Intl conference to provide workable solutions for challenges before girls education: Experts
PESHAWAR (APP): The two days international conference on girls education started in Islamabad on Saturday has been widely hailed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where experts hoped for a workable solutions to the existing challenges in Muslim communities line of the Islamic principles.
Professor Dr Muhammad Ibrahim, former Director Education said that the holding of the international conference on girls education is very important for muslims communities, especially Pakistan in the wake of different misconceptions, economic imbalances, social taboos and termed its holding in Islamabad is a great honour for Pakistan.
Like other developing countries, he said that Pakistan is also confronted to the monster challenges of high drop out ratio of girls after passing their metric examination due to lack of colleges, transport and socioeconomic imbalances besides security concerns and early marriages.
He said that although the women made half of the total population of Pakistan, yet the female literacy rate stood at 49 percent only, while alarmingly around 22.8 million children, with age bracket of five to eight years, were out of schools, including a proportionate number of girls which is a matter of great concern.
He expressed the hope that educational experts from about 150 international dignitaries, including ministers, ambassadors, scholars and academia from 44 Muslim and friendly countries, authorities of OIC, MWL, representatives from an international organizations including UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank besides Pakistani education authorities are going to come up with a workable recommendations for solutions of these pressing challenges.
In collaboration with MWL, the Govt of Pakistan has launched a comprehensive platform for partnerships to advance girls’ education in Muslim societies: A Global Initiative to support girls’ education at Islamabad today.
Terming the inaugural address of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz at the first session of the international conference at Islamabad was highly foresighted and inclusive, former Ambassador Manzoorul Haq said that premier has called for a broad based unity of Muslim world to promote girls education and address the existing challenges.
Manzoor said this landmark initiative aims to foster international partnerships by forging alliances among governmental, Islamic, and global civil organizations, thereby creating a widespread network in Muslim world to advance girls’ education- a pathway for economic development.
“This conference seeks to implement the principles outlined in Charters of Makkah and Building Bridges Between Islamic Schools of Thought and Sects,” he elaborated.
Additionally, he said it will help implement resolutions adopted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states regarding both the above charters, in conjunction with the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Secretary-General of the MWL with the Secretary-General of OIC, and the MoU between the Secretary-General of the Islamic Fiqh Council and the Secretary-General of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, adding these agreements were already formalized in the holy city of Makkah.
He said the conference strongly reflected Pakistani Govt and MWL’s unwavering commitment to its responsibilities towards Muslim populations and the foundations of renaissance especially towards girls education.
Ambassador Manzoor said the podium aims to promote girls’ education in accordance with authentic Islamic principles, to address the challenges impeding it, and to dispel misconceptions surrounding the issue.
Moreover, he said the conference served as an Islamic message to the world, affirming that Islam—a religion of knowledge, peace, civilization, and noble values—firmly supports all laws and practices that enable girls access to education.
“Any legislation or actions, whether by individuals or groups, that hinder girls’ education are contrary to Islamic teachings, which are unequivocally free from such practices.”
He said the conference would focus with key recommendations on initiating and developing strategies to address the challenges facing girls’ education and capitalize on available opportunities to enhance and improve educational outcomes in Muslim societies.
He said the goal is to empower women to fulfill their essential and rightful roles in contributing to the development of their communities across various sectors.
The experts said this will be accomplished in alignment with the principles outlined in the two aforementioned charters, as well as the actions to further activate and implement these principles imperative for promotion of girls education.
