ISLAMABAD: A three-day festival under the theme ‘Today’s Readers, Tomorrow’s Learners’ kicked off at the Pak-China Friendship Centre on Saturday.

The event is being organised by the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training and will feature a book fair and the Pakistan Learning Festival. Thousands of students from across the city are expected to visit the festival.

The inaugural ceremony, led by interim Education Minister Madad Ali Sindhi, marked the beginning of insightful discussions and activities focusing on key challenges and advancements in the realm of literacy and foundational learning.

During the brief ‘Lightning Talks’, well-known educators shared their real-world insights with the audience. The presentations provided a stimulating forum for conversation by addressing creative approaches to particular core learning areas.

The conference highlighted the importance of story-telling for children to raise awareness and promote education through an effective mean of communication.

Activist Samar Minallah shed light on the educational issues faced by children in remote areas of the country with the help of different videos, adding a crucial perspective to the discussions.

As part of the festival, two students from the Basic Education Community Schools (BECS) who secured admission to medical colleges were honoured with distinction awards, emphasising the positive outcomes of foundational learning initiatives.

The focus of this year’s event is on children, schools and families, with leading education providers delivering short ‘Lightning Talks’ to address innovative solutions in specific areas of foundational learning.

The festival serves as a platform showcasing new book releases, stalls focusing on reading challenges and solutions in foundational learning, interactive theatre, captivating storytelling sessions and more.

Many colleges have established stalls to raise awareness about education, with Education Secretary Waseem Ajmal Chaudhry commending the efforts of teachers at a stall of the Islamabad Model Postgraduate College H-8 during his visit.

Federal Government College Teachers Association President Dr Rahima Rehman expressed appreciation for the ministry’s initiatives in addressing educational issues among the youth, expressing optimism that the awareness campaign would yield positive results.

A large number of educational institutions of the federal capital have called their students to schools on Sunday (today) to visit the festival. Students will be taken to Pak-China Friendship Centre in school buses.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2023