Islamabad:The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training on Thursday signed a letter of understanding with eight civil society organisations to complete household surveys and enrol out-of-school children in Islamabad within the next three months under its ‘No Child Left Behind’ campaign.
The LoU signing ceremony, held at the ministry, formalised collaboration to expand access to education across the Islamabad Capital Territory through a Union Council-wise strategy.
Education secretary Nadeem Mehbub and representatives of key partner organisations, including the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the National Commission for Human Development, the Pakistan Institute of Education, Basic Education Community Schools and partner civil society organisations, attended the ceremony.
The secretary said the partnerships would strengthen efforts to identify, enrol and retain out-of-school children. He stressed the importance of meeting the target of completing comprehensive household surveys and enrolling such children within the next three months. The secretary said the initiative also included community outreach and real-time data systems to ensure transparency and effective implementation.
Representatives of the participating civil society organisations reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the ministry’s target of identifying and enrolling 25,000 out-of-school children in Islamabad under the initiative.
They pledged to mobilise their networks, invest the required resources and actively participate in field operations to help ensure that no child was left behind. They also expressed hope that more organisations would join the effort in the coming days. The ‘No Child Left Behind’ campaign follows what the officials described as a structured, data-driven and community-centred ‘Carpet Coverage Plan’ at the Union Council level.
Under the plan, door-to-door household surveys will be conducted to identify out-of-school children, while local stakeholders and community leaders will be engaged to support mobilisation efforts. The strategy also envisages coordination at the Union Council level to enable targeted interventions. The officials said digital tools and real-time data systems would be used to track enrolment, monitor progress and ensure accountability, while follow-up mechanisms would be put in place to support retention and prevent dropouts.
The ministry reiterated its commitment to ensuring every child’s access to quality education in line with Article 25-A of the Constitution, describing the LoU as an important step towards strengthening collaboration for inclusive and equitable education.
