Islamabad ( Abu Khaldoon ) Renowned educationist and Executive Director of the welfare organization “Muslim Hands,” Syed Javed Gilani, has commended the government’s initiative to impose an educational emergency, highlighting the critical need for alliances and consortiums to ensure its success. Gilani stressed the importance of unified efforts from all stakeholders and called for the establishment of task forces at both federal and provincial levels.
In an exclusive interview, Syed Javed Gilani revealed the alarming statistic that 26 million children in Pakistan are out of school, constituting 40 percent of the country’s youth population. He described this situation as a tragedy and reiterated that achieving substantial educational goals is impossible without forming consortiums and alliances. Gilani emphasized that at least 8 percent of the national budget should be allocated to education to address this crisis.
Highlighting the efforts of “Muslim Hands,” Gilani stated that the organization is committed to bringing 500,000 children back to school over the next five years. Through the “Take a Child” project, they have successfully reintegrated 22,000 children into the education system. “Muslim Hands” has invested $85 million in education in Pakistan to date. The organization’s direct and indirect support has enabled 200,000 children to receive education, with approximately 50,000 completing their graduation and post-graduation. He noted that when “Muslim Hands” adopted 22 schools from the Punjab government, the student count was 6,000, which has now increased to 23,000 across these schools. Besides education, “Muslim Hands” also addresses the other needs of these children.
Providing further suggestions for the educational emergency, Syed Javed Gilani stressed the need to improve the school environment to make it more appealing for children. He emphasized interactive and activity-based learning methodologies and advised that the selection of subjects should consider the children’s mental inclinations. Additionally, he highlighted the importance of focusing on technical education alongside traditional education and called for teachers to be accorded the respect and benefits commensurate with their status. He suggested that teachers undergo a training process similar to that of the CSS. To increase literacy rates, Gilani proposed utilizing the network of mosques, which can serve as community centers for initial classes, especially in areas lacking schools. He pointed out that more focus is needed in regions with a higher number of out-of-school children.
