PM Plan to Declare Education Emergency in Pakistan

Headline: The federal government intends to declare an education emergency in Pakistan.

The federal cabinet has agreed to declare a four-year education emergency in Pakistan to address out-of-school children and other serious concerns in the field.

In the next days, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is likely to proclaim an educational emergency.

According to sources, the PM was supposed to chair a conference on Tuesday (today), but it was pushed back a few days due to other commitments on Monday night. 

Urgent Action: Handling Education Emergency in Pakistan

Pakistan has 26.2 million out-of-school children (OOSCs). Aside from the OOSC dilemma, the country also has a poor literacy rate of 62%. Similarly, the government’s low education investment of 1.7 percent of GDP is cause for concern.

Similarly, disparities in the availability of vital infrastructure like bathrooms, drinkable water, and boundary walls in schools across the country are cause for concern. A huge number of schools around the country, particularly in the outskirts, lack potable water and other essential amenities. 

Last month, after receiving a briefing from officials on OOSC and other educational facilities across the country, Federal Education Minister Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui stated that he will recommend that the prime minister and the federal cabinet proclaim a national education emergency.

throughout its most current report for 2021-22, Pakistan Education Statistics reported 26.21 million OOSC throughout the country. According to the research, 39 percent of Pakistan’s youngsters are out of school, with 11.73 million in Punjab, 7.63 million in Sindh, 3.63 million in KP, 3.13 million in Balochistan, and 0.08 million in Islamabad. 

Prior to the meeting’s postponement on Monday, the education ministry released a news release that stated: “With a commitment to leave no child behind, the National Conference on Education Emergency underscores Pakistan’s dedication to building a more equitable and prosperous society through.” 

National Conference on Education Emergency in Pakistan

 It stated that the National Conference on Education Emergency, which was set to take place at the Prime Minister’s Office on April 30 [since postponed], aimed to address the critical challenges of out-of-school children, learning poverty, and to support lagging areas across Pakistan. 

Prime Minister Initiatives For  Education Emergency in Pakistan

The event, chaired by the prime minister, will be attended by chief ministers, country leaders of development partners, diplomats, foreign delegates, and educators from around the world.

“The conference provides a forum for collaborative efforts, bringing together important stakeholders to develop effective strategies and activities to achieve inclusive and excellent education for all children in Pakistan. The conference aims to pave the road for transformative change in the education sector, building a brighter future for the nation,” according to the press release. 

According to a source, the intended conference has been pushed back a week due to the Prime Minister’s involvement in Saudi Arabia.

When contacted, Secretary Education Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani stated that improving the education sector was the top priority of both the federal and provincial administrations.

He stated that, under the supervision of the Prime Minister and the education minister, the Education Ministry was working with all stakeholders to improve. 

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