Minister Vowed To Enrol 52,000 Out-Of-School Children By June 30

News Desk

Islamabad: Federal Education and Professional Training Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain aims to have enrolled nearly 52,000 out-of-school children (OOSC) in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) by June 30 this year.

Minister Tanveer instructed ministry officials to give the National Education Foundation (NEF) Rs. 200 million over a two-year period in order to meet the educational demands of OOSC in ICT and guarantee the retention of the children.

NEF Board of Governors Chairman Rana Tanveer praised the foundation for its steadfast efforts to meet the ICT demands of OOSC.

Additionally, Rana expressed his delight with the ongoing programmes implemented for the disentangled group of children in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and ICT and congratulated him on winning the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) project for training non-formal teachers.

Rana Tanveer highlighted the grave concern of the OOSC of ages 5–16 in Pakistan, emphasising that the country ranks at the bottom in this regard. Recognising 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.

The Ministry has given skills education, quality education, and tackling the OOSC problem top priority in light of the global trend of investing in skills education for progress. After enrolling all OOSC in ICT in schools, a more effective plan will be executed in other parts of the nation.

Minister Rana reaffirmed his commitment to providing every child in Pakistan with access to a high-quality education. “Youth in the country will have a better future because of the Ministry’s proactive measures, coordination with stakeholders, and targeted investments,” he added.