SIFC education summit discusses issue of out of school children

The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) hosted a meeting co-chaired by the minister of federal education and minister of human resource development (HRD) for policymakers in the field of education to address the pressing issue of out of school children in Pakistan on Friday.

The Summit for Innovation in Education and Skill Development was attended by the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MOFEPT), secretary HRD, executive director (National Vocational and Technical Training Commission) NAVTCC, and director general (DG) Engineers, who gave presentations to the participants.

With an estimated 26 million children out of school, stakeholders expressed deep concern and recognized the urgent need for a comprehensive national framework and strategy to address the challenge.

The national coordinator, Lt General Safaraz, stressed that "without addressing education and skill development challenges, efforts to attract investment in Pakistan would falter".

Read: Shehbaz directs 'Character Education Initiative' in Pakistan

The meeting resulted in key agreements; including a commitment to enhance education financing at both federal and provincial levels while ensuring increased efficiency and transparency.

Additionally, the forum also recognized the importance of innovative financing mechanisms to attract foreign and private investment in skill education.

The consensus reached during the meeting underscored a shared commitment to tackling the alarming issue head-on.

Recognizing the unique challenges faced by Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), it was agreed that the federal ministry of education, with support from SIFC, would work separately to improve educational financing for these regions.

It was also agreed that the national skill voucher scheme will be piloted to provide greater access to skill development opportunities.

The minister of education maintained the necessity for high-impact IT training to equip students with relevant skills for the future job market. It was agreed to recommend to the apex committee to direct all governments to enhance financing in education.

The meeting declared that the SIFC forum will be a permanent forum, and that the progress will be reviewed in a monthly meeting.

Earlier this month on March 20, Chairman of the Character Education Foundation (CEF) Mehmood Ahmed was invited to the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (M/o FE&PT) in Islamabad under the directives of PM Shehbaz to underscore the necessity for a comprehensive strategy to implement character education effectively.

The PM had reaffirmed the federal government's commitment to supporting high-achieving students through scholarship schemes for pursuing higher education at globally renowned institutions.