PESHAWAR: The Elementary and Secondary Education Department (E&SED) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa held a pivotal meeting with UNICEF to shape the province’s education priorities under the upcoming Multi-Year Work Plan (2025–2027), which is part of the broader Learning and Skills Programme.
Chaired by Secretary Education Masood Ahmed, the meeting was aimed at aligning the new work plan with existing provincial education strategies, particularly the recently introduced Foundational Learning Policy. This policy underscores early-grade literacy and numeracy as critical areas needing urgent improvement, reflecting national and international commitments to quality education under SDG 4.
During the session, several key reforms were proposed to elevate teaching quality and enhance the overall governance of schools across the province. These include the introduction of structured teacher certification processes to ensure professional teaching standards, categorization of schools into A, B, and C tiers for improved resource allocation and oversight, and the establishment of a legal framework for school licensing to formalize the role of private and community schools.
Other proposed measures involve the restructuring of education management cadres and the continuous professional development of teachers, which experts say is crucial to addressing systemic inefficiencies and learning gaps that persist in public education.
UNICEF representatives welcomed the proposed reforms and pledged full technical and strategic support for their inclusion in the forthcoming Education Sector Plan (2025–2030). Both parties agreed to work collaboratively in the coming weeks, aiming to finalize the comprehensive plan by mid-May.
These initiatives come at a time when Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, like much of Pakistan, faces challenges related to access, quality, and equity in education—issues that have been further exacerbated by economic constraints and learning losses from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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