ISLAMABAD, Jun 03 (APP):A total of 22,057 out-of-school children, including 11,733 boys and 10,319 girls, have been identified through a door-to-door survey conducted in 36 rural union councils of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), the National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training was informed on Wednesday. The Committee, chaired by Acting Chairperson Mehtab Akbar Rashdi, received a briefing on the “No Child Left Behind” campaign aimed at enrolling …
Over 22,000 out-of-school children identified in ICT rural areas through door-to-door survey; NA body told
ISLAMABAD, Jun 03 (APP):A total of 22,057 out-of-school children, including 11,733 boys and 10,319 girls, have been identified through a door-to-door survey conducted in 36 rural union councils of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), the National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training was informed on Wednesday.
The Committee, chaired by Acting Chairperson Mehtab Akbar Rashdi, received a briefing on the “No Child Left Behind” campaign aimed at enrolling every out-of-school child in formal or non-formal education across Islamabad.
The officials informed the Committee that the campaign was being implemented at the union council level through household surveys, community engagement and real-time monitoring. The initiative is being carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), Basic Education Community Schools (BECS), National Education Foundation (NEF), Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE), NGOs and JICA.
The meeting was attended by MNAs Anjum Aqeel Khan, Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti, Farah Naz Akbar, Syeda Amna Batool, Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, Musarat Rafique Mahesar and Samina Ghauri, along with senior officials from the education ministry and the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
The Committee also recommended three government bills: the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (Amendment) Bill 2026, the Pakistan Study Centres (Amendment) Bill 2026, and the Centres of Excellence (Amendment) Bill 2026.
5The members were further informed that the recruitment process for the appointment of a permanent chairperson of ICT-PEIRA has been completed and nominations have been forwarded to the Prime Minister’s Office for approval.
During the meeting, the Committee expressed serious concern over unresolved faculty-related issues at the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology’s Abdul Haq Campus in Karachi, noting that despite repeated discussions, no meaningful progress had been made.
Terming the continued delay unacceptable, the Committee observed that the unresolved issues were adversely affecting the university’s academic environment and institutional performance. It decided to place the matter on the priority agenda of its next meeting and summon all relevant stakeholders to present explanations and help devise concrete, time-bound solutions.
