• Notes only one-third countries have formal youth bodies on education
• President, PM stress need for skill-acquisition to secure Pakistan’s future

ISLAMABAD: Young people are under-represented in positions of power and often excluded from policy decisions that disproportionately affect them, such as on public debt, climate change and, most directly, education, said a new Unesco report released on Friday on the eve of International Day of Education.

Unesco’s Global Education Monitoring Report 2026, titled “Lead with youth”, said that while young people and students are not well represented in formal politics, they remain politically active and frequently demand good governance and social justice.

“They want their voices to be heard and to be engaged meaningfully on issues that affect their present and future, notably on education,” it said.

It added that youth and students’ calls for meaningful engagement in education decision-making are part of a broader global movement for youth agency that has grown over the past three decades.

The report said stronger youth and student engagement requires formal mechanisms and a seat at decision-making tables, representative and inclusive participation, institutional support and resources, and the willingness of authorities to value and act on feedback.

According to the report, only one in three countries has formal bodies to engage youth or students in education discussions.

However, the report found that satisfaction with engagement is lowest among school student groups. Asked to assess the depth of their participation, ranging from exclusion to being treated as valued partners, only 20 per cent said they felt they were genuinely collaborating with government or that their contributions mattered. Satisfaction rises when students are given formal roles and responsibilities in policy reform, it added.

Meanwhile, in a message issued on the occasion, President Asif Ali Zardari said Pakistan’s future was closely linked to its youth.

“As a nation with a rich cultural heritage and a large young population, we must ensure that education nurtures curiosity, competence and character. It should enable young people to think critically, act ethically and contribute positively to their communities,” he said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the government was paying special attention to promoting higher education and skills through various programmes to strengthen the education system and empower youth.

In a message on International Day of Education, he said Pakistan joined the international community in recognising those associated with education and training, including students, teachers, parents, educators and researchers.

To mark the day, Unesco and the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training held an event at Islamabad Model College for Girls under the global theme, ‘The Power of Youth in Co-creating Education’, with organisers saying the forum aimed to bring students into education policy discussions.

Minister of State for Education and Professional Training Wajiha Qamar described education as a national priority, calling it “the most powerful investment a country can make”.

Unesco’s representative in Pakistan, Fuad Pashayev, said the education emergency could not be addressed through policy alone and stressed that young people were “not just the future” but also the present.

Separately, the World Bank said its group was the largest financier of education in the developing world, with a $26.4 billion portfolio across 81 countries, supporting 324 million students to date through education-related programmes.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2026