LAHORE: Minister of Federal Education and Professional Training Tanveer Hussain has said that while he believes that there is no exact or updated data available in Pakistan regarding any area, the number of over 23 million out of school children (OOSC) is really embarrassing as this is highest number of OOSC in the world.
Speaking at the launch of Non-Formal Education Data Cards at Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) here on Monday, he said that the number of OOSC in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) was said to be over 50,000 while 40,000 was verified so far.
The minister said the number was much higher in provinces and ICT would be made a role model to address the OOSC so that the provinces also follow the same and address this issue.
Tanveer Hussain said unless there was no credible data, our approach could not be targeted. He said that it was sad to note that research in our universities was not as per the market demand. He said funding to universities would be linked with quality education and performance. He said there was no financial discipline in universities as in cases 11 teachers were employed where only two were required. He said Pakistani youth were really talented but they needed to be trained as per the market demand.
The minister also talked about the national curriculum saying Pakistan was not a communist country to follow a one book approach. He said his government worked on a national curriculum and today each province had signed that document unlike in the past when there were differences over a single curriculum.
Later answering a question about Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party during his media talk, the minister said that in democracy everyone had a right to form a political party but added people in the new party were not credible politically as they kept on changing different political parties.
The masses like the people of discipline in politics, he said. Answering another question, Tanveer Hussain said PTI chairman was facing very serious cases of corruption including those of foreign funding and Toshakhana.
He said he had served in the Public Accounts Committee and knew that there were corruption cases in wheat and sugar scandals and even in medicines including Covid-19 related activities.