ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Rana Tanveer Hussain has said that Pakistan is constitutionally bound to provide “free and compulsory education for all children between the ages of 5 to 16”.

He said this here on Wednesday while speaking as the chief guest at a two-day Pakistan Learning Conference 2023: Building Foundations organised by the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training.

He said that the government of Pakistan was intending to go beyond it as Pakistan was committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) to provide “lifelong learning opportunities for all”.

He emphasized sharing knowledge and experience during the conference and pushing hard for these goals. He further said that through this event Pakistan could come closer to the vision of an educated, confident Pakistani youth, supported from the moment they are born and equipped with the foundational learning to achieve their dreams.

He informed the attendees about the Human Capital Review Report and shed light on how addressing learning poverty is crucial for socio-economic progress. He further added that through the flagship initiatives of Education and Professional Training ministry which included out-of-school children’s enrollment drive, foundational literacy through ASPIRE, establishment of classrooms in primary schools and kindergarten important steps are being taken for transforming early childhood education.

Hussain said the meeting was going to play an instrumental role in developing synergies for providing access to education in all corners of Pakistan. He said his ministry was ensuring that an inclusive approach is taken to devise strategies that benefit students, teachers and parents in every province.

“The IPEMC’s contributions are going to be significant in enrollment of Out of School Children (OOSC) and multiple distance learning interventions.”

During the conference, the minister shared information on the enrollment of OOSC at the federal and provincial levels. He informed that a model Universal Enrollment Pilot Project in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) had already been rigorously launched in collaboration with implementation partners and the secretary education was monitoring the progress on a day-to-day basis. It was also informed that the initiative was focusing on bringing down the OOSC to zero in ICT by 30th June 2023.

The minister emphasized that after the successful piloting of Zero OOSC Initiative in the ICT, the learning will be replicated across the country. Provinces offered their full support in taking forward this remarkable initiative and committed to providing their complete facilitation in the enrollment drive across Pakistan.

He also emphasized the importance of developing a framework for data sharing as well and assured the provinces that maximum facilitation would be given to them for reaping benefits from these projects.

He informed the attendees about the flagship initiatives related to distance learning, out of school children, curriculum reforms and foundation learning conference of the ministry and how the provinces could contribute towards their implementation for optimum results.

Hussain said that his ministry was looking forward to creating a combined action plan at the conference through synergies, collaborations and experience sharing that will positively impact the future of early childhood education in Pakistan.

Earlier, Secretary Education Waseem Ajmal Chaudhary welcomed the participants and said that the gathering of passionate international and national level educators, policymakers and donors at the conference was a unique opportunity to collectively work towards transforming the landscape of early childhood education and foundational learning.

Riffat Jabeen, Director Academics Federal Directorate of Education gave an overview of the themes and topics to be discussed at the conference.

Featuring nine international and 37 national speakers across diverse educational disciplines, the conference offers a rich tapestry of perspectives. With their expertise and experience, the speakers are sharing invaluable insights, inspiring ideas, and global best practices, enriching the conference experience for all attendees.

On day one, insightful panel discussions on progress and challenges, right to education, financing, delivery at scale and technical sessions on enabling structures and public-private partnership as delivery models were carried out.

Innovative approaches were explored through interactive stalls by the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), PTCL, National Book Foundation (NBF) and Robotmea, fostering engagement and learning. These stalls provided the visitors an opportunity to see the novel methodologies and ideas in early childhood education and foundational learning.

Overall, the conference aims to shed light on key issues being faced in childhood education by uniting renowned speakers and visionaries. Emphasizing innovation and enhanced practices, this event is sparking insightful discussions, fostering idea exchange, and facilitating collaborative efforts to advance education in Pakistan.

Attended by global educators, policymakers and experts, this eagerly awaited conference is delving into vital topics of early childhood education (ECE) and foundational learning.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023