The federal capital has recorded an important advance in the No Child Left Behind campaign after field operations across Islamabad’s Union Councils identified 3,646 out-of-school children in the Non-Formal Education Management Information System (NFEMIS). The case load shows an almost equal gender balance with 1,862 boys and 1,784 girls currently recorded as not yet enrolled.
The identification drive was led by the National Commission for Human Development, which recorded 2,877 children, with contributions from JJT (433), the National Education Foundation (157), BECS (85), Muslim Hands (78) and Sunbeams (37). These NFEMIS figures form the baseline for targeted outreach to bring children into formal and non-formal learning settings.
Federal Education Secretary Nadeem Mahbub emphasised that this momentum is part of a broader three-year rolling plan that aims to enrol 25,000 children in its initial phase. The strategy prioritises placement in FDE-run government schools while allowing the use of community schools in areas without public facilities, and it relies on partnerships with non-governmental organisations and the private sector to increase access.
As implementation proceeds, the ministry will use the No Child Left Behind data to target interventions, coordinate with partner organisations and monitor progress through NFEMIS so that children identified in Islamabad can be guided into appropriate government or community-based education options.
