Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Rana Tanveer Hussain on Thursday said that out of school children and the decline in foundational learning due to Covid-19 are the key issues being faced in Pakistan nowadays.

Welcoming a delegation of World Bank and FCDO, Rana Tanveer said that there is a dire need for a national response to this crisis.

The meeting was also attended by senior officials of the ministry as well.

He said that it is one of the biggest challenges that Pakistan faces today. He said that the government aims to provide access to schools and relevant facilities to all the children of Pakistan.

The Minister was briefed by the World Bank representative Ms. Maleeha Haider about World Bank initiatives aimed at increasing the foundational learning of students which have been adversely affected by the Covid pandemic. The Minister was briefed about the accelerator program of the World Bank.

The Minister was briefed that this program provides specific technical and financial support to implement evidence-based policies to improve literacy.

He was apprised that the program aims to demonstrate that with political commitment manifested in concrete goals and a coasted plan, it is possible to improve literacy outcomes, at scale, within 3-5 years.

Rana Tanveer was briefed that Pakistan is amongst one of the ten countries where the Accelerator Program has been launched by the World Bank. Minister was told that the program’s key development partners include FCDO, UNESCO, UNICEF, USAID, and WBG which has enabled holistic planning and resource management.

The Minister was briefed that Rwanda is a successful example of this program. Rana Tanveer said that we should learn from the successful examples so that we can replicate the best practices in Pakistan as well.

Rana Tanveer appreciated the work being done by the World Bank to improve standards of education in Pakistan. He said that using this program ICT should be made a model for the rest of Pakistan to follow.

He said that we need to make positive cultural changes to change our approach towards education as a nation. He assured the delegation that the ministry will take lead on this by taking concrete measures for successful implementation and positive results.