ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has informed that Higher Education Commission (HEC) was preparing a policy under which fees of special students attending post-graduation classes would be waived off.
Addressing an interactive session with persons having disabilities held in coordination with World Health Organization (WHO), President Alvi said the government was focusing on technical, vocational and skill-based education to financially empower persons with disabilities and take full advantage of their potential.
The president informed over Rs 50,000 scholarship was already placed for the assistance of such students besides making banks accessible for them. Alvi said the assistive technology was drawing commitment at the universal, regional and member state level, which was a sign that the globe was changing for the better and there was hope for those in need of assistive products.
The need for adopting all possible steps to extend benefits of the modern-day technology to shore up persons with disabilities and those affected by the rising occurrence of non-communicable diseases and aging factors, he emphasized.
The president said the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Rights of Persons with Disability Act 2020, which was envisaged as an instrument for inclusive development, was a standard to make sure easy access for persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others.
The government was fully committed to ensuring that people with disabilities in all their diversity were significantly participating at all levels of society, he added. Dr Arif Alvi said the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development gives a powerful framework in mainstreaming disability inclusion across its dimensions.
The president said social protection programs have a huge potential to play a vital role in poverty alleviation and promoting effective access to healthcare, rehabilitation and other services, thus nurturing social inclusion and participation.
He said Prime Minister Imran Khan has already announced an Rs2000 per month stipend for a person with a disability, adding that data of unregistered persons with disabilities was being prepared under Ehsas Survey to provide loans on easy terms to them.
