ISLAMABAD: The National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) has launched a door-to-door enrolment campaign across 36 union councils of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) to identify out-of-school children and facilitate their enrolment in non-formal education centres, a parliamentary panel was informed on Monday.

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training met here with Acting Chairperson Mahtab Akbar Rashdi in the chair. Besides other issues, the committee discussed the government’s programme for out-of-school children.

During the briefing, the committee was informed that around 26,000 out-of-school children had been identified in Islamabad, of whom nearly 18,000 had already been enrolled in non-formal education programmes.

The committee was further informed that three tent schools had been established in Jogia, near Faizabad, to provide educational opportunities to children living in the settlement.

It was also highlighted that children who successfully complete the non-formal education programme and obtain the required certification become eligible for admission to the formal education system.

While appreciating the initiative, the committee expressed concern over the absence of a clear exit strategy to ensure the smooth transition of children from non-formal education to mainstream schools.

The committee stressed the need for a comprehensive monitoring and follow-up mechanism to track the educational progress of these children and ensure their continued retention in the formal education system.

Earlier, the committee expressed serious concern over the growing menace of narcotics in educational institutions and stressed that ensuring a safe and drug-free learning environment was a shared responsibility of educational institutions, law enforcement agencies and regulatory authorities.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2026