School reforms breathe new life into classrooms

ISLAMABAD: A new study has found that between 80,000 and 90,000 children aged five to 16 in Islamabad Capital Territory remain out of school, accounting for roughly 13 to 15 per cent of the age group, while students who are enrolled continue to post weak learning results.

The findings were published in the global education volume Learning Education Policy in Practice. According to Chapter 5, titled Bridging Equity and Learning Gaps in Islamabad School, Pakistan, the education system in ICT is attempting to address both access and performance problems through a set of focused interventions rather than a single large-scale reform.

The research identified three major obstacles affecting schooling: mobility and safety, poverty and nutrition, and the quality of classroom instruction. In response, the Ministry of Federal Education and the Federal Directorate of Education have introduced three flagship initiatives. These include the pink bus service to provide safer transport for girls, the ICT School Meals programme to reduce hunger and absenteeism, and smart classrooms aimed at improving learning standards.

The study also highlighted low performance in mathematics. In 2024 assessments, Grade 4 students answered an average of 49 per cent of maths questions correctly. By Grade 8, the average fell to 42 per cent, underscoring the scale of the learning gap the programmes are intended to address.