PM Shehbaz declares education emergency to enroll 26mn out-of-school children
Education
Pakistan will become one of the most educated countries of the world soon, Shehbaz hopes
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared the education emergency across the country to enroll around 26 million out-of-school children and promote literacy to make the country regain its lost space and develop it as one of the most educated societies in the world.
“Today, with iron conviction, and the support of provinces, we will handle the challenge of 26 million out-of-school children. We will bring them back to school,” the prime minister said.
He was addressing a National Conference on Education Emergency held here in Islamabad on Wednesday.
The conference was attended by federal ministers, parliamentarians, vice-chancellors, diplomats, and development partners.
Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister said that he would personally supervise the program and meet all the chief ministers himself.
“It is about our children and our future. Pakistan will become one of the most educated countries of the world,” he said.
He also highlighted his projects in the education sector during his stints as chief minister Punjab.
“The enrollment in schools was increased significantly as 90,000 children from brick kilns were sent to schools,” the PM said.
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He also stated that 10,000 schools were handed over to Punjab Daanish Authority which offered free high-quality education and boarding for underprivileged children.
The Punjab Education Endowment Fund provided scholarships to hundreds of thousands of deserving students based on merit.
He said the enrollment of 26 million out-of-school children and stunted growth are major challenges facing Pakistan which required huge financial resources.
Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that more than 26 million children are out of school in Pakistan and this number is greater than the population of 150 countries in the world.
Unicef representative in Pakistan Abdullah A Fadil, British High Commissioner Jane Marriott, World Food Program country director Coco Ushiyama, Vice President of World Bank Martin Raiser and Pakistan’s fastest mountaineer Naila Kiani also spoke in the conference.
