National Action Plan To Be Developed To Address OOSC Issue

News Desk

Islamabad: The federal and provincial governments have decided to prepare a national action plan to deal with the problem of out-of-school children (OOSC) and increase the number of school-age children enrolled nationwide.

The decision was made in a high-level consultative meeting, chaired by the Minister for Planning and Development.

The meeting noted that Pakistan has made significant strides in ensuring that its school-age population has access to education over the years, though at a slower pace than other developing nations.

Pakistan has one of the highest rates of out-of-school children in the world, with an estimated 22.8 million kids between the ages of 5 and 16 not enrolled in school.

The meeting was informed that the upcoming Public Sector Development Programme (2023–2024) would institutionalise several key initiatives to achieve universal education in Pakistan.

A model Universal Enrolment Pilot Project would be in place in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) to ensure no OOSC in the capital. After the successful execution of the pilot project, it would be replicated to produce similar results in other areas across the country. The Planning Ministry will also identify Pakistan’s districts with the highest concentrations of OOSC.

Moreover, a National OOSC Fund would be formed to give provincial governments cash grants based on performance in order to achieve the desired outcomes in the most impacted districts.

Additionally, the government will introduce a comprehensive virtual learning system in an effort to lower dropout rates, particularly for girls who have mobility challenges.

Earlier, the provincial representatives briefed the meeting about the situation overview of OOSC in their respective provinces and shared their approaches to ensuring maximum primary school enrolment.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal directed the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) to establish a birth certificate-based admission system in collaboration with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).

Ahsan Iqbal stated that the state should enrol a child in a nearby school as soon as he or she becomes school-age. He also emphasised the value of adult literacy and gave instructions on how to develop a strategy accordingly.

Planning Commission (Social Sector and Devolution) Member Rafiullah Kakar asked for a data-driven need assessment for all projects targeting OOSS. He explained that the Planning Commission was also developing a national education index to monitor progress on education outcomes and encourage healthy competition among provinces.