By Hina Kiyani
ISLAMABAD: Minister of Federal Education and Professional Training, Rana Tanveer Hussain Thursday emphasized the need to empower women to make them productive citizens of the country.
Interacting with the female journalists, Rana Tanveer appreciated their contribution towards the field of journalism. He acknowledged the role played by women in the progress of the country. The minister highlighted and encouraged the female reporters to continue with their contribution towards journalism.
He said that the role of women is critical in the development of any sector of Pakistan, especially education. The minister briefed the reporters about the various initiatives taken by the ministry to raise the standard of education and the scope of access to education. He said that one of the biggest challenges that the education sector in Pakistan faces is the Out of School Children.
He said that there are approximately 22.8 million out-of-school children, which is amongst the highest in the world.
He said that a primary objective of the current government is to focus on reducing this number. Rana Tanveer said that there are more than 16,000 out-of-school children in the federal capital. He reiterated his resolve to bring this number down and make the federal territory a model for the rest of the country to follow. He said that only through education, we can uplift our country and address the current challenges.
Rana Tanveer highlighted the initiative of School on Wheels and said that the purpose of this initiative is to reach the students where there is a lack of infrastructure or students that do not have the financial ability to go to school.
He said that this initiative in the future will be able to accommodate disaster-affected populations as well.
He said that Pakistan requires unique solutions to the problems and the current government is fully utilizing its resources to address the issues of the public effectively and efficiently.
Rana Tanveer emphasized focusing on improving institutional governance, curriculum, access and quality, teaching and research practices, industry-academia linkages, and climate change adaptation.
Rana Tanveer Hussain said that most stakeholders complain that our education system does not equip students with the knowledge, experience, skills, or values needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world. It is clear to everyone that business as usual is not an option.
“We need to be bold, innovative, and committed to achieving the three-fold objective of improving access, quality, and relevance of our higher education”, he said.
