Seminar urges gender tagging of education budget

PESHAWAR: A post-budget seminar focused on the budget allocations for girls’ education in the fiscal year 2026–27, called for gender tagging of education budget and stronger oversight mechanisms to ensure effective utilisation of financial resources and address barriers to girls’ access to quality education. The seminar was organised by the Provincial Oversight and Advisory Committee on Girls’ Education of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women (KPCSW) with technical and collaborative support of Blue Veins and Malala Fund. It brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including Secretary Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs), officials from the Education Department and other relevant government institutions, civil society representatives, and young girls’ education champions. In her welcome remarks, Dr Sumera Shams, Chairperson KPCSW, said the Committee had conducted consultations and meetings with relevant stakeholders and young girls and developed recommendations for gender-inclusive education budgeting, which were formally submitted to the Education Department for consideration in the 2026–27 education budget. Officials from the Elementary and Secondary Education Department, Pazeer Zada, Accounts Officer, and Muhammad Ijaz Khalil, Advisor Governance, provided an overview of the provincial education budget for the fiscal 2026-27. They said the education budget increased by 10 percent from the previous fiscal year, and stood at Rs397 billion, with Rs21 billion allocated to the development budget. Naseem Khan, Deputy Secretary (Budget) mentioned that a Global Virtual School has also been established by the Department to support AI-enabled digital learning for students and help address geographical barriers to educational access. Syed Wiqar Shah, Secretary Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, noted, “Investment in girls’ education is an investment in the province’s social development”. The seminar concluded with a call for efficient and transparent utilisation of education resources, stronger monitoring and oversight, and sustained collaboration among stakeholders to ensure that budgetary investments translate into tangible improvements in girls’ access to and quality of education. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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