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ISLAMABAD, Nov 21 (APP):Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Friday stressed the need to provide quality education to children, with a particular focus on character building and training, enabling them to compete in the modern era and play their due role in national development.
Addressing the annual Teacher Development Conference (TDC-2025) here, the minister said education was not merely the transfer of content but equally a process of shaping children’s personalities, values and sense of responsibility.
Recalling his own childhood, he said earlier generations grew up reading ‘Taleem-o-Tarbiyat,’ a magazine that blended learning with moral guidance, adding that a balance must be restored in Pakistan’s education system.
Expressing concern that many children were no longer familiar with their literary, historical and cultural heritage, he said teaching was “a holistic effort” and meaningful reforms required a national commitment to restoring identity and cultural awareness among the youth.
Ahsan Iqbal said that despite possessing intelligence, skills, honesty and resources comparable to successful nations, Pakistan had repeatedly fallen behind due to the absence of an enabling environment.
“Like a seed that cannot grow without stability, moisture and the right season, even the best human potential cannot flourish without peace and continuity,” he observed.
He underlined that all successful countries ensured four fundamentals like peace, political stability, continuity of policies for at least a decade, and long-term economic direction.
He cited China, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Bangladesh as examples where leadership tenures spanning 10 to 30 years allowed policy outcomes to materialize.
Reflecting on Pakistan’s own history, he said the country’s developmental take-off periods in the 1960s, early 1990s and 2013–2018 were repeatedly disrupted due to instability and political reversals.
He recalled the launch of Vision 2010 in 1997 and Vision 2025 in 2013 by the PML-N government, both derailed before delivering their full impact. “It is not that we lack planning or competence; it is instability and policy discontinuity that have denied us the dividends,” he remarked.
He said that after the economic turbulence of recent years, Pakistan was now witnessing improvement across various indicators, citing that inflation which stood at 38 percent three years ago had fallen to around 4.5 percent, the stock market had risen from 80,000 points to 170,000, and remittances had climbed to record levels. These trends, he added, had restored international confidence in Pakistan.
Urging the nation not to repeat past mistakes, he said, “This is the fourth opportunity Allah has given us. We must not crash this take-off like the previous three.”
Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan’s strong and unified response during the successful Marka-e-Haq had significantly enhanced the country’s standing, adding that the episode had elevated Pakistan’s prestige globally, with the world now viewing it as a strong and dignified nation. “This is the image we must protect,” he remarked.
The minister said friendly countries were re-engaging with Pakistan, noting that Saudi Arabia was pursuing a major defence pact, China was advancing CPEC Phase-II, and relations with the United States were entering a new chapter.
He said teachers must keep their eyes on Pakistan’s centennial year – 2047- when the country would stand before history alongside other regional nations.
Highlighting the need for a shift in national mindset, he said Pakistan required an “economic long march,” not political ones.
Drawing parallels with China, he stressed that national progress depended on stability and social solidarity, values that must be understood by every citizen and student.
He said nations did not win development battles through short bursts of excitement but through the patience and endurance of a test match. “We must prepare a generation that understands what it takes for a nation to grow and succeed,” he added.
Turning again to educators, Ahsan Iqbal said teaching was not a job but a mission, urging them to play a decisive role in shaping the nation’s future and instilling in students the determination to contribute meaningfully to Pakistan’s progress.