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ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, on Wednesday said that the federal government is allocating Rs 7.5 billion to enroll back 26.2 million out-of-school children across the country.
Addressing an International Conference: “Education System Strengthening Challenges and Opportunities – A 20-Year Retrospective” held at COMSTECH today, the minister announced that for this project the federal government would allocate Rs 25 million, while 25 million would be given by the provinces and 25 million 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 the 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 the literacy rate in Pakistan is 60 percent but for progress and development, we need a 90 percent literacy rate in the country,” he added.
Federal minister lamented that with such a huge number of out-of-school children, Pakistan can not progress. He termed education as a mandatory tool to run the infrastructure of a country.
The minister said that the federal government is also establishing South Asia’s top teachers’ training center in Pakistan to fulfill the need for best teaching practices. “we have to revise our curriculum as per international standards and to teach the modern curriculum, we are working on teachers training on war-footing steps”.
The minister also underlined the importance of the latest exam system, adding, that the current exam system would be reformed at per international level. Under another program, he said that the campus of a university would be established in each district to facilitate the poor and needy students especially the girls at their doorstep.
He urged that our UETs should be a brand in the world like Indian IETs, adding, that this government is on the path of reformation under the leadership of Shahbaz Sharif.
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), organize 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 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.
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