Islamabad: Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal has called for sweeping reforms within Pakistan’s education sector to address the demands of the 21st century. This appeal was made during a meeting with senior officials from the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training.

According to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Minister Iqbal criticized the current curriculum as outdated and ill-suited for today’s societal and economic demands. He emphasized the urgency of implementing comprehensive reforms, including the revision of curricula, enhancement of teacher training, reform of examination systems, and integration of basic sciences into madrassah education.

The Minister pointed out the critical state of the education system, highlighted by a distressing literacy rate of 61% and over 26 million children out of school. He underscored the importance of modernizing educational content to include financial literacy, entrepreneurship, coding, artificial intelligence, and climate change awareness to equip students for future challenges.

Secretary Mohyeddin Wani briefed on the progress of these initiatives, noting that a new Financial Literacy curriculum is set to launch next Monday, developed in collaboration with industry experts. Furthermore, significant strides have been made in securing the examination process, with the implementation of end-to-end encryption for the Federal Board’s exams.

Minister Iqbal praised these developments as vital steps towards not only enhancing the quality of education but also ensuring that Pakistan’s youth are well-prepared to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing global landscape.