ISLAMABAD: Federal Secretary, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, Nadeem Mehboob, on Tuesday said that following the declaration of a “National Education Emergency,” the government’s top priority was to bring 25.3 million out-of-school children back into the educational mainstream.

Speaking at the launch ceremony of “Annual Statistical Report 2024-25” and the “Federal Non-Formal Education (NFE) Strategy 2025”, the education secretary further said that new strategy creates a unified system providing modern technical skills from primary to matriculation levels, enabling these children to contribute actively to national economic growth.

The Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE), in collaboration with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), launched the said reports aimed at reintegrating out-of-school children into the educational fold.

According to the report, 34,256 teachers are currently educating 1,238,573 children across 30,543 non-formal centres established nationwide. Notably, the appointment of 83 per cent to 86 per cent female teachers has successfully resulted in girls’ enrollment reaching 55pc.

These centres also benefit 15,747 refugees and over 11,774 minority children. Statistically, 97pc of these non-formal educational institutions are dedicated to primary education, 3pc to middle and middle-tech, and 1pc to adult literacy.

Director General PIE Dr Zaigham Qadeer lauded the pivotal role of female teachers and clarified that a comprehensive record of every child’s progress will be maintained through digital monitoring and an advanced data system (NFEMIS) to facilitate better future policy-making.

Meanwhile, according to a press release, Chief Representative of JICA Pakistan office, Yusuke Shinozaki, praised the Pakistani government’s efforts and assured that Japan would continue its technical and financial support for the implementation of Accelerated Learning Programmes (ALP) and professional teacher training to ensure quality education reaches marginalised communities.

According to provincial data from the report, Punjab leads with 20,610 centres and 678,751 students, supported by 17,750 female teachers and 504 minority students.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 352,535 students across 5,026 centres, where the female enrollment rate stands at 60pc and 11,537 refugee children are receiving an education.

In Sindh, 58,411 students are enrolled in 1,152 centres, including 8,498 Hindu and 269 Christian children, with a 63pc female teacher ratio.

Balochistan’s 751 centres cater to 38,115 students, including 2,012 refugees and 54 children from the Hindu community.

The “Federal Non-Formal Education Strategy 2025,” prepared by the Ministry of Education, introduces various educational frameworks from primary to matriculation, including 18-month ‘Middle-Tech’ and ‘Matric-Tech’ courses in collaboration with NAVTTC.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2026