The federal government’s ambitious target to enrol 25,000 out-of-school children in Islamabad within three months will hopefully serve as an example for the rest of the country as we persevere to raise nationwide enrollment rates, which are currently among the lowest in the world. The success of the initiative would echo across the country, which currently has about 20 million out-of-school children.
While the enrollment target may appear ambitious, Islamabad enjoys several advantages over the provinces, including concentration of administrative resources, direct oversight and proximity to policymaking bodies. It is also worth noting that Islamabad alone houses 89,127 out-of-school children — a manageable number that makes the target seem much more achievable with reasonably concerted effort.
More likely, the barometer for success should not be the 25,000 target, but how close they can get to the 89,000-plus figure. After all, much of the criticism of the devolution of education post-18th Amendment has been on the Centre’s ability to do a better job administering the subject. Failure to get it right in Islamabad would not do much to endorse that perspective.
On paper, the “No Child Left Behind” campaign creates a comprehensive “Carpet Coverage Plan” that is rolled out to every union council, combining formal and informal education pathways. But the plan is less comprehensive in terms of improving standards — enrollment alone does not address concerns about quality, which is extremely inconsistent across the city’s schools.
For example, establishing community schools near “hotspots” of low enrollment will make it easier for children to get to school, but it remains unclear whether that education will prepare them for productive futures. If the plan succeeds in significantly reducing the number of out-of-school children, it is critical that the government not rest on its laurels but immediately begin working to dramatically improve the quality of education, setting an example for the provinces.
Editorial Published in Express Tribune on March 23rd, 2026.
