By Hina Kiyani
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training, Rana Tanveer Hussain has set an ambitious target to enroll all approximately 52,000 Out Of School Children (OOSC) in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) by June 30, 2023.
To ensure the retention for the children, the minister directed Ministry’s officials to allocate Rs. 200 million for two years to the National Education Foundation (NEF) for the purpose of catering to the educational needs of OOSC in ICT.
Federal Minister, who is also Chairman of the Board of Governors of the NEF, disclosed this while chairing a meeting of the Board here Wednesday. The esteemed Board members, including senior officers from the Ministry of Education and Finance and renowned educationists attended the meeting.
During the meeting, the minister commended the NEF for its unwavering efforts in catering to the needs of OOSC in ICT. He also expressed satisfaction with the ongoing programs implemented for the disentangled group of children in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and ICT and congratulate on successfully win the UNESCO project for training non-formal teachers.
Rana Tanveer Hussain highlighted the grave concern of the OOSC of age 5-16 years in Pakistan, emphasizing that the country ranks at the bottom in this regard.
Recognizing the severity of the challenge, the Ministry of Federal Education has launched the Zero OOSC Initiative in ICT.
Under this initiative, allied departments of the Ministry, in collaboration with NGOs and the private sector, are actively working towards identifying and enrolling OOSC. He acknowledged the efforts of NEF in this regard.
Distinguished members of the Board, including Prof. Dr. Nasir Mehmood, Vice Chancellor of Allama Iqbal Open University, Ms. Baela Raza Jamil, CEO of ITA, Ms. Fajar Rabia Pahsa, CEO of PAGE, Ms. Khadija Khan, CEO of PAEC, Ms. Munaza Gillani, CEO of Sightsavers and others expressed their appreciation for the Ministry’s initiative and efforts in tackling the issue of the OOSC.
The minister also addressed the story state of the quality and applicability of education in Pakistan. He highlighted the unfortunate situation where numerous Ph.D. degree holders remain unemployed.
Recognizing the global trend of investing in skills education for progress, the Ministry has prioritized skills education, quality of education, and addressing the OOSC crisis. Once all OOSC in ICT are enrolled in schools, a refined strategy will be implemented in other regions of the country.
Rana Tanveer Hussain expressed his commitment to provide accessible and quality education to every child in Pakistan.
The Ministry’s proactive initiatives, collaboration with stakeholders and targeted investments will pave the way for a brighter future for the nation’s youth, he added.
