Islamabad, In response to the pressing challenge of out-of-school children in Pakistan, Prime Minister has announced a comprehensive initiative as part of a declared National Education Emergency. The plan includes a series of strategic interventions aimed at drastically reducing the number of children not attending school, improving educational quality, and increasing access to educational resources.
According to Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, the Prime Minister has directed the ministry to undertake a thorough review of out-of-school children and develop targeted interventions to address this issue. An Out of School Children Fund, with a minimum allocation of Rs. 25 billion over five years, will be established to support innovative strategies to decrease the number of out-of-school children. Additionally, a task force will be formed to devise and implement solutions at both the national and provincial levels, reporting directly to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The initiatives include increasing the education budget to 4% of GDP by 2029 for infrastructural improvements, launching a national nutritional program to enhance school-going children’s health, and initiating fast-track recruitment of quality educators across the country. A comprehensive educational portal will also be developed to provide virtual learning environments and access to educational materials. Furthermore, efforts will be made to expand financial support for disadvantaged students through the Waseela-e-Taleem Fund and to bolster educational facilities in disaster-prone areas using the National Disaster Risk Management Fund.