ISLAMABAD – The Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training (MoFEPT) launched the first ever Federal Foundational Learning Policy. The event was led by the Federal Secretary Mr. Mohyuddin Wani, and attended by key development partners, university vice-chancellors, parliamentarians and partner organisations working on education in Pakistan. The event was hosted by acclaimed author and social activist, Ms. Feryal Ali Gauhar.
On the 8th of May, 2024, the honourable Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif declared an education emergency. As a matter of urgency, the government will now address the out-of-school-children crisis – 26.2 million children are currently out of school. It will also address the learning crisis; in Pakistan, 4 out of 5 children cannot read with comprehension by the age of 10. Also, according to the recently launched Annual Status of Education Report 2023, only 13% of grade 3 children can do simple division. This means that children lack foundational skills. It means that they need to learn more complex concepts, and they are also less likely to become productive citizens. This policy is a crucial step in the government’s response to tackle the learning crisis.
The Federal Foundational Learning Policy 2024 aims to ensure that by “2030, all children enrolled in schools under the federal territories will acquire foundational learning skills”. The policy will apply to all government schools, private schools, non-formal education centres, and madaris in Islamabad Capital Territory, Gilgit Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The departments responsible for policy implementation are the Federal Directorate of Education, School Education Department, Gilgit Baltistan and the Elementary & Secondary Education Department, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Alongside these, a range of other departments will support the implementation of this policy, including the MoFEPT’s Pakistan Foundational Learning Hub, set up to drive improvements in early grade literacy and numeracy nationwide.
