ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has pointed out that alarmingly over 22.8 million children between the age of five to 16 years are out of school in Pakistan with a disproportionate number being girls.
He said in Pakistan, women contribute more than half of the total population, yet the female literacy rate stands at only 49 percent.
The prime minister was speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day International Conference on Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities: Challenges and Opportunities, in Islamabad on Saturday. The PM has called for collective efforts to develop scalable and sustainable solutions for girls’ education.
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He further pointed out that this cause is worth fighting for, worth committing resources to and worth advocating for. PM Sharif said millions of young girls over the next decade will enter the job market, emphasizing they have the potential not just to lift themselves, their families and nations out of poverty but also to enrich the global economy.
He added that despite our rich legacy, the Muslim world including Pakistan faces significant challenges in ensuring equitable access to education for girls.
The PM emphasised that denying education to girls is tantamount to denying them their voice and the choice while depriving them of their right to a bright future. He said a major step towards addressing education disparities in Pakistan was the establishment of Daanish schools, a unique initiative introduced to provide quality education to unprivileged children in rural and under developed areas. “Initiative is now being replicated in far-flung regions of Pakistan, paving the way for a promising and more inclusive future”, said the prime minister.
He said through our flagship youth programme, the government is committed to providing quality education, creating jobs and offering meaningful opportunities which include scholarships and vocational training in demand driven skills such as Artificial Intelligence, data analytics and cyber security as well as provision of laptops to high achievers.
Shehbaz Sharif said we have decided to place Islamabad declaration to be signed by this conference before the UN including the UN Security Council as a collective aspiration of the Ummah. The prime minister’s speech was followed by signing of International Partnership Agreement which represents a collective commitment to furthering the cause of girls’ education.
The prime minister also appreciated the efforts of former PPP leader Benazir Bhutto, Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai, first Pakistani woman Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif, and youngest Microsoft expert Arfa Karim in their relevant fields.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025