The government has stepped up efforts to improve the quality of non-formal education by introducing a continuous professional development system for teachers, as Pakistan faces the challenge of 26 million out-of-school children.
Secretary, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, Nadeem Mahbub, stated this while addressing the closing ceremony of the three-day Master Trainers’ Training (Group-II), held from September 29 to October 1, 2026.
The Secretary said the government’s responsibility was not limited to providing access to education but also included ensuring quality learning outcomes. He said special emphasis had been placed on strengthening non-formal education and improving teacher support.
The Secretary urged Master Trainers to take their learning back to fellow teachers and help them apply improved teaching practices in classrooms.
“Your role is to mentor, facilitate, demonstrate and motivate, not simply to deliver training,” he said. He said the success of the initiative would ultimately depend on implementation at the grassroots level and urged Master Trainers to identify classroom challenges, share good practices and make full use of the training and digital resources provided to them. “The real measure of our success will be better teaching, better learning and, ultimately, better opportunities” for children being catered to, he added.
The training programme was designed by a UNESCO consultant following a review of the Training Need Assessment, training materials, Training of Trainers (ToT) and cascade training conducted in April 2026. The process was further supported by focus group discussions with Master Trainers and consultations with non-formal education departments.
The Ministry, through the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), National Education Foundation (NEF) and Basic Education Community Schools (BECS), has undertaken various initiatives to strengthen teaching quality and professional development.
A dedicated unit has been established for improving the quality of non-formal education, while a structured Continuous Professional Development (CPD) mechanism has been introduced. Master Trainers selected from among teachers will provide practical and continuous support to their fellow teachers.
Regular and need-based refresher training, monthly Professional Development Days and cluster-based WhatsApp groups will provide teachers with opportunities for continued learning, communication and sharing of teaching resources. Digital CPD is also being piloted.
Teaching kits have been provided to support practical classroom learning, while tablets containing digital educational content were distributed among Master Trainers at the ceremony.
DG BECS Hameed Khan Niazi stressed the importance of investing in teacher capacity, saying continuous training was essential to equip teachers with modern teaching strategies and improve learning outcomes.
He further said BECS plays a vital role in expanding access to education and reaching children in communities where formal schooling facilities are limited. He said community-based schools provide an important link between underserved children and the formal education system.
He said continuous professional development would help BECS teachers adopt modern teaching methods, improve classroom effectiveness and better respond to the learning needs of children.
Niazi said the success of BECS depended not only on expanding its reach but also on ensuring quality education, trained teachers and effective support at the grassroots level.
