Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Prof Ahsan Iqbal has directed the formation of a joint committee to prepare a practical, time-bound framework for reforming Islamabad’s education system, with clear deadlines and institutional responsibilities. The initiative follows a special task assigned by the Prime Minister to ensure that Islamabad has a model education system, where all public schools offer quality facilities, effective teaching and better learning opportunities, and to establish a framework that can be replicated across the country.
Chairing a consultative meeting on the Islamabad Capital Territory’s education system, the Planning Minister emphasised that developing model schools requires improvements in teaching, learning and governance alongside infrastructure. He directed that the reform plan prioritise rural schools and address school facilities, teacher shortages, training, curriculum, examinations and funding.
The Planning Ministry’s Sector Specialist for Education presented an independent evaluation of 50 institutions—34 rural and 16 urban—which identified uneven educational quality, weaker learning outcomes in rural schools and a gap between examination results and students’ assessed understanding.
Responding to these findings, Prof Ahsan Iqbal stressed that curriculum changes must be supported by teacher training and examinations that assess understanding and the practical application of knowledge. He said teaching should develop critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork, while educational content should reflect scientific, technological and economic developments.
The joint committee will bring together representatives of the Planning Ministry and the Federal Directorate of Education, the Secretary for Federal Education and Professional Training, academics and education experts. The Minister instructed the committee to consolidate existing assessments and proposals into a working paper specifying the required reforms, responsible institutions and implementation timelines.
Specialised subgroups will support this work by defining the facilities, staffing and teaching standards required for model primary schools. The Minister also emphasised sustained institutional coordination and reliable education data to monitor implementation and measure improvements in children’s learning.
The meeting was attended by MNAs Mr Anjum Aqeel Khan and Ms Farah Naz; Mr Nadeem Mahbub, Secretary, Federal Education and Professional Training; Members of the Planning Commission; deans; senior policy experts; and Islamabad’s education sector stakeholders.
