ISLAMABAD, Nov 3: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training on Tuesday expressed serious concern over difficulties faced by children with dyslexia and called for institutional support to ensure that their educational future is not affected by lack of identification, remedial help and academic accommodation.<\/p>\n
The 27th meeting of the committee was held at the Higher Education Commission, Islamabad, under the acting chairmanship of Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, MNA.<\/p>\n
The committee observed that after the enactment of the Dyslexia Act, its effective implementation had become necessary in both public and private educational institutions. It stressed that children with dyslexia should be provided academic facilitation according to their individual learning needs, particularly in subjects such as Mathematics.<\/p>\n
The committee also decided to raise the issue on the floor of Parliament to seek suitable relaxation and accommodations in curriculum, assessment and examination systems so that children with dyslexia are not disadvantaged or denied admission opportunities in higher education because of their learning difficulties.<\/p>\n
It further emphasised that the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training should include dedicated budgetary allocations in its regular budget and policy planning for children with dyslexia. The committee said provisions should also be made for recruitment, capacity-building and professional training of remedial therapists, psychologists and specialised teachers to develop a sustainable support mechanism.<\/p>\n
The National Institute of Psychology, a Centre of Excellence at Quaid-i-Azam University, informed the committee that it was collaborating with the Federal Directorate of Education to develop and implement a structured remedial support system for children with dyslexia in schools across Islamabad.<\/p>\n
The initiative, according to the briefing, will be carried out in five phases for systematic identification, assessment and targeted remedial support. The first phase will cover mobilisation and vetting, while the second phase, involving screening, assessment and profiling, is scheduled to be completed by December 2026.<\/p>\n
The third phase, comprising individualised remedial therapy, will be undertaken from January 2027 to February 2028. The fourth phase, establishment of sustainable support systems, will be implemented from March 2028 to May 2028. The project will conclude with evaluation and closeout from May 2028 to June 2028.<\/p>\n
The committee was also briefed on the National Dyslexia Diagnostic Tool, which is being used to identify children with dyslexia through a comprehensive assessment of developmental and learning domains. The tool comprises cognitive and perceptual-motor assessment, language and phonological assessment, social-emotional checklist and child problem checklist.<\/p>\n
The Higher Education Commission informed the committee that 18 Pakistani universities had secured positions in the QS World University Rankings 2027, reflecting growing international recognition of the country\u2019s higher education sector.<\/p>\n
According to the briefing, two Pakistani universities have been placed among the world\u2019s top 500 institutions: Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, at 381 and the National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, at 384.<\/p>\n
A total of 11 Pakistani universities have secured places among the world\u2019s top 1,000. These include Quaid-i-Azam University, NUST, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore University of Management Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, COMSATS University Islamabad, Government College University Faisalabad, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, Aga Khan University and University of Peshawar.<\/p>\n
The HEC also informed the committee that it had constituted a Committee on International University Rankings to facilitate institutional engagement, develop a common understanding of ranking methodologies and performance indicators, identify challenges affecting global competitiveness and recommend strategies for improving performance in international rankings.<\/p>\n
The initiative is aimed at strengthening institutional capacity, promoting academic excellence and improving the global visibility and competitiveness of Pakistan\u2019s higher education institutions.<\/p>\n
The committee was further told that HEC had introduced a fully online and paperless Degree Attestation System, replacing the previous mechanism. The new system has been designed to make the process streamlined, efficient, transparent and user-friendly.<\/p>\n
HEC said the paperless system was a significant step towards digital transformation of public service delivery and was expected to improve accessibility, reduce procedural delays, enhance administrative efficiency and provide applicants with a more convenient degree attestation service.<\/p>\n
The committee was apprised of key challenges facing universities, including governance-related matters, financial constraints, faculty assessment and evaluation issues and shortages of qualified human resources. It was also informed that HEC regularly issues policy guidelines to universities on academic and administrative matters, including plagiarism prevention and undergraduate education policies, to ensure uniformity, quality assurance and compliance with academic standards.<\/p>\n
HEC said availability of adequate human resources remained a major challenge for universities and was affecting their administrative and academic capacity. It also clarified that establishment of university campuses at tehsil level was not permissible under the existing policy framework.<\/p>\n
HEC proposed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may consider deputing designated officials at HEC to improve institutional coordination and expedite processing of degree attestation and accreditation-related matters for applicants.<\/p>\n
The committee recommended that the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training establish effective liaison and coordination with the committee constituted by the Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives to explore avenues for securing required financial resources to address issues facing the ministry.<\/p>\n
It said coordinated efforts among relevant stakeholders were essential for timely identification of funding needs, prioritisation of pending matters and allocation of adequate resources.<\/p>\n
On the role and functioning of School Management Committees, as well as issues regarding provision of buses and adequate transport facilities for students, the committee asked the ministry to submit comprehensive details through a structured questionnaire.<\/p>\n
The meeting was attended by MNAs Anjum Aqeel Khan, Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz, Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti, Zeb Jaffar, Farah Naz Akbar, Syeda Amnah Batool, Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, Mahtab Akbar Rashdi, Mussarat Rafique Mahesar, Abdul Aleem Khan, Sabheen Ghoury and Aliya Kamran.<\/p>\n
The secretary of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, the HEC chairman, officials of the ministry and HEC, and other officers concerned also attended the meeting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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