Education ministry aims to enroll 25,000 out-of-school children in Islamabad within three months

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training has announced a new initiative targeting the enrollment of 25,000 out-of-school children (OOSC) in Islamabad Capital Territory over the next three months. This effort is part of a broader three-year rolling plan to ensure all out-of-school children in the region are brought into the education system, according to an official statement released by the ministry on Sunday.

To support this campaign, the government plans to establish new community schools in areas identified as hotspots with significant numbers of out-of-school children. The ministry stated that these new schools will be located in close proximity to communities where the need is greatest, aiming to make education more accessible for children who are currently not attending school.

Federal Secretary for Education, Nadeem Mahbub, commented on the launch of the enrollment drive, noting that the initiative follows the recent announcement of the "No Child Left Behind" campaign by Federal Minister for Education Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. Secretary Mahbub emphasized the importance of the campaign in addressing the issue of children who remain outside the formal education system.

Field teams from the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), along with the National Commission for Human Development and other relevant bodies, are set to play a key role in the implementation of the enrollment drive. These teams will work on the ground to identify out-of-school children and facilitate their admission into newly established or existing educational institutions.

The ministry's statement highlighted the urgency of the campaign, underscoring the government's commitment to achieving universal education in Islamabad. The initiative is expected to make significant progress towards reducing the number of out-of-school children in the capital and ensuring that every child has access to quality education.