ISLAMABAD   -   Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday declared an ‘Education Emergency’ across Pakistan to enroll around 26 million out-of-school children and promote literacy to make the country regain its lost space and develop it as one of the most educated societies in the world.

“Today, with iron conviction, and the support of provinces, we will handle the challenge of26 million out-of-school children. We will bring them back to school...I declare from this moment an Emergency in Education all over Pakistan...The way we did it in Punjab, we will do it in Pakistan,” the prime minister said addressing the National Conference on Education Emergency.

He told the gathering of federal ministers, parliamentarians, vice-chancellors, diplomats, and development partners that he would personally supervise the programme and meet all the chief ministers, setting aside political affiliations, with a vision to march in unison, expressing the hope that the provinces too would extend their support.

“This is about our children and our future... This is a very challenging task, no doubt. But nations which had faced difficulties and defeat in the past arose from the ashes of defeat. Germany and Japan are the examples. Why can’t Pakistan be? I guarantee, if we move in unison to find our space, Pakistan will emerge as one of the most educated societies one day,” he remarked.

The prime minister, recounting the achievements of the Punjab Government during his chief ministership, highlighted the boosted enrollment rates, especially for girls, through initiatives like the Zevar Taleem Programme, and rescuing 90,000 boys from brick kilns to sending them to schools.

He also mentioned outsourcing of 10,000 poorly performing schools to improve education quality and established Daanish Schools which offered free high-quality education and boarding for underprivileged children. The Punjab Education Endowment Fund provided scholarships to hundreds of thousands of deserving students based on merit.

He said the enrollment of 26 million out-of-school children and stunted growth were major challenges facing Pakistan which required huge financial resources. “But the real challenge is the will to do,” he commented and recalled Pakistan’s manifestation of the commitment to become a nuclear power despite international pressures, and eliminating terrorism by sacrificing around 80,000 lives to establish peace in the country as well as the globe.

In his address, Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the education sector needed immediate actions and urgent responses as Pakistan stood at the crossroads of destination with no option to lose.

“The statistics of education in Pakistan are disturbing, alarming and disheartening. More than 26 million children are out of school. This number is greater than the population of 150 countries in the world,” he commented.

Unicef Representative in Pakistan Abdullah A. Fadil said over 70% of children of age 10 in Pakistan could not read or understand text. Despite constitutional guarantees, education in Pakistan was neither yet compulsory nor free.

He said through enhanced investment in education and young people, Pakistan could regain its lost stature as the first Nobel Laureate in Physics belonged to Pakistan and that the country also recently sent a space mission to moon.

British High Commissioner in Islamabad Jane Marriott said that Pakistan with 60% population under 30 years of age was at a crossroads to make tough choices.

She said the conference called for urgent actions like enhanced funding, inclusivity, multiple shifts schools and retaining the children, and assured her country’s all-out cooperation to make Pakistan achieve the goal.

World Food Programme Country Director Coco Ushiyama in her video message said food security and education went hand in hand and school meals was one of the best programmes to invest in the country’s future.

World Bank Vice President Martin Raiser said Pakistan was faced with 40% children having stunted growth and the ratio was around 60pc in poor districts.

He also commended the prime minister for taking the out-of-school children as a challenge and suggested the government to hold absent teachers accountable, and provide public transport, safe roads, toilets and electricity in schools to enhance enrollment. He said as Pakistan’s education system was vulnerable to climate change, it was a must to invest in climate resilience. Pakistan’s fastest mountaineer Naila Kiani, in her video message from Makalu Mountain, said she had been able to achieve her dreams just because of self-belief and education.

She requested the prime minister and chief ministers to allocate more resources for girls’ education to help them materialize their dreams.

 ‘Pakistan Skill Company, Skill Development Fund’

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to immediately initiate the process of establishing the Pakistan Skill Company and Pakistan Skill Development Fund to unify the technical and vocational education countrywide and provide better employment to Pakistani workers abroad.

The prime minister, chairing a high-level meeting to review the matters of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, and National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), decided to introduce reforms in the said organisations.

He instructed to further activate the NAVVTC to provide world-class technical and vocational training to the young workforce and also called for ensuring the globally renowned and international certifications in all technical fields.

The prime minister also emphasised the collaboration between the center and provinces to elevate the quality of Pakistan’s technical manpower and human resource development.

He called for establishing an integrated system of regulating the manpower equipped with the best and world-class professional technical skills.

Besides, in coordination with NADRA, NAVTTC and all the provincial institutions, a database of manpower in the country and abroad should be developed, he added.

Stressing the need for implementing the technical and vocational training plans, the prime minister also directed to reform the license regime of the companies engaged in employment of Pakistani skilled and technical workforce abroad.

He said the individuals and companies should be identified those are found involved in defrauding the people and inflicting financial financial losses besides defaming Pakistan internationally.

Prime Minister Shehbaz also instructed to ensure meritocracy and transparency in the posting of community welfare attaches in the Pakistani missions abroad.

He also directed to form a committee mandated to recommend measures for reforms in the vocational and technical training sectors as well as the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development.

During the briefing, the prime minister was informed about the steps taken by NAVTTC regarding the vocational and technical training of the workforce in Pakistan.

It was told that NAVTTC would provide vocational and technical training to 60,000 people this year, while the figure would rise to 0.6 million in the next three years, following the reforms.

It was told that exchange of information about employment opportunities and required skills from foreign countries was being ensured and that data of manpower consumption was also being obtained from the local industry.

The meeting was told that NAVTTC had made certification of male and female students from internationally renowned institutes mandatory to ensure global standards of vocational and technical training.

It was told that as per the prime minister’s directives, not only a quota had been allocated for the youth of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir at the federal level but also a separate program was being launched for their special training starting June this year.

Federal ministers Ahad Khan Cheema and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, State Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Chairman of PM Youth Program Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, Coordinator to PM Rana Ehsan Afzal, SIFC National Coordinator Lt. General Sarfaraz Ahmed, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Jahanzeb Khan and senior officers attended the meeting.