Islamabad: The Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training (MoFEPT) has launched the first Federal Basic Education Policy. The event was chaired by Federal Secretary Mr Mohiuddin Wani and attended by key development partners, university vice chancellors, parliamentarians and partner organizations working in the field of education in Pakistan. The event was chaired by renowned writer and social activist Ms. Feryal Ali Gauhar.
On May 8, 2024, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared an education emergency. As a matter of urgency, the government will now deal with the out-of-school crisis – 26.2 million children are now out of school. It will also solve the education crisis; In Pakistan, 4 out of 5 children do not understand at the age of 10. Also, according to the 2023 Education Annual Report, only 13% of 3rd grade students can do simple division. This means that children lack basic skills. This means they need to learn more complex concepts and possibly become productive citizens. The policy is an important step in the government’s response to the education crisis.
The Federal Basic Education Policy 2024 aims to “ensure that all children enrolled in schools in the federal region have basic learning skills by 2030.” This policy applies to all public schools, private schools, non-formal education centers and madarists in the Capital Territory of Islamabad, Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The departments responsible for implementing the policy are Federal Education Department, School Education Department, Gilgit Baltistan and Primary and Secondary Education Department, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. In addition, several other departments will support the implementation of this policy, including the Pakistan MoFEPT Center for Basic Education, which is designed to improve primary literacy and numeracy across the country.
The policy is part of a national drive to improve basic literacy and numeracy skills for Pakistani children. Across the country, each province develops its own education policy. In addition, there is growing support from civil society, academics and international organizations to solve this problem.
In the inauguration ceremony on Monday, Mr. Salman Naveed Khan, CEO, Pakistan Mathematics and Science Association, gave an overview of the eight pillars of the Federal Basic Education Policy 2024. It is easy to make a policy but the real task is to implement it”. Rifat Jabeen, Academic Director, Federal Directorate of Education, spoke about the success of the “Reading Hour” program which was carried out in the capital region of Islamabad and praised MoFEPT’s efforts to improve reading and create a reading culture in schools Ms. Inga Afanasyeva, Senior Economist of the World Bank, said that the level of education among children is low and the content of teachers is sometimes low in assessment quality of education in school.
Finally, MoFEPT Secretary Mr. Mohiuddin Wani thanked his partners and colleagues who are working to improve primary education in Pakistan. He emphasized the need to support teachers because of their central role in the learning process. He also nominated Ms. Feryal Ali Gauhar as a reading ambassador to create a culture of reading in the federal region.
“Thank God, we will implement the policy in the letter and the right spirit and involve all stakeholders and adjust it to each region.”
Mr. Moyuddin Wani, Secretary, MoFEPT
