Education ministers determined to bring 20m kids back to schools
The 38th Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC) on Wednesday expressed a firm resolve to tackle Pakistan’s education emergency, unanimously approving the National Education Emergency Action Plan and a series of key reform initiatives aimed at bringing millions of out-of-school children back into classrooms. Chaired by Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, the high-level meeting brought together federal and provincial stakeholders after extensive consultations, signalling rare political consensus on one of the country’s most pressing social challenges.
The conference was attended by Minister of State for Education WajihaQamar, Federal Parliamentary Secretary Farah Naz Akbar, Federal Secretary Education Nadeem Mahbub, and provincial education ministers including Rahila Hameed Durrani from Balochistan, Muhammad Ismail Rahoo from Sindh, Rana Iqbal Sikandar, Punjab, and Arshad Ayub Khan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who joined via video link.
Heads of key federal education bodies, including the chairman of the Federal Board and the executive director of the Inter Board Coordination Committee (IBCC), were also present. Participants were briefed on a special federal “Challenge Fund” designed to support provinces in enrolling out-of-school children, with the federal government pledging financial and technical assistance to address what was described as a national crisis.
In what officials termed a historic display of unity, representatives of all administrative units agreed to set aside political differences to implement the education emergency. The plan aims to facilitate the return of approximately 20 million out-of-school children in 2026 and to introduce international-standard examination and curriculum reforms to ensure equitable and quality education across the country.
During the meeting, the provincial ministers shared progress updates from their respective regions. Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar reported the elimination of 1.8 million “ghost students” from records and the outsourcing of 10,000 schools. Sindh’s Muhammad Ismail Rahoo highlighted the merit-based recruitment of 93,000 teachers, while Balochistan’s Rahila Hameed Durrani said 3,200 previously closed schools had been restored, enabling around 140,000 children to resume schooling.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported a six per cent increase in enrolment along with the recruitment of 10,000 teachers. Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Education Minister Malik Zafar informed the forum that despite challenges along the Line of Control, Rs7 billion had been allocated for the construction of 10,000 new classrooms. Gilgit-Baltistan representatives also outlined initiatives focused on special funds for out-of-school children and the expansion of the school meal programme.
Earlier, Federal Secretary Education Nadeem Mahbub said all approved projects would require final ratification by the Prime Minister-led Education Emergency Task Force. He encouraged provinces to benefit from the Federal Board’s reform programme and stressed the need to align matriculation and inter-tech streams with global standards.
In his closing remarks, Federal Education Minister, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui described the conference as a milestone of national harmony, stressing that sustained coordination among federal units was essential to meeting global education standards, expanding informal education, reaching remote areas and mainstreaming madrasa students into a unified national education framework.
