Meeting also spoke about a range of socio-economic and environmental factors affecting children’s educational outcomes
The Sindh government, in partnership with UNICEF, has announced the development of a five-year multi-sectoral roadmap which aims to identify and eliminate barriers to education while creating an inclusive and supportive environment for learning across the province.
The announcement was made during a high-level meeting in Karachi, chaired by Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah. Participants included Sindh School Education Secretary Zahid Ali Abbasi, Chief Program Manager Dr Junaid Samo, and UNICEF officials, including Chief Field Officer Prem Bahadur Chand, Education Manager Abeer Maqbool, and Education Specialist Asif Abrar.
The roadmap is expected to integrate various sectors – such as health, birth registration, social protection, public health, climate change, and more – to address the complex challenges hindering access to education.
Speaking at the meeting, Minister Shah underscored the need to remove all obstacles preventing children from enrolling in and continuing school, stating that education should be made accessible and convenient for every child in Sindh.
He stressed the importance of early childhood development, highlighting birth registration as a critical first step in ensuring a child’s right to education and access to essential services.
The meeting also spoke about a range of socio-economic and environmental factors affecting children’s educational outcomes.
These include economic hardship, child labor, early marriage, malnutrition, conflict, environmental degradation, political instability, and generational divides. These challenges, officials warned, are expected to intensify in the coming years and require a holistic, cross-sectoral strategy.
News published in the Express Tribune on 9th May 2025
