Paris (Web Desk): Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood was unanimously elected as President of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) prestigious Education Commission in Paris on Thursday.
Commenting on the election, Shafqat Mehmood termed it as an honour for Pakistan and an acknowledgement of its commitment to UNESCO's work in the field of education.
The minister said being the President of UNESCO's Education Commission, he would work closely with all delegations in a constructive manner in pursuance of UNESCO's objectives.
The minister separately held bilateral meetings with Ministers of Education of Bangladesh, Norway and Tunisia. He also met Assistant Director Generals of UNESCO for Education and Culture.
During the meetings, he stressed the need for greater cooperation at bilateral and international level to ensure access to education to all school-going children and to bring about quantum improvement in the higher education sector.
With Pakistan in the chair, the education commission would take up a heavy agenda deliberating on UNESCO’s future strategy and programmes for literacy, global/regional coordination for the implementation of SDG 4 –Education 2030.
The commission will also work on ways and means to move towards a global classification framework for teacher policy dialogue besides finalising the draft text of the global convention on the recognition of higher education qualifications.
