Parliamentary Secretary Barrister Danyal Chaudhry underlined the government’s focus on child-centred, inclusive schooling at a roundtable hosted by Cities for Children with support from the Malala Fund, attended by policymakers, practitioners and development partners. Speaking alongside MNA Shaista Pervez Malik and Parliamentary Secretary for Education Rabia Naseem Farooqi, he stressed that access must be matched by supportive learning environments so children can stay and thrive.
In NA-57 the Education Initiatives include an ambitious campaign to enroll out-of-school children with a FY 2026 target of 39,000 and 5,000 children already enrolled in recent weeks. Local investment for infrastructure totals PKR 205 million while technology integration has led to the establishment of 33 Matric-Tech Schools, 29 new computer labs and upgraded science and computer labs across 434 high schools and 10 elementary schools, reinforcing practical and digital learning.
The constituency-level Education Initiatives also promote skills and teacher development: four girls’ schools now offer makeup and designing classes, teacher quality is being raised through the Easte English teacher training project, and Rawalpindi Division’s top result in a provincial STEAM competition highlights the value of hands-on education. Inclusion measures include two district schools for transgender students enrolling 100 learners and a specially scheduled early morning school to serve children engaged in farm work.
Efforts to modernize facilities continue with 100 schools undergoing solarization and 20 schools digitalized in partnership with the DIL Foundation. The Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Dheri Hassanabad has been developed as a state-of-the-art facility, reflecting a wider push to pair infrastructure upgrades with the learning goals of the Education Initiatives.
Roundtable participants from the education ministry, the non-formal sector, BISP and JICA emphasized that widening access must be accompanied by better in-class experiences through playful learning, socio-emotional development and positive discipline. Delegates highlighted the need for gender-responsive strategies that build girls’ confidence and a genuine sense of belonging in school.
Barrister Danyal framed these constituency steps within the Punjab government’s broader education agenda under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, which includes School on Wheels and Library on Wheels mobile units, the Honhaar Scholarship Program supporting over 25,000 students each year, laptop and IT hub schemes, a school nutrition program, transport buses for 60 women’s colleges and 28 Centres of Excellence offering therapy and vocational training for special students. The focus on practical, inclusive Education Initiatives aims to reduce dropouts and strengthen learning outcomes across the province.
