Islamabad, On Monday, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training inaugurated the Federal Foundational Learning Policy 2024, aimed at significantly improving basic educational skills among children in federal territories by 2030. The policy will be implemented in all educational institutions within Islamabad Capital Territory, Gilgit Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. It is designed to tackle the substantial out-of-school children crisis and enhance foundational learning to ensure all enrolled children can achieve essential literacy and numeracy skills.

According to Press Information Department, the launch event featured prominent figures including Federal Secretary Mr. Mohyuddin Wani, and was attended by university vice-chancellors, parliamentarians, and various partner organizations dedicated to education in Pakistan. The policy follows the declaration of an education emergency by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on May 8th, highlighting the urgency of addressing educational deficits, notably the 26.2 million children currently out of school and the stark lack of basic reading and math skills among students.

The policy, spearheaded by the Federal Directorate of Education and other regional educational departments, will foster collaborations with entities like the Pakistan Foundational Learning Hub to drive nationwide improvements in early grade literacy and numeracy. The event also highlighted successful initiatives and ongoing efforts to promote a reading culture within schools, emphasized by the recent appointment of Ms. Feryal Ali Gauhar as the reading envoy for federal territories.