The Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training addressed the 5th International Conference on Early Childhood Development in Islamabad on April 8, 2026, urging urgent and sustained investment in the early years. He stressed that Early Childhood Development shapes cognitive skills, emotional wellbeing, health and lifelong learning from birth to age eight and must be treated as a strategic national priority.
With a large share of Pakistan’s population still very young, the Minister highlighted persistent challenges including under-five mortality, high rates of stunting, widespread learning poverty and many out-of-school children. He argued these issues are interconnected and require a coordinated, multisectoral response that places Early Childhood Development at the centre of policy planning.
Recalling progress made since 2017, the Minister pointed to collaborative work between national institutions and international partners that produced the National Early Childhood Development Policy Framework. He said the framework provides a clear roadmap to promote nurturing care by integrating health, nutrition, early learning, child protection and social protection services.
The Minister emphasized that policy alone is not enough and called for effective implementation to ensure equitable access to quality early childhood services across provinces and regions. He outlined the Ministry’s focus on expanding pre-primary access, improving classroom quality, enhancing teacher training and aligning curricula with international standards while remaining responsive to local needs.
Stressing that education must be complemented by other sectors, he called for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach that links health, nutrition, sanitation, social protection and community engagement to create environments where young children can thrive. Strengthening community-level support and caregiver knowledge featured prominently in his remarks.
Framing Early Childhood Development as a driver of economic progress, the Minister noted that human capital underpins sustainable growth, productivity and innovation. He urged disciplined fiscal management to create the fiscal space for scaled public investment, stronger inter-ministerial coordination, improved federal-provincial alignment and deeper engagement with development partners and the private sector.
The Minister also called for robust monitoring and accountability systems to ensure commitments translate into measurable outcomes for children. He urged stakeholders to turn conference dialogue into action, empowering parents and caregivers as first teachers and ensuring that investments deliver tangible improvements in the lives of children across Pakistan. Early Childhood Development must be prioritized to secure the country’s long-term prosperity, he added.
