'Pakistan allocates Rs7.5b to get 26.2m out of school children enrolled'

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives Prof. Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday said that federal government is allocating Rs 7.5 billion to enrol back 26.2 million out-of-school children across the country, ARY News reported.

Addressing an International Conference: “Education System Strengthening Challenges and Opportunities – A 20-Year Retrospective” held here at COMSTECH, the minister announced that for this project the federal government would allocate Rs 25 million, while 25 millions would be given by the provinces and 25 millions by the partners.

The one-day conference was organized by Manhattan Strategy Group (MSG), a prominent US-Pakistani social and human development organization, with an aim to bring together local and global perspectives to address the critical challenges facing Pakistan’s education system.

Speaking at inaugural session of the conference, Ahsan Iqbal said that education is not a sector but a foundation of development and prosperity. It was revealed in the census that literacy rate in Pakistan is 60 percent but for progress and development, we need 90 percent literacy rate in the country. He lamented that with such a huge numbers of out of school children, Pakistan can not progress. He termed education as mandatory tool to run the infrastructure of a country.

The minister said that federal government is also establishing South Asia’s top teachers training center in Pakistan to fulfill the need of best teaching practices. “we have to revise our curriculum as per international standards and in order to teach modern curriculum, we are working on teachers training on war-footing steps”.

The minister also underlined the importance of latest exams system, adding, current exam system would be reformed as per international level.

Under another program, he said that campus of a university would be established in each district to facilitate the poor and needy students especially the girls at their door step.

He urged that our UETs should be a brand in the world like Indian IETs, adding, this government is on path of reformation under leadership of Shahbaz Sharif.

He hoped that our future generations would see a developed and prosperous Pakistan. Pakistan would be among top 15 economic countries through stability, consistence in policies, unity, reforms, continuity of democracy.

He stated that the diaspora of any country is key to its success and development. “It is inspiring to see the Pakistani diaspora, Manhattan Strategy Group (MSG), organized such a valuable event focused on education,” he added.

Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Professor Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad said in his speech that politics should not interfere in the education system, this is our biggest challenge, a government that makes policies, the new government should continue the same.

The quality of education can be improved, Professor Dr. Mukhtar said adding that negative news about educational institutions is spread on social media, which must be stopped. In the education sector, we have to understand that these are our children, we have to spend on education and health. he also highlighted the importance of collaboration across sectors to overcome educational challenges.

During the ceremony Mr. Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, Secretary Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, in his address said that we should introduce modern technology in the education system as without it we cannot move forward. He also suggested that educational and technical experts should provide their services collectively, not individually in all sectors.

During the conference, experts discussed the alarming statistics revealing that over 26.2 million children in Pakistan are out of school, with 53% being girls. More than 60% of children aged three to 3-5 do not have access to pre-primary education.

The conference featured two panel discussions moderated by leading experts, focusing on “Foundational Learning and Systems Strengthening – Challenges and Opportunities” and “Youth Workforce for Green Skills, Science, Technology, and Innovation.” These discussions aimed to foster dialogue and explore innovative solutions to strengthen educational systems in Pakistan.

“Education is the cornerstone of sustainable development,” stated Mr. Shezad Habib, President of MSG. “This conference serves as a platform for collaborative action, bringing together diverse stakeholders to tackle the multifaceted challenges within Pakistan’s education sector.”