Sindh launches informal education initiative to reach out-of-school children

Sindh Minister for Education and Mines & Minerals Syed Sardar Ali Shah has said that under the non-formal education strategy, out-of-school children would be provided with the opportunity to complete their education in a short period, while vocational education would also be provided during this time.

In this regard, a Non-Formal Education Authority will be established in Sindh, which will be operated in collaboration with Unicef and through a public-private partnership. He made these remarks while presiding over a meeting held in Karachi on Wednesday, attended by Secretary Education Zahid Ali Abbasi, and other officials.

The provincial minister stated that under the non-formal education strategy, a child who drops out of school will be able to complete education up to the eighth grade within four years, and with the help of this strategy, over two million additional children in Sindh will be able to receive education in the coming four years.

He said that Sindh is the only province in Pakistan that has not only developed a curriculum for non-formal education but has also arranged course work. He stated that non-formal education centers will be established in areas where the number of out-of-school children is high for the convenience of children who drop out of school. Shah said that our biggest challenge after primary education is dropout, and keeping this in view, primary schools will be upgraded.

The education minister said that there is also a need to pay more attention to the STEM education system in schools; we need to focus on teaching subjects like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to children. In this regard, it is also necessary to organize science exhibitions to generate interest among children.

He directed the Directorate of Private Schools and district education officers to organize science exhibitions at the district, divisional, and provincial levels so that more youths in Sindh can demonstrate their abilities. He said that we need to promote our good things; as based on some bad things and challenges, we cannot hold back our good initiatives. Shah, while giving instructions in a meeting held with the officials of the Directorate of Private Institutions, said that there is a need to further improve the mechanism for monitoring private schools; in this regard, 35 inspectors will be appointed for monitoring private schools in Sindh, who will be appointed at the district level in Sindh, while two inspectors will be appointed in each district of Karachi.