Islamabad: Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments have agreed to develop a national action plan and roll out measures to accommodate millions of out-of-school children, ensuring that every child has access to quality education.
This decision was made in a high-level consultative meeting chaired by Ahsan Iqbal, the federal minister for planning, development, and special initiatives.
The meeting involved the participation of various stakeholders, including the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, provincial secretaries of education departments, and the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education.
Pakistan has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children in the world, with an estimated 23 million children aged 5-16 years not attending school, according to the UN and World Bank data. This represents nearly 44% of the total population in this age group. The education crisis deepens as a staggering 11.4 million adolescents aged 10 to 14 in Pakistan are not receiving formal education. The problem is compounded by disparities based on gender, socioeconomic status, and geography.
Millions of children, especially the most disadvantaged, not attending school is a significant challenge for the country’s education system.
Despite government incentives to improve progress in enrollment and retention rates, education indicators in Pakistan have been slow to improve.
Recognizing the urgency of the crisis, the government has agreed to develop a comprehensive national action plan to maximize the enrollment of school-age children across the country and provide all children with access to quality education.
Pilot project
As part of the plan, the upcoming Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for 2023-2024 will institutionalize key initiatives to achieve universal education in Pakistan.
A universal enrollment pilot project would be launched in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) to serve as a model to eliminate out-of-school children in the area, with the potential for replicating this programme in other regions of the country.
The planning ministry will also identify districts with the highest concentrations of out-of-school children, and a national out-of-school children fund will be established to provide performance-based cash grants to provincial governments for improving education outcomes in those districts.
Moreover, the government plans to launch a comprehensive virtual schooling system to reduce dropout rates, particularly for girls facing mobility challenges. The ministry also directed the establishment of a birth certificate-based admission system in collaboration with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to ensure that children are enrolled in nearby schools as soon as they reach school-going age.
