ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training on Wednesday recommended three government bills — Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (Amendment) Bill, 2026, Pakistan Study Centres (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and Centres of Excellence (Amendment) Bill, 2026 — for passage by the National Assembly.
The committee met at the Parliament House under the chairmanship of Acting Chairperson Mahtab Akbar Rashdi, MNA. The committee was briefed on the “No Child Left Behind” campaign which aims to identify, enroll, and retain every out-of-school child in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) in either formal or non-formal education.
Officials informed the committee that the campaign is being implemented through a Union Council-wise comprehensive coverage strategy that includes door-to-door household surveys, community mobilization, and real-time monitoring mechanisms. The initiative is being carried out in collaboration with key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), the Basic Education Community Schools (BECS), the National Education Foundation (NEF), non-governmental organizations, the Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE), and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The committee was informed that surveys have been completed in 31 Union Councils, while data on identified out-of-school children is being updated in the Non-Formal Education Management Information System. The survey covers children up to 16 years of age, with particular emphasis on enrolling those between the ages of 5 and 16. To date, a total of 22,057 out-of-school children, including 11,733 boys and 10,319 girls, have been identified through door-to-door surveys conducted across 36 rural Union Councils of ICT.
The committee was informed that the recruitment process for the appointment of the chairman of the ICT Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority has been completed, and the nominations have been forwarded to the Prime Minister’s Office for approval. The committee expressed serious concern over persistent faculty-related issues at the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology’s Abdul Haq Campus in Karachi, observing that despite repeated discussions and directives, no tangible progress has been made towards resolving the matter.
Members criticized the continued delay in addressing these longstanding issues, noting that the inaction was adversely affecting the university’s academic environment and institutional functioning. It was decided that the issue would be taken up as a priority agenda item at the committee’s next meeting. All relevant stakeholders will be invited to explain the delays and assist in formulating concrete, time-bound solutions to address the concerns.
