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- May 9, 2024
- Kainat Shakeel
- 0
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared an emergency in the nation’s education system on Wednesday, promising to enroll almost 26 million children who are not in school and encourage literacy to reclaim the motherland’s lost ground and make it one of the world’s most educated countries. With steadfast determination and the backing of the provinces, we shall confront the issue of 26 million children who are not attending school today. They will return to school, we promise. I therefore proclaim an emergency in Pakistani education going forward. Speaking during the National Conference on Education Emergency, the prime minister declared, “We will do it in Pakistan the way we did it in Punjab.”
To march in harmony and express the hope that the provinces would also lend their support, I will personally oversee the program and meet with all of the chief ministers, regardless of their political affiliations,” the prime minister declared. Members of parliament, vice-chancellors, federal ministers, ambassadors, and development partners were present at the occasion. “Our future and our children are at stake here. Without a doubt, this is a complicated undertaking. However, countries that had previously encountered challenges and loss emerged from their prior setbacks. Japan and Germany are two instances. Pakistan can’t be, why not? I promise that one day Pakistan will rank among the best-educated societies if we work together to carve out our place,” he continued.
The prime minister stated that stunted development and the 26 million children who are not attending school are Pakistan’s two biggest problems, both of which call for significant financial resources. “The true challenge lies in having the will to do,” he remarked, citing Pakistan’s demonstration of its resolve to become a nuclear power despite external demands and its sacrifice of almost 80,000 lives to eradicate terrorism and bring about peace in the nation. Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training, stated in his speech that Pakistan was at a crossroads in its development and had no choice but to take action in the education sector.
“The educational numbers in Pakistan are unsettling, worrisome, and depressing. Over 26 million kids are not attending school. This figure exceeds the combined population of 150 nations worldwide,” he continued. According to Abdullah A. Fadil, a representative of UNICEF in Pakistan, more than 70% of Pakistani children ten years old are illiterate. He regretted that, despite constitutional commitments, education in Pakistan was neither free nor mandatory yet. He claimed that Pakistan might reclaim its lost reputation by increasing investments in youth and education. Pakistan was home to the first physics Nobel laureate and had just sent a space mission to the moon. With 60% of its population under 30, Pakistan is at a crossroads where difficult decisions must be made, according to British High Commissioner to Islamabad Jane Marriott.
The conference, she added, demanded immediate action in the form of increased money, inclusivity, multiple shifts at schools, and child detention. Her nation pledged full support to help Pakistan reach its objective. According to Coco Ushiyama, the Country Director of the World Food Programme, school meals are among the best projects to invest in the future of the nation, and food security and education go hand in hand. In Pakistan, 40 percent of children have stunted growth, and in impoverished parts, the percentage hovers around 60 percent, according to World Bank Vice President Martin Raiser. Climate resilience has to be prioritized, according to Mr. Raiser, because Pakistan’s educational system is climate change susceptible.
In a video message from Makalu Mountain, Pakistan’s fastest mountaineer, Naila Kiani, stated that her education and self-belief were the only reasons she was able to fulfill her aspirations. She asked the prime minister and the chief ministers to provide funding for girls’ education so that they can achieve their goals. In the meantime, PM Shehbaz, presiding over a separate meeting on Wednesday, instructed the relevant authorities to set up the Pakistan Skill Company and Pakistan Skill Development Fund right away to integrate technical and vocational education across the nation and improve job opportunities for Pakistani nationals working overseas.