Multan: Additional Chief Secretary South Punjab Fuad Hashim Rabbani directed the School Education Department to proceed with the second phase of “Zero Out of School Children” project. The decision follows the successful completion of the project’s pilot phase and aims to expand the initiative across all union councils of District Layyah. During a recent meeting with the CEO Education Layyah, Rabbani stressed the importance of the initiative. The project ensured that every child in the region had access to education. The CEO Education Layyah was also instructed to collect comprehensive data on out-of-school children and nearby schools to facilitate the project’s implementation. Secretary Services South Punjab Engineer Amjad Shoaib Khan Tareen also attended the meeting, where it was highlighted that newly enrolled students under the campaign would receive free uniforms, shoes, stationery, and school bags.
This support will be provided with the help of local philanthropists. Rabbani further annou
nced plans to invite Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif to Layyah for the formal inauguration of the project once all necessary arrangements were finalized. He expressed his commitment to gradually expand the “Zero Out of School Children” project to all districts of South Punjab. The meeting also approved a proposal to gather data on out-of-school children through the Health Department’s Polio Program and other available sources. The project, which initially started as a pilot in six union councils across Layyah, Multan, and Bahawalpur, was supported by UNICEF and JICA. The positive outcomes of the pilot phase have paved the way for this important expansion. The “Zero Out of School Children” project represents a critical step towards ensuring that all children in South Punjab have the opportunity to pursue an education, a move that is expected to have a lasting impact on the region’s socio-economic development, remarked Rabbani.