ISLAMABAD, Mar 15: The Federal Ministry of Education and Professional Training has set a target to enroll 25,000 out-of-school children (OOSC) in Islamabad Capital Territory within the next three months as part of 3 year rolling plan to enroll all out of school children. To facilitate this intervention, the government also plans to establish new community schools in close proximity to hot spots where there are sizeable number of out of school children.
Federal Secretary for Education and Professional Training, Mr Nadeem Mahbub, while speaking about the launch of the comprehensive enrollment drive noted that this initiative follows the recent announcement of the “No Child Left Behind” campaign by the Federal Minister for Education, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.
Field teams from the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), Basic Education Community Schools (BECS), and National Education Foundation (NEF) have been mobilized across the capital.
The Secretary explained that both formal and non-formal education departments are executing a ‘Carpet Coverage Plan’ at the Union Council level. Under this strategy, teams are conducting door-to-door surveys to identify out-of-school children and ensure their immediate enrollment.
To bolster the campaign, the Ministry has introduced several collaborative measures including university students have been engaged as volunteers to identify and assist in the enrollment of children within their own communities. International NGOs and local civil society organizations are partnering with the Ministry to maximize outreach at the grassroots level. New community schools will be established to provide learning opportunities near the students’ homes, catering to their specific academic needs.
Secretary further emphasized that progress will be reviewed on a weekly basis to ensure strict adherence to the timeline and effective implementation. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring that no child is deprived of their right to education, stating that the enrollment of 25,000 children in three months is a testament to this resolve.
