Ambitious plan: Govt unveils Rs188b plan to enrol over five million children
Minister also hints at reformed national curriculum for all provinces.
Minister also hints at reformed national curriculum for all provinces. PHOTO: EXPRESS/ FILE
ISLAMABAD:
The new government unveiled its first national-level plan to address the education emergency afflicting the country. A three-year ‘National Plan of Action’ comprising a four-tier comprehensive strategy to reintegrate the 25 million out-of-school children aged five to 16 across the country and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 2015 was announced a ceremony on Tuesday, organised by the Ministry of Education, Training and Standards in Higher Education and attended by representatives of Unesco and Unicef.
According to the report, in 2011-12, 21.1 million of the country’s population was aged between five and nine years — 11 million boys and 10 million girls — while the net enrolment rate was 68 per cent, meaning over 6.7 million children were out of school. The “MDG Acceleration Framework (MAF)” report illustrates the government’s aim to enrolling 5.1 million children in the age bracket of five to nine years between 2013 and 2016.
The cost of the ambitious enrolment drive is estimated at Rs188 billion, according to ministry officials.
The report has been compiled by the ministry in collaboration with all the provinces and the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
“Though we are far from achieving the MDGs, we will not give up efforts to enroll all out-of-school children,” said State Minister for Education, Trainings and Standards in Higher Education Baligur Rehman.
The four-pronged strategy includes enrolment in existing schools, adding additional classrooms and teachers, building new schools and targeted incentives for children.
A Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) official said that in Islamabad, over 43,000 children between the ages of five and nine are not enrolled, while the five to 16 age bracket includes 136,000 children. He added that almost 70 per cent of primary school-age children attend public schools.
Reformed curriculum
Baligur Rehman said the government would establish a Federal Curriculum Commission to reform the curricula at federal and provincial levels, which in turn would decrease the disparity among the various curricula in place.
“The government plans to gradually increase spending on education to four per cent of gross domestic product by the end of its term,” he said.
Education, Trainings and Standards in Higher Education Secretary Ahmed Bakhsh Lehri said education was the key to address issues of food security, climate change, poverty and terrorism.
Unesco Pakistan Director Dr Kouze Kay Nagata added that UN institutions in Pakistan were aiming to reduce poverty and equip citizens with the power of knowledge, especially the marginalised communities.
She congratulated the Islamabad Capital Territory and the provincial government of Sindh for their efforts to enforce article 25-A of the constitution in letter and spirit and working for its implementation. She also hoped that other provinces would follow suit.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2013.
The new government unveiled its first national-level plan to address the education emergency afflicting the country. A three-year ‘National Plan of Action’ comprising a four-tier comprehensive strategy to reintegrate the 25 million out-of-school children aged five to 16 across the country and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 2015 was announced a ceremony on Tuesday, organised by the Ministry of Education, Training and Standards in Higher Education and attended by representatives of Unesco and Unicef.
According to the report, in 2011-12, 21.1 million of the country’s population was aged between five and nine years — 11 million boys and 10 million girls — while the net enrolment rate was 68 per cent, meaning over 6.7 million children were out of school. The “MDG Acceleration Framework (MAF)” report illustrates the government’s aim to enrolling 5.1 million children in the age bracket of five to nine years between 2013 and 2016.
The cost of the ambitious enrolment drive is estimated at Rs188 billion, according to ministry officials.
The report has been compiled by the ministry in collaboration with all the provinces and the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
“Though we are far from achieving the MDGs, we will not give up efforts to enroll all out-of-school children,” said State Minister for Education, Trainings and Standards in Higher Education Baligur Rehman.
The four-pronged strategy includes enrolment in existing schools, adding additional classrooms and teachers, building new schools and targeted incentives for children.
A Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) official said that in Islamabad, over 43,000 children between the ages of five and nine are not enrolled, while the five to 16 age bracket includes 136,000 children. He added that almost 70 per cent of primary school-age children attend public schools.
Reformed curriculum
Baligur Rehman said the government would establish a Federal Curriculum Commission to reform the curricula at federal and provincial levels, which in turn would decrease the disparity among the various curricula in place.
“The government plans to gradually increase spending on education to four per cent of gross domestic product by the end of its term,” he said.
Education, Trainings and Standards in Higher Education Secretary Ahmed Bakhsh Lehri said education was the key to address issues of food security, climate change, poverty and terrorism.
Unesco Pakistan Director Dr Kouze Kay Nagata added that UN institutions in Pakistan were aiming to reduce poverty and equip citizens with the power of knowledge, especially the marginalised communities.
She congratulated the Islamabad Capital Territory and the provincial government of Sindh for their efforts to enforce article 25-A of the constitution in letter and spirit and working for its implementation. She also hoped that other provinces would follow suit.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2013.