On Tuesday, the Pakistan Institute of Education, in collaboration with JICA and the Ministry of Education and Professional Training, successfully launched a report on its “Zero Out-of-School Children (ZOOSC)” campaign in Islamabad. The campaign achieved its objectives, enrolling over 70,941 children in schools and effectively reducing the number of out-of-school children in the capital to zero.
The report launch ceremony was graced by the presence of Federal Secretary for Education, Waseem Ajmal Chaudhry, who commended the documented successes of the campaign. He acknowledged the efforts of the field workers from partner organizations and emphasized that Islamabad’s success could serve as a model for provinces facing similar challenges in the future.
Chaudhry highlighted the initial challenges faced, citing disparities in educational facilities, but praised the key role played by the field team in expediting the campaign. He pointed out that 49% of the enrolled out-of-school children were girls, and two transgender schools were established. Additionally, efforts were made to fulfill the dreams of children engaged in workshops and shops.
The Secretary announced the initiation of an 18-month professional development program, involving NCHD and others, to sustain the positive momentum. He revealed that 11,000 out-of-school children would be integrated into private schools.
Dr. Muhammad Shahid Soroya, Director General of the Pakistan Institute of Education, shared that under Chaudhry’s leadership, the institute successfully met the target of bringing 50,000 children to schools within two months. Despite identifying 81,000 out-of-school children, the campaign managed to reintegrate 70,000 of them into schools.
The research report detailed the campaign’s three phases, including the use of BISP data to identify out-of-school children, outreach to parents for convincing, and arrangements for admission in schools. Strategies such as multi-level planning, community participation, real-time monitoring, and targeted interventions were key to the campaign’s success. The report concludes with the hope that this success in Islamabad will pave the way for similar initiatives in other provinces, significantly reducing the number of out-of-school children nationwide.
