Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided to conduct a comprehensive door-to-door survey to determine the exact number and locations of out-of-school children and to establish a “One Map” system. In the first phase of the initiative, the government has set a target of immediately enrolling 60 per cent of these children in schools.

In the presence of Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi, a memorandum of understanding was signed among the Elementary and Secondary Education Department, Local Government Department, Health Department and Social Welfare Department to bring out-of-school children back into education.

The briefing stated that, according to the 2023 census, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has around 4.9 million children aged between 5 and 16, while the Education Department estimates that 2.6 million children are out of school.

The four departments will work under a joint strategy to identify out-of-school children and bring them into the education system. For this purpose, the “One Map” system will collect data on the number, locations and needs of these children.

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According to the briefing, government schools, double-shift schooling, community schools, digital platforms and cooperation with the private sector will be used to bring children back to school.

Children who have dropped out because of poverty will be provided scholarships, Zakat and other forms of social assistance. Scholarship payments will be conditional on a minimum attendance rate of 75 per cent.

Young people aged 14 to 16 will also receive vocational training under the United Nations programme “Generation Unlimited.”

Under the initiative, data on children aged 0 to 5 will also be collected to improve school planning in the future.

Provincial and district-level steering committees will be established to oversee the initiative. To ensure transparency, an independent organisation will verify 5 per cent of the surveyed data.