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       ISLAMABAD: The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) on Thursday showed concerns over the alarming number of out of school children (OOSC) in the country and called for urgent steps to formulate a comprehensive framework and strategy to address the challenge.

       A meeting was hosted by SIFC which was jointly chaired by the minister for federal education and the minister for human resource development. It was attended by policymakers to deliberate on the pressing issue of OOSC and education policy and skill education.

       The participants underscored a shared commitment to tackling the alarming issue. The meeting also directed the education ministry to finalise a new education policy in two months after taking all stakeholders on board.

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       “With an estimated 26 million children out of school, the stakeholders present expressed deep concern and recognised the urgent need for a comprehensive national framework and strategy to address this challenge,” says a statement issued after the meeting.

       It said national coordinator Lt Gen Sarfraz stressed that without addressing education and skill development challenges efforts to attract investment would falter.

       The statement said key agreements emerged from the meeting included a commitment to enhance education financing at both federal and provincial levels besides ensuring increased efficiency and transparency.

       Additionally, the forum recognised the importance of innovative financing mechanisms to attract foreign and private investment in skill education.

       Recognising the unique challenges faced by Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), it was agreed that the Federal Ministry of Education with support from SIFC would work separately to improve educational financing for these regions.

       It was decided that a groundbreaking initiative — national skill voucher scheme — will be piloted to provide greater access to skill development opportunities.

       Minister for Federal Education Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui underscored the necessity for high-impact IT training to equip students with relevant skills for the future job market.

       “The historic meeting of policymakers signifies a pivotal moment in Pakistan’s commitment to addressing educational challenges and ensuring inclusive skill development opportunities for all its citizens. SIFC will give mandatory directions to enhance funding in education,” added the statement.

       It was also agreed to recommend to the apex committee to direct all governments to enhance financing in education. It was announced that SIFC will be a permanent forum and the progress will be reviewed in a monthly meeting.

       It may be noted that OOSC is one of the major challenges being faced by country’s education sector. During his first meeting with officer of education ministry, the education minister had stated that he would take up the issue with the federal cabinet and the prime minister to declare an education emergency in the country to tackle it.

       The meeting also discussed the proposed new education policy. Currently, education policy 2009, which is considered as outdated, is in place. On the direction of SIFC, the education ministry has been working for preparing a new education policy.

       Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2024