ISLAMABAD: After years long delay, the education ministry has finally shown interest in formulating a new education policy. At present, the country is following an education policy framed back in 2009.

“The first meeting of the National Advisory Committee to formulate the National Education Policy 2024 for Pakistan was held on Wednesday,” said Special Secretary Education Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani.

Speaking to Dawn, Mr Wani, who presided over the meeting, said all stakeholders, including provincial authorities, were on board and the new policy would be introduced soon and it would cover all important issues.

According to a press release, the meeting focused on the need for a new education policy that was needed to address challenges, like out-of-school children, quality education and skill development.

It said representatives from various provinces, education departments and organisations discussed their priorities and suggestions for the new policy. Key areas of focus included improving access to education, promoting girl education, developing soft skills and language proficiency and integrating digital skills into the curriculum.

The committee also highlighted the need for collaborating with various ministries and organisations to ensure effective implementation of the policy.

According to officials, the ministry had prepared the National Education Policy 2009, which was still in vogue while a draft national education policy 2016 and a national education policy framework 2018 were also framed, but no new education policy was formulated after 2009.

They said during the last few years, efforts were made to finalise a new policy but these could not bear fruit as one of the provinces objected to it, saying it was a devolved subject.

The existing 2009 policy has become outdated and has some anomalies, among them being the budget, which was set at 7pc of the GDP, whereas the country hardly spent less than 2pc of the GDP on it.

They said there was a need to set a target in the policy regarding achievement of sustainable development goals (SGDs), information technology, e-learning, etc.

During the tenure of the PML-N government from 2013-18, efforts were made to frame a new policy and its draft had also been prepared in 2016, under which nine new chapters were to be added. But the government could not introduce the policy.

Later, when the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) came to power, it also announced that a new policy would be introduced but it too failed to do so. However, it managed to introduce an education framework in 2018, which suggested feedback from public before finalising the education policy 2021, which could not be introduced.

In August 2022 Education Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain told the National Assembly that the National Education Policy 2009 was still intact and work on developing a new policy had been initiated.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2024