PR No. 240 Islamabad: January 24, 2025

The Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives celebrated the International Day of Education 2025, themed "Bridging the Education Divide: Linking Education to National and Economic Development," in Islamabad. Observed annually on January 24, the International Day of Education underscores the indispensable role of education in achieving global sustainable development. It aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), which emphasizes inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. This year's global theme, "AI and Education: Preserving Human Agency in a World of Automation," highlights the opportunities and challenges posed by artificial intelligence in the education sector. The event was graced by Professor Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhry, Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, as the Chief Guest. It brought together key stakeholders, including representatives from the Federal Ministry of Education, Provincial Education Departments, UNESCO, UNICEF, NAVTTC, NGOs, and Vice Chancellors and Principals of federal education institutions. Stakeholders shared their progress on initiatives aimed at mainstreaming education in national development and addressed pressing issues related to access, quality, and equity. They highlighted education's transformative role in fostering economic growth and national progress. Antony Kar Hung Tam, Officer-in-Charge of the UNESCO Office in Pakistan, highlighted in his remarks the need for addressing gender and digital divides in Pakistan. He emphasized the importance of ensuring relevance, adopting a multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder approach, and strengthening monitoring and learning when addressing the national education emergency and transforming education in Pakistan. During the event, the District Education Performance Index (DEPIx) was highlighted as a key initiative to enhance evidence-based policymaking, resource allocation, and governance transparency in the education sector. The DEPIx serves as a performance evaluation framework designed to identify high- and low-performing districts for targeted interventions, encourage competition among districts to improve education delivery, support data-driven policy decisions, and promote accountability within the education system. The DEPIx measures district performance across key indicators, including access and literacy, learning outcomes, financing, governance, use of IT, and equity, providing a comprehensive evaluation of the education landscape. The index evaluates districts based on multiple parameters such as infrastructure and access, learning outcomes, inclusion in terms of equity and technology, governance, and financing. It measures district performance within a range of 73.86 to 35.41, highlighting disparities in educational effectiveness across Pakistan. The index serves as a central repository of performance metrics, facilitating benchmarking and policy adjustments at the provincial and district levels. Addressing the audience, Minister Ahsan Iqbal emphasized that Pakistan currently faces significant educational challenges, with over 26 million children out of school, one of the highest figures globally. Regional disparities, gender gaps, and socio-economic barriers further exacerbate the situation. He pointed out critical challenges, including insufficient classrooms and infrastructure gaps, a shortage of 4,327 science teachers with pending posts at the federal finance level, and the need for improved teacher retention policies, especially in hard-to-reach areas. To address these issues, the Ministry of Planning and Development's Uraan Pakistan initiative has set ambitious goals, including achieving 100% primary school enrollment, implementing a transparent teacher recruitment and transfer policy, digitizing education infrastructure through GIS mapping, e-transfer systems, and centralized dashboards, and developing a comprehensive national curriculum integrating AI and modern technologies. The School Education Department Gilgit-Baltistan (SED GB) has implemented several reforms to improve the education sector, such as the adoption of the Foundational Framework for Learning and Progress (FFLP 2024) to cover early childhood education to Grade 3, establishing School Management Committees to empower local communities in school operations, and introducing policies such as the Medical Hardship Policy and Hard Area Policy to retain teachers in challenging regions. Furthermore, automation initiatives, including student profiling, GIS mapping, and centralized dashboards, are enhancing operational efficiency in the region. In his closing remarks, Minister Ahsan Iqbal reiterated that education is not merely a social service but a key driver of sustainable development and national prosperity. He emphasized that every dollar invested in education yields significant returns in economic resilience, competitiveness, and social cohesion. Reflecting on past initiatives, he highlighted that under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif, education funding more than doubled between 2013 and 2018, demonstrating a strong commitment to human capital development. The Minister emphasized that no country can achieve sustainable development without a literacy rate of at least 90%. He called for joint efforts between federal and provincial governments to raise literacy levels, improve education quality, and enhance governance within the sector. Ahsan Iqbal highlighted that Balochistan holds vast untapped potential due to its rich mineral resources and underscored the need to align educational initiatives with economic development efforts, ensuring every district in Balochistan gains access to modern educational facilities. He assured that the government's planned reforms aim to operationalize non-functional schools, recruit much-needed teachers, and construct additional classrooms to meet minimum standards across the country. Efforts are also underway to approve PC-1 for providing school furniture and to strengthen monitoring mechanisms through the provision of vehicles for academic support. Looking ahead, the Minister outlined the government's roadmap for education reform under the Uraan Pakistan initiative, which includes the introduction of a dedicated teacher training institute to improve pedagogical standards, establishing digital learning platforms to enhance access to quality education in remote areas, encouraging public-private partnerships to bridge funding gaps and expand educational outreach, and ensuring transparency and meritocracy in educational governance through automation and policy reforms. Concluding the event, Minister Ahsan Iqbal expressed optimism, stating that celebrating the International Day of Education presents a unique opportunity for Pakistan to reflect on its educational journey, identify key bottlenecks, and chart a path forward toward a knowledge-based economy. He reaffirmed the importance of utilizing tools like DEPIx to ensure evidence-based decision-making, targeted interventions, and accountability, which are crucial for achieving Pakistan's long-term educational goals.

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