LAHORE: Participants at a consultative meeting unanimously said on Friday the National Education Policy (NEP) 2016 must be in line with international standards and the 18th Amendment in order to enable students to achieve marketability and compete globally.

The debate was organised jointly by Idara-i-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) Public Trust and Pakistan Alliance of Independent Schools (PAIS) at the University of Punjab.

Speaking on the occasion, Punjab’s focal person on NEP 2016 (school education programme), Dr Shakeel Ahmed, said the policy was being prepared according to the 18th Amendment.

“We have to see what is to be done in light of Article 25-A and 18th Amendment that relates to uplifting education sector in Pakistan. Therefore, we must see gaps in the policy guidelines, procedures and planning process in order to ensure effective implementation,” he added.

PIAS Chairman Jamil Najam while giving his input sought identification of weaknesses in the policy and their amendment to move forward.

The meeting started with an overview of NEP 2009, highlighting structure of the previous policy along with its outcomes and remaining challenges. The process of NEP 2009 was also examined in the post-18th Amendment scenario.

Challenges faced in implementing Article 25-A -- right to education -- and the upcoming Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), SDG-4 and its 10 targets were also examined.

While discussing the gaps in NEP 2009 and the need to link NEP 2016 with the SDGS, ITA Director Programs and ASER Pakistan Country Lead Baela Raza Jamil said the previous policy was limited, so the new one must be in line with the SDGs as they were applicable globally.

She said the new policy must be designed by involving representatives from education departments of all provinces and federal areas so a comprehensive policy was designed on grounds of inclusiveness and mutual agreement. She also urged the youth to speak up as it was now their time to speak.

The meeting was attended by government officials, youths, teachers, civil society members, academics and industry representatives.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2015

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