Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday directed officials to form a joint committee for a practical, time-bound Islamabad education reform plan. The brief centres on rural schools, teaching quality and students’ learning outcomes, and follows a special assignment from the prime minister to build a model public education system in the capital that could later be copied elsewhere.
What the minister ordered
Chairing a consultative meeting on schooling in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Ahsan Iqbal said model schools need more than better buildings. He stressed stronger teaching methods, clearer learning standards and firmer institutional governance—the rules and management that keep schools running well.
He said the reform work should tackle rural-school gaps such as weak facilities, teacher shortages, limited professional training, curriculum problems, examination practices and funding. The joint committee is to pull existing assessments and proposals into one working paper that names the changes needed, assigns duties to the right institutions and sets implementation deadlines.
What the school review found
The Planning Ministry’s sector specialist for education presented an independent look at 50 educational institutions—34 rural and 16 urban. The review pointed to uneven quality, weaker learning in rural areas and a mismatch between students’ exam results and how well they actually understand subjects.
In response, the minister said curriculum changes must come with effective teacher training and tests that check comprehension and the ability to use knowledge in practical situations. Classroom teaching, he argued, should encourage critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork, while content keeps pace with scientific, technological and economic change.
Who will sit on the committee
The proposed body is to include representatives from the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, the Federal Directorate of Education, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, plus academics and education specialists. Specialised subgroups will help define the facilities, staffing levels and teaching standards needed for model primary schools.
Ahsan Iqbal underlined lasting coordination among institutions and reliable education data, saying progress should be monitored regularly to track delivery and measure the impact on children’s learning. MNAs Anjum Aqeel Khan and Farah Naz, Federal Education Secretary Nadeem Mahbub, Planning Commission members, deans, senior policy experts and other ICT education stakeholders attended the meeting.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Islamabad ke schoolon ki islahat ke liye Ahsan Iqbal ne ek joint committee banane ka hukum diya hai. Yeh plan waqt ke saath chalega aur khas tor par dehati schoolon, ustadon ki tadrees aur bachon ke seekhne par focus karega. 50 schoolon ke jaize mein dehati ilaqon mein kamzor results aur samajh ki kami samne aayi. Agar yeh plan lagaya gaya to capital ke public schoolon ka standard behtar hone ka irada hai, jo baad mein doosri jagahon ke liye misaal ban sakta hai.
