Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called upon global and local organisations, philanthropists and entrepreneurs to join them in creating “scalable and sustainable opportunities” for ensuring education for women.
“In the next decade, millions of young girls would enter the jobs market with immense prospects for social and economic prosperity,” he said while addressing a two-day international conference on ‘Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities: Challenges and Opportunities’.
The conference aims at addressing the challenges and opportunities in advancing girls’ education across Muslim communities worldwide; foster dialogue; and find actionable solutions to address the challenges.
The event has brought together over 150 international dignitaries, including ministers, ambassadors, scholars and academia from 44 Muslim and friendly countries, the OIC secretary general, the Muslim World League general secretary, and representatives from international organisations including UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank.
“As they do so, they have the potential to not just lift themselves, their families and the nation out of poverty but also to enrich the global economy, new markets, and find innovative solutions to their shared challenges,” he observed.
The prime minister also stressed that they should assure the womenfolk that their rights should be respected and their ambitions be met, besides, no cultural or social impediment stood in the way of achieving their dreams.
He said despite their rich legacy, the Islamic world, including Pakistan, was facing challenges in ensuring actable access to education for girls. “Denying education to girls amounts to denying their rights and voice and denying them their right to a bright future.”
In Pakistan, the prime minister said the women made up half of the total population, yet the female literacy rate stood at 49 per cent only while around 22.8 million children with age bracket of five to eight years, were out of schools, including a proportionate number of girls.
“The inadequate infrastructure, safety concerns, as well as deeply entrenched societal norms further exacerbated the issue, creating a cycle of deprivation, spanning over spans of generations,” he said.
The prime minister said the founding father Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a “strong advocate” for women’s role in the national building.
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“No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you,” PM Shehbaz said and advised that the magnitude of such problems might be considerable but they should keep fighting for their cause by committing resources and raising their voice.
The prime minister also expressed his gratitude to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman for their support and patronage of the conference.
He also extended gratitude to the Muslim World League for its commitment to education. The prime minister also announced the signing of Islamabad declaration in line with the UNSC objectives and as a collective aspiration of the Ummah.
