February 08; Through the first Pre-Budget Public Consultation, the Punjab Assembly Standing Committee on Education received proposals from various experts on How to Ensure Effective Spending on Education: Ideas for the Budget 2012-2013.

The experts who recorded oral evidences/recommendations to the Committee included Mr. Ali Malik, Additional Secretary Education, Punjab; Prof. Mian Mohammad Akram, President Tanzeem-e-Assatza; Dr. Fareeha Zafar, Director Society for the Advancement of Education and Mr. Mansoor Malik, Staff Reporter Dawn.

Honourable Speaker Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, Rana Mohammad Iqbal, MPA, also joined the Pre-Budget Consultation as an Observer.

Opening the consultation, Chaudhry Javed Ahmed, MPA (PP-228, Pakpattan-II, PML-N) and Chairman Punjab Assembly Standing Committee on Education welcomed the experts and observers including MPAs and said that the Committee�s initiative to hold public consultation was to further improve interaction between the people and the Parliament and to establish the tradition of eliciting public input and ownership of the province�s fiscal and financial priorities by the elected representatives. He acknowledged the efforts of PILDAT, especially in sensitising MPAs towards the need of the reform of Assembly�s Budget Process as well as providing comparative perspectives and information in this regard. He also acknowledged PILDAT�s support in facilitating the pre-budget public consultation in association with the Parliamentary Centre, Canada.

Members of the Punjab Assembly Standing Committee on Education who were part of the consultation included Chaudhry Javed Ahmed, Advocate, MPA (PP-228, Pakpattan II, PML-N); Chairman; Dr. Asma Mamdoot, MPA (W-363, PML-F); Mr. Ijaz Ahmed Khan, MPA (PP-151, Lahore XV, PML-N); Dr. Mussarat Hassan, MPA (W-345, PPPP) and Mrs. Ayesha Javed, MPA (W-355, PML).

MPAs from PML-N, PPPP and PML participated as observers in the Consultation alongside representatives of business, markets, educationists, academics and the media.

PILDAT facilitated the Provincial Assembly Standing Committee on Education to hold the Pre-Budget Public Consultation. This was made possible under the project Parliamentary and Political Party Strengthening-II which is funded through Canada�s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade � DFAIT. The project is implemented jointly by the Parliamentary Centre, Canada and PILDAT.