Zubair Qureshi
The government has launched Rs25 billion ‘Out of School Children Fund’ to ensure quality education for all children of school going age.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan lqbal launched the National Challenge Fund to address Out of School Children (OOSC) crisis. While addressing the launching ceremony of the fund, Ahsan lqbal underscored the importance of the Out of School Children Fund and termed it a critical strategic step towards ensuring enrollment and reducing drop-out rates. He announced that major portion/chunk of the funds under this project would be directed towards Early Childhood Education (ECE), recognizing its crucial role as the foundation of the entire education chain. He urged Pakistan to accelerate efforts to catch up with regional countries in enhancing access to quality education, emphasizing the significance of political stability and continuity in policies for the country’s sustainable development. The launch of the Out of School Children Fund stands as a testament to the government’s unwavering commitment to providing every child in Pakistan with access to quality education and a bright future, he said, adding “by addressing OOSC through evidence-based approaches, innovative solutions, and collaborative efforts, Pakistan takes a momentous leap towards building a stronger, more educated, and prosperous nation.” He urged the provinces to match the fund and allocate Rs 25 billion from their budget. Secretary of Ministry Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Syed Zafar Ali Shah on the occasion said the Ministry had significantly increased education funding in the current year. He assured that the federal government’s efforts in this regard would have his ministry’s support and provincial and Area education departments would also be supported to ensure the success of this crucial initiative.
During the event, Member (Social Sector & Devolution), Rafiullah Kakar, highlighted the critical challenge of ensuring quality education. He emphasized that enrolling OOSC in schools is not enough: the real issue lies in the retention of these children due to inadequate learning environments, addressing the supply side drivers of OOSC crisis the top most priority under this project. Mr. Kakar further highlighted that the project entails provision of performance based grants to provincial governments. This result-based financing will improve efficiency and effectiveness of public expenditure and promote innovation in fiscal federalism. He stressed the urgent need to improve the teaching-learning environment to create an enabling environment for children’s holistic development. The Out of School Fund, amounting to a colossal commitment of Rs25 billion has been earmarked as a performance-based fund for provincial education departments. These departments will develop plans with specific indicators, and funding will be allocated based on the successful achievement of those indicators.
