The government as per the PPP’s manifesto was regularizing the services of contractual employees in all government departments, the same should be followed in the case of NCA, he directed.The Prime Minister was presiding over the meeting of the Board of Governors (BOG) of the National College of Arts here at the PM House on Monday evening. The Prime Minister also directed for the restoration of Special NCA Allowance of Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 20,000 for different cadres of faculty members at the college. Prime Minister Gilani approved the provision of Rs 10 million as seed money for the establishment of a pension fund at NCA. He also accorded approval for the establishment NCA Endowment Trust Fund. As a campus of NCA is already operational in Rawalpindi, the Prime Minister allowed the opening of a campus in Islamabad as well. As regards the revision of NCA Ordinance 1985 after the 18th Amendment, he said the matter would be addressed by enacting a new law through the approval of parliament. The Prime Minister also approved the annual budget of NCA. The Prime Minister termed NCA as “the premier institute of the arts” and said its history of 135 years as well as its pedigree is manifest in the high esteem that it is held by everyone, both at home and abroad.
He said the intake of students on provincial quotas reflects NCA’s national character, and it is primarily because of this that even after the devolution of the Ministry of Education, the government has continued to preserve its federal status, which will ensure inter-provincial harmony and integration of the diversified cultures of Pakistan. The Prime Minister said the college imparts education comparable to any international Centre of Excellence and has produced artists, designers and architects of extremely high caliber, who have earned international acclaim. He said in order for this institution to continue as a Centre of Excellence and its smooth functioning, the BoG meeting was convened to address and resolve some of the pending issues faced by NCA. “It is indeed an indication of the concern that we all hold for this remarkable seat of learning”, he remarked. The meeting was attended by MNA Begum Yasmeen Rehman, Secretary Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Abdul Rauf Chaudhry, Vice Chancellor University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore, Lt. Gen. ® Muhammad Akram Khan, Secretary High Education Punjab, Haseeb Athar, Principal College of Arts and Design, University of Punjab, Prof. Dr. Rahat Naveed Masood, Executive Director Punjab Arts Council Lahore, Ghulam Mustafa, Finance Advisor IPC, Dahawer Ahmad, Director Institute of Arts and Design University of Sindh Jamshoro, Dr. Muhammad Ali Bhatti and Secretary Board of Governors and Principal NCA, Prof. Fouzia Qureshi. – PTVNEWS
