Federal Secretary for Education and Professional Training Ms. Naheed S. Durrani chaired a meeting of Inter-Provincial Education Secretaries Committee (IPESC) today on 16th June, 2022 on the agenda of “Proposals from Provinces/Regions addressing the challenges of out of School Children (OOSC)”. The meeting was attended by representatives of all provincial education departments, Secretary IBCC, Chairman FBISE, DG FDE and DG NHCD. Federal Secretary for Education and Professional Training Ms. Naheed S. Durrani said that Out of School Children is one of the biggest issues that the education sector of Pakistan faces today. She said that OOSC number is a key determinant for human development for any country. She emphasized that to address the socio-economic plight of the country OOSC issue must be addressed head on. She said that drop-out and retention rates can be improved via creating an environment of ownership for children. She said that the federal government wants to create a supportive environment for all provinces to work in synergy to resolve this issue. Ms. Naheed S. Durrani was briefed by all of the provinces about their programs to reduce OOSC. The forum was told that the school closures and resulting academic losses during COVID-19 have further worsened the OOSC challenge, showing how fragile our education system is. Ms. Naheed said that we need an effective response to meet this serious crisis, and it is high time that we re-imagine our education service provisions and its management to ensure Pakistan's education remains relevant and allows our young children to compete and thrive. She continued that we need to address the issue of OOSC collectively through effective strategies for enrolments and retention, remote learning, and effective community engagement. The forum discussed the provincial strategies clearly defining short terms as well as long term goals and allocating financial resources. Ms. Naheed said that the Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training will help all provinces to steer the OSC agenda effectively. The need for a structured coordination mechanism was also discussed to accelerate efforts on the OOSC agenda as top priority. The concept of National Advisory Committee, Provincial Technical working Groups and a Monitoring Mechanism was also discussed in the meeting including areas for effective completion of their OOSC strategies.
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