ISLAMABAD, Feb 26 (APP): Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training (FE&PT), Wajiha Qamar on Thursday called for strengthening local governments and accelerating reforms under the Prime Minister’s Education Emergency, saying effective governance must deliver tangible results at the grassroots level.
Addressing the Pakistan Governance Forum on “Reimagining Governance for Uraan Pakistan,” she spoke on the theme “From Provinces to People: The Struggle for Effective Local Governance.” The forum was convened by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal.
Wajiha Qamar said the Prime Minister’s vision of Uraan Pakistan links economic transformation with institutional strength, governance coherence and citizen-level delivery.
Highlighting the Education Emergency, she said education has been declared a national priority to address over 25 million out-of-school children and poor learning outcomes.
“Education is a national survival imperative and central to Pakistan’s development,” she added.
Referring to Articles 140A and 25A of the Constitution, she said meaningful devolution and the right to education must go hand in hand, stressing that service delivery must reach districts for citizens to feel the impact of governance.
She underscored the need for fiscal predictability, clear functional responsibilities and data-driven accountability at the local level. The Minister also announced a Rs 25 billion performance-based Out-of-School Children Challenge Fund to incentivize measurable improvements in enrollment and retention.
“Strong local governments strengthen provinces, and strong provinces reinforce the federation,” she said, adding that aligning authority, resources and accountability at the district level is essential to move truly from provinces to people.