PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government has launched a coordinated, data-driven initiative to identify out-of-school children (OOSC) across the province and bring them back into the education system.
In this regard, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed among the Elementary & Secondary Education Department (E&SED), Local Government, Elections & Rural Development Department (LGE&RDD), Health Department and Social Welfare Department.
The signing ceremony was attended by Minister for Local Government Meena Khan, Minister for Elementary & Secondary Education Arshad Ayub Khan, Minister for Health Khaleeq-ur-Rehman and Minister for Social Welfare Liaquat Ali Khan, along with the respective secretaries. Minister for Information & Public Relations Shafi Jan, Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah and other members of the provincial cabinet also attended the ceremony.
Under the initiative, a comprehensive door-to-door survey will be conducted across the province to establish reliable data on the number, geographic distribution and reasons for children remaining out of school. A unified data system, “One Map,” will integrate information from the participating departments and provide an evidence base for targeted enrolment, education-sector planning and more effective allocation of resources.
Officials informed the Chief Minister that, according to the 2023 Census, approximately 4.9 million children aged 5 to 16 years are out of school in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while the provincial Education Department estimates the actual number at approximately 2.6 million. The first phase of the initiative aims to enrol 60 percent of the identified out-of-school children.
The One Map system will integrate the Health Department’s Lady Health Worker (LHW) field data with school catchment information maintained by E&SED. This integrated approach will enable the government to identify children and underserved populations that may not be captured through individual departmental datasets.
Under the operational framework, E&SED will serve as the lead department. Each government primary school will function as a focal point for its surrounding catchment area, while its EMIS Cell will deploy a mobile application to facilitate field surveys and enable real-time monitoring of survey progress and enrolments. The resulting data will also support evidence-based planning for classrooms, teachers and other educational resources.
The Health Department will support identification of children in underserved and informal settlements through polio micro-plans and geographic information. Locations recorded as “Refusal” or “Not at Home” during vaccination campaigns will also be reviewed for potential identification of children outside existing education records. Data on mobile and nomadic families will be collected through designated Permanent Transit Points.
The LGE&RDD will support verification of surveyed lists through Village Council Secretaries, who will cross-check the data against local birth registration and Form-B records and formally verify the relevant lists. The department will also collect demographic data on children aged 0 to 5 years to support future planning for school locations, capacity and other educational facilities.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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