LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has stressed the need for greater commitment and urgent steps to ensure that universal and compulsory education as guaranteed in Article 25-A of the Constitution is available to every child.

The demand was made at a consultation HRCP organised in Lahore to discuss the state of universal education across Pakistan and highlight prospects and challenges to enroll every child.

The participants highlighted that Pakistan had a very high rate of out-of-school children of primary school going age, particularly girls.

They said the rate of literacy was dismal, with equally poor survival and enrollment rates in the country.

Participants at the event included Dr A.H Nayyar, Imran Khan (Alif Ailaan), Dr Tariq Rehman (BNU), Ali Qasmi (LUMS), Baela Raza Jamil (Idara-i-Taleem-o-Aagahi) and educationists from Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The discussion focused on provincial legislation and implementation of laws concerning universal education, ensuring gender parity and the role of madaris in achieving universal education.

The participants called for greater allocation to the education budget as well an increase in capacity to efficiently utilise the budget so that the aims of Sustainable Development Goals and the Accelerated Framework could be realised.

The need for mass mobilisation was stressed, with a view to bring together government, concerned citizens, NGOs and the media so that the right to education for every child of school-going age was ensured by enrolling them in schools.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2014