UK-backed education drive benefits over 200,000 children

More than 200,000 children in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have benefited from UK-supported education programmes aimed at

ISLAMABAD: More than 200,000 children in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have benefited from UK-supported education programmes aimed at improving basic literacy, numeracy and access to schooling.

The British High Commission said the partnership with the provincial governments had helped children strengthen their foundational learning skills and return to formal education.

The programme has been implemented in more than 500 public schools. It has also helped over 35,000 children who were previously out of school rejoin the education system.

According to the British High Commission, the initiative used learning assessments to identify gaps among students. Teachers then provided targeted lessons to help children improve their basic skills.

The programme also included teacher coaching and regular monitoring of students’ progress.

Around 48,000 students received remedial education under the initiative. More than 5,500 teachers were trained, along with 250 Master Trainers who supported the development of teaching capacity.

The programme also contributed to improvements in school facilities. Infrastructure and learning facilities were upgraded in around 400 public schools.

The impact was reflected in students’ learning outcomes. Urdu reading proficiency increased from 15 per cent to 78 per cent. English reading skills improved from 15 per cent to 45 per cent.

Students also showed progress in mathematics. Their ability to perform subtraction increased from 37 per cent to 67 per cent.

British High Commissioner Jane Marriott said teachers played a central role in improving learning outcomes.

She said the real test of the programme was whether teachers found the methods useful enough to continue applying them in classrooms.

Marriott described the feedback received so far as highly encouraging. She said cooperation between governments, schools and communities was helping children who previously struggled with basic reading to become independent readers.

Muhammad Musa Ali Bokhari, CEO of the Punjab Education Curriculum Training and Assessment Authority, stressed that every child should have the opportunity to develop basic reading, writing and counting skills before completing primary education.

He said UK support had helped transform discussions about foundational learning into practical approaches that were producing measurable results in Punjab.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Special Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Masood Ahmed also welcomed the programme’s progress.

He said the results demonstrated that targeted investment in foundational education could produce meaningful improvements for children and communities.