Islamabad Reaches ‘Zero Out-of-School Children’ Campaign Goals

Islamabad: The Pakistan Institute of Education, in collaboration with JICA and the Ministry of Education and Professional Training, launched a report on its “Zero Out-of-School Children (ZOOSC)” campaign in Islamabad on Tuesday.

The campaign aimed to enroll all out-of-school children in schools, successfully achieving its targets by enrolling over 70,941 children in the capital city, thus reducing the number of out-of-school children to zero.

At the report launching ceremony, Federal Secretary for Education Waseem Ajmal Chaudhry commended the successful efforts and documented the achievements to serve as a guide for future endeavors. He acknowledged the contributions of field workers from partner organizations and emphasized the importance of their role in fast-tracking such initiatives.

Chaudhry highlighted the challenges faced at the beginning of the campaign, particularly in ensuring equal educational facilities. He noted the significant role of the field team in achieving commendable results despite the involvement of various stakeholders.

Furthermore, Chaudhry mentioned that approximately 49% of the children brought back to schools were girls. He also mentioned the opening of transgender schools and efforts to fulfill the dreams of children engaged in workshops and shops.

The Director General of the Pakistan Institute of Education, Dr. Muhammad Shahid Sarwar, discussed the campaign’s objectives and strategies. He emphasized the use of data-based identification, targeted interventions, community participation, and real-time monitoring for the campaign’s success.

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Dr. Sarwar highlighted the detailed research report prepared by the Pakistan Institute of Education, which documented the campaign’s phases and strategies. He expressed hope that the success of this campaign would serve as a model for other provinces in Pakistan to replicate, ultimately leading to a significant reduction in the number of out-of-school children nationwide.