ISLAMABAD – July 16, 2025 – At a landmark national education conference held in Islamabad, leading education experts, policymakers, and youth advocates have called for a radical transformation of Pakistan’s education system—shifting from an outdated exam-oriented model to a future-ready, skill-based, and learner-centric approach.
Key Takeaways from the Conference
- Skills and learner-focused education is essential for economic resilience and innovation.
- Decentralization and localization are crucial for relevant education reform.
- Inclusion of girls, children with disabilities, and marginalized communities must be prioritized.
- Climate disruptions and outdated pedagogy are hurting foundational learning.
- Public-private partnerships and parliamentary engagement are needed for civic education.
The conference, titled “Educate to Empower – Learning What Matters,” was organized by the Society for Access to Quality Education (SAQE) and the Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) in partnership with the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) and the Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE). This high-level dialogue served as a critical platform for discussing systemic educational reforms to address Pakistan’s pressing learning and equity challenges.
Education Transformation: A National Imperative
Farah Naz Akbar, Parliamentary Secretary for Education and the event’s chief guest, underscored the urgency of educational transformation. “Equipping our youth with adaptable, market-relevant skills is no longer optional. It’s a national necessity,” she said. Akbar emphasized the importance of youth participation in shaping inclusive policies and called for stronger public sector commitment.
From Exam-Centric to Skills-Oriented Learning
Zehra Arshad, Executive Director of SAQE and National Coordinator of PCE, said the current system fails to prepare students for real-world challenges. “Our learners need more than rote memorization; they need critical thinking, creativity, digital literacy, and socio-emotional skills. We must decentralize decision-making to empower schools and local actors with the resources to create context-relevant solutions.”
Tackling the Foundational Learning Crisis
In his keynote speech, Dr. Faisal Bari, Vice Chancellor of the National Institute of Technology and a member of the PM’s Education Emergency Taskforce, said, “Education should be seen as a continuous journey that blends foundational skills with applied knowledge. Only then can we prepare students for an evolving future.”
Dr. Shahid Soroya, Director General of PIE, highlighted a troubling statistic: over 25 million children remain out of school in Pakistan, and many who are enrolled struggle with deep learning deficiencies. “Classrooms are failing to impart meaningful, future-relevant education,” he said, stressing the need for equitable reforms that serve marginalized communities.
Adaptive Systems Needed for Local Realities
Abid Gill, Deputy Chief Advisor at AQAL-JICA, emphasized that “education governance must be decentralized to reflect the diverse needs of Pakistan’s regions.” He urged stakeholders to move past budget arguments and focus on adaptive, community-responsive solutions.
Izzah Farrakh, Education Specialist at the World Bank, warned that learning poverty—the inability of 10-year-olds to read and understand a simple text—remains a major barrier to economic progress. She noted that climate-related disruptions and overloaded curriculums are cutting into valuable learning time.
Inclusion of Marginalized Groups and Children with Disabilities
Rahat Rizwan, Senior Coordinator at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), said the opportunity cost of education is high for families, especially when the system fails to deliver value or meet parental aspirations. She emphasized the need to make schools more responsive to community needs.
Abia Akram, Executive Director of the National Forum of Women with Disabilities (NFWD), spotlighted that a significant number of out-of-school children are girls with disabilities from rural areas. “We must train teachers in inclusive practices and build infrastructure that accommodates all children,” she asserted.
Embedding Civic Values in Education
Zafarullah Khan, CEO of Ideas for Vision 2047, called for embedding civic education and constitutional literacy into the national curriculum. “Empowering youth with democratic knowledge helps build a more responsible and engaged citizenry. This requires sustained collaboration between academia and lawmakers.”
As Pakistan stands at a crossroads, the conference message was clear: the future of education lies in equipping every learner with adaptable, inclusive, and life-relevant skills—and the time to act is now.