Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training, Engr Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman on Wednesday said web version of Non-Formal Education Management Information System (NFEMIS) will help boosting the number of literates in the country.
The minister further stated that the federal government has increased budgetary allocation for educational sector from Rs 500 billion to Rs 900 billion during the last five years.
While addressing the launching ceremony of Non-formal Education Management Information System (NFEMIS) web version by Academy of Educational Planning and Management (AEPAM) under Ministry of Education and Professional Training in collaboration with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the minister said present government put its focus on the promotion of quality education in the country and raised funding for education sector.
"We have successfully revived our national assessment system and are all set to launch TIMMS assessment in 2019 and moreover, have recently revised our curriculum."
New curriculum will be provided to the students of primary and secondary level before the next session that will include information about traffic laws, disaster management, corruption, drugs, and besides inculcating civic sense, character building, soft skills and global citizenship among the students.
He said during last five years, school dropout rate has decreased and enrolment rate has increased, as around five million children have been enrolled in schools over the last five years. And those who were dropped out were mostly because of financial constraints, he added.
He said the federal government has launched a program under which the teachers and heads of the schools across the country are being provided professional teaching skills and training, and the program is producing positive results.
The minister said Pakistan is also taking SDGs very seriously and has started working towards achieving these goals with a firm resolve and commitment.
"We are using non-formal education models and are going to establish numerous new adult literacy centers," he said.
The federal and provincial governments have spent more than Rs 4,200 billion during the last five years for promoting education while budget for higher education sector has also been increased from Rs40 billion to Rs107 billion during the same period.
He said the federal government has increased its budgetary allocation for educational sector from Rs500 billion to Rs900 billion during the last five years. "The number is increasing steadily every year," he remarked.
The minister thanked the donors and partners for their cooperation in achieving the goals. Senator Rozina Alam, representatives of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Joint Education Advisor Muhammad Rafique Tahir and other officers of the ministry also attended the ceremony.