said at present Mr Shah was in the UK and after return to the country, he would contact heads of parliamentary parties to seek their proposals.

The opposition leader had written a letter to the prime minister on Sept 25 to take steps to improve the two sectors and formulate a charter on them.

He said the government should provide free and compulsory education to children from the age of five to 16.

Currently the PPP’s provincial government in Sindh is facing criticism over poor health facilities in Thar area where several children have recently died of diseases and malnutrition.

“We should provide basic health facilities to all segments of society as after education, our health sector indicators are also among the lowest in the world. Pakistan is the only country in the world where more than 200 polio cases have been recorded this year,” Mr Shah said.

He proposed that the government should provide basic health facilities to every settlement comprising 500 to 1,000 residents.

Similarly, he said, the governments must provide free primary and secondary education in a way which attracted non-enrolled children and adolescents, particularly girls, belonging to economically deprived and socially disadvantaged sections of society.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2014