The 38th Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC), chaired by Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, has unanimously endorsed and approved the National Education Emergency Action Plan for Out-of-School Children (OOSC), along with provincial components and other key educational projects, following extensive consultations.
The high-level meeting was attended by Minister of State for Education Wajiha Qamar, Federal Parliamentary Secretary Farah Naz Akbar, Secretary Education Nadeem Mahbub, and provincial ministers including Rahila Hameed Durrani (Balochistan), Muhammad Ismail Rahoo (Sindh), Rana Iqbal Sikandar (Punjab, via video link), and Arshad Ayub Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, via video link). Heads of federal educational bodies, including the Chairman of the Federal Board and the Executive Director of IBCC, were also present.
During the session, participants were briefed on a special federal “Challenge Fund” designed to bring out-of-school children back into the educational fold, with the federal government providing support to all provinces to tackle this national crisis.
In a historic display of unity, all administrative units set aside political affiliations to reach a consensus on implementing the education emergency, facilitating the return of out-of-school children, and introducing international-standard examination and curricular reforms aimed at providing equitable, quality education to every child in Pakistan.
Provincial representatives shared significant progress reports. Punjab’s Education Minister Rana Sikandar announced the elimination of 1.8 million ghost students and the outsourcing of 10,000 schools. Sindh’s Muhammad Ismail Rahoo confirmed the merit-based recruitment of 93,000 teachers, while Balochistan’s Rahila Hameed Durrani reported the restoration of 3,200 closed schools, bringing 140,000 children back to classrooms.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa confirmed a 6 percent increase in enrolment alongside the recruitment of 10,000 teachers, while Azad Kashmir’s Minister Malik Zafar highlighted the allocation of Rs7 billion for 10,000 new classrooms, despite challenges along the Line of Control. Gilgit-Baltistan also shared initiatives regarding special funds for out-of-school children and the expansion of the School Meal Program.
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Federal Secretary Education Nadeem Mahbub stated that all endorsed and approved projects would receive final ratification from the Education Emergency Task Force, chaired by the Prime Minister. He further invited provinces to benefit from the Federal Board’s reform program and emphasised aligning Matric and Inter-Tech programs with global standards.
DG PIE Dr Muhammad Shahid Saroya informed the forum that the National Action Plan was developed over six months of stakeholder consultations to address the challenge of 25 million out-of-school children.
The conference concluded with the unanimous approval of several key agendas, including technical education initiatives presented by DG FED Syed Junaid Akhlaq, the Education Emergency Task Force TORs, a data regime by PIE, modern curriculum reforms by Director NCC Tabassum Naz, and a character-building strategy presented by Chairman National Rahmatul-lil-Aalameen Authority Khurshid Ahmed Nadeem.
In his closing remarks, Federal Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui congratulated all stakeholders on the successful conduct of the conference, describing it as a milestone of national harmony. He emphasised that bringing all federal units together on one platform reflects a firm commitment to overcoming educational challenges and reiterated that sustained coordination is vital for meeting global standards, expanding informal education, reaching remote areas, and mainstreaming Madrasa students within a unified national education framework.
