ISLAMABAD: The federal government, provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) have approved the ‘National Education Action Plan’ to tackle the issue of out-of-school children (OOSC). The decision came during the 38th Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC), chaired by Federal Minister for Education Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.
Read More: Over 25 million children out of school in Pakistan
UN agencies, including Unicef, estimate that over 25 million children in Pakistan remain out of school, placing the country among those with the highest global numbers. The approved action plan aims to reduce this number over the next five years through targeted initiatives at federal and provincial levels.
During the meeting, provincial ministers shared progress reports on existing measures. Punjab announced the outsourcing of 10,000 schools, while Sindh confirmed the merit-based recruitment of 93,000 teachers. Balochistan restored 3,200 closed schools, enrolling 140,000 children, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported a six per cent increase in enrolment along with 10,000 new teachers. AJK highlighted an allocation of Rs7 billion for 10,000 classrooms, and GB presented initiatives for special funds and an expanded School Meal Programme.
The session also discussed the federal ‘Challenge Fund’ to bring children back into the education system and align programmes with global standards. Other approved initiatives include technical education reforms, modern curriculum development, character-building strategies, and enhanced data monitoring under the Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE).
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Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui praised the unanimous endorsement of the plan, calling it a milestone in national educational harmony. He emphasised sustained coordination among all federal units, outreach to remote areas, informal education, and mainstreaming madrasa students as ongoing priorities.