WNAM REPORT: The Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights of the National Assembly organized a National Symposium titled “National Education Emergency: On Out-of-School Children,” under the leadership of its Convenor, MNA Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan.
Convenor PCCR, Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan extended a warm welcome to the distinguished gathering, which included parliamentarians, provincial ministers, members of provincial assemblies, and Chief Secretary & senior officials from the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training. In her welcome remarks, Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan emphasized the urgent issue of 26.3 million out-of-school children (OOSC) in Pakistan, attributing it to factors such as gender inequality, poverty, and inadequate infrastructure. She underscored the significance of the Prime Minister’s declaration of an Educational Emergency, describing it as a vital call to action. She also highlighted the pressing need for legislative measures and collaborative efforts to address the multifaceted challenges hindering OOSC from accessing quality education.
Senior officials from the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training delivered a comprehensive presentation. The presentation, led by Secretary Mr. Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, Coordination Implementation Specialist Ms. Sana Isa, and Director of the Project Coordination Unit Ms. Farhat Shafiq, covered the ministry’s strategies and initiatives to address the challenge of 26.3 million OOSC. Key initiatives highlighted included the Prime Minister’s School Meal Program, the Health & Hygiene Program, solarization projects for schools, the establishment of technology parks in schools, the provision of free physical and mental health services to students, and the maintenance of school buses for female students and teachers. These efforts, along with other measures, aim to tackle the grave issue of OOSC comprehensively.
The Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training, Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, delivered the keynote address as the Chief Guest. He emphasized the need to address the misinterpretation of societal, cultural, and religious norms that hinder girls from attending school or receiving an education. He highlighted the importance of collective decision-making involving all stakeholders to make meaningful progress over the next five years, especially as Pakistan boasts the largest youth population, which represents a significant advantage on the global stage. The Federal Minister also underscored the urgency of legislative measures to combat brain drain by creating employment and educational opportunities for the country’s vast youth population. Such efforts, he stressed, would prevent young individuals from seeking better opportunities abroad and ensure their contributions to national development.
The Moderator of the symposium,MNA Syed Ali Qasim Gillani, with the permission of the Convenor of the Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights (PCCR), Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan, opened the floor for a discussion among parliamentarians, members of provincial assemblies, and officials from the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training.
MNA Syed Ali Qasim Gillani emphasized the importance of data sharing with provincial and district governments to enable them to conduct their own needs assessments and identify areas requiring funding and attention to enhance the service delivery of educational institutions. He also called for legislation to penalize parents of out-of-school children (OOSC) who have access to free education but instead involve their children in beggary or child labor. MNA Zahra Wadood Fatemi stressed the importance of ensuring the effective implementation of initiatives undertaken by federal and provincial governments to improve the education and health sectors, enabling children to attend school regularly. MNA Nawabzada Mir Jamal Khan Raisani emphasized the need to address the issue of ghost employees and ghost schools in Balochistan. He also called for uniformity in policies at the federal, provincial, and local levels to enhance the service delivery in the education sector.
The Chief Technical Advisor of Anthro Insights, Mr. Mujtaba Zaidi, proposed a comprehensive way forward for federal and provincial legislators, emphasizing the importance of hosting dialogues with educators, community leaders, and administrators at both levels of governance. He stressed the need to incorporate their feedback into strategic planning processes. Additionally, Mr. Zaidi highlighted the necessity of integrating the national strategy by aligning recommendations with ongoing government projects and facilitating the adoption of new policies in federal and provincial assemblies. He also underscored the critical role of legislators in advocacy and oversight to ensure the implementation of these strategies, as well as to advocate for increased budgetary allocations to effectively address the OOSC crisis.
MPAs, from all four provinces, stressed the importance of developing tailored and region-specific solutions to address the diverse ground realities and challenges in each province and district. They proposed several measures highlighting the importance of a holistic and collaborative approach to address the pressing issue of OOSC across the country.
The national symposium concluded with closing remarks by its Honorable Convenor, Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan, MNA. She expressed her gratitude to the Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training, Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, for delivering a comprehensive keynote address. She also thanked the participating parliamentarians, members of provincial assemblies, and senior officials from the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training for their valuable contributions, including insights, anecdotes, suggestions, statistics, and reflections on ground realities, to tackle the multifaceted issue of out-of-school children effectively.
Every child deserves the chance to learn, grow, and dream. Yet, millions of children remain out of school, missing out on opportunities for a brighter future.
At the Orientation and National Symposium on the Education Emergency, we’re coming together to create solutions, share insights, and mobilize action. Let’s ensure every child has access to quality education.
Expert panels on overcoming barriers to education, Strategies to bring children back to school, Opportunities to collaborate for impactful change
Your voice matters.
A group photo of all participants was taken to commemorate the event and serve as an institutional record.
