PM calls for collective efforts to promote education among females in Muslim countries

Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for collective efforts to develop scalable and sustainable solutions for girls' education.  

Opening the two-day International Conference on Girls' Education in Muslim Communities: Challenges and Opportunities, in Islamabad today, he emphasized that this cause is worth fighting for, worth committing resources to and worth advocating for.

Shehbaz Sharif said millions of young girls over the next decade will enter the job market, emphasizing they have the potential not just to lift themselves, their families and nations out of poverty but also to enrich the global economy.

He said we owe it to our mothers, sisters, and daughters to ensure that their rights are respected, their ambitions are fulfilled, and that no cultural inhibitions stand in the way of achieving their dreams.

The Prime Minister said that despite our rich legacy, the Muslim world including Pakistan faces significant challenges in ensuring equitable access to education for girls. He noted that denying education to girls is tantamount to denying them their voice and choice while depriving them of their right to a bright future.  

He pointed out that in Pakistan, women make up more than half of the total population, yet the female literacy rate stands at only forty-nine per cent. Alarmingly, he said around 22.8 million children in the age bracket of five to sixteen years are out of school with a disproportionate number being girls. 

The Prime Minister said a major step towards addressing education disparities in Pakistan was the establishment of Daanish schools, a unique initiative introduced to provide quality education to unprivileged children in rural and under developed areas. He said this initiative is now being replicated in far flung regions of Pakistan, paving the way for a promising and more inclusive future.

He said through our flagship youth program, the government is committed to providing quality education, creating jobs and offering meaningful opportunities which include scholarships and vocational training in demand driven skills such as Artificial Intelligence, data analytics and cyber security as well as provision of laptops to high achievers.

Shehbaz Sharif said the pursuit of knowledge is a sacred duty for every Muslim regardless of gender as emphasised by the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

He said we have decided to place Islamabad declaration to be signed by this conference before the UN including the UN Security Council as a collective aspiration of the Ummah.

The Prime Minister's speech was followed by signing of International Partnership Agreement which represents a collective commitment to furthering the cause of girls' education.