Islamabad, Jan 11 (PTI) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday called for collective efforts to develop scalable and sustainable solutions for girls' education, especially in the Muslim countries.

He was addressing the opening session of a two-day international conference on 'Girls' Education in Muslim Communities: Challenges and Opportunities' here.

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Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has also reached Pakistan to attend the conference and would be delivering a speech later.

The conference is being attended by ministers, dignitaries, and representatives from 47 countries and various organisations and has brought together experts, policymakers and educators from around the globe to address critical issues surrounding girls' education in Muslim-majority regions.

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Sharif, in his address, emphasised that this cause is worth fighting for, worth committing resources to and worth advocating for, reported Radio Pakistan.

He said millions of young girls over the next decade will enter the job market, emphasising they have the potential not just to lift up themselves, their families and nations out of poverty but also to enrich the global economy.

“We owe it to our mothers, sisters, and daughters to ensure that their rights are respected, their ambitions are fulfilled, and that no cultural inhibitions stand in the way of achieving their dreams,” he said.

The prime minister pointed out that in Pakistan, women make up more than half of the total population, yet the female literacy rate stands at only 49 per cent. Alarmingly, he said, around 22.8 million children in the age bracket of five to 16 years are out of school with a disproportionate number being girls.

He also flagged the establishment of Daanish schools, a unique initiative introduced to provide quality education to unprivileged children in rural and underdeveloped areas.

The Islamabad declaration to be signed by this conference will be placed before the UN, including the UN Security Council, as a collective aspiration of the Ummah, he said and called for collective efforts to develop scalable and sustainable solutions for girls' education.

The Prime Minister's speech was followed by the signing of the International Partnership Agreement, which represents a collective commitment to furthering the cause of girls' education.

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