In Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's education authorities have launched a policy called 'Each One Teach One,' inviting literate citizens to share the ancient responsibility of passing knowledge to those who lack it. The initiative, rooted in Pakistan's constitutional guarantee of free education and aligned with global development goals, acknowledges what governments rarely say plainly: that the state alone cannot carry the full weight of a society's learning. Whether a formal declaration can awaken a province-wide culture of teaching remains the deeper question.
KP launches 'Each One Teach One' to expand literacy and reduce out-of-school children
Transform literacy from a government responsibility into a broader community effort
Mark
So this is essentially asking educated people to volunteer as tutors?
Mimi
Not quite—it's broader than that. It's asking educated citizens to take on teaching roles in whatever capacity they can, whether that's formal tutoring, mentoring, or informal instruction. The idea is to distribute literacy work across society rather than leaving it entirely to schools.
Luke
But the announcement doesn't say how that actually happens. Are there training programs? Coordination mechanisms? Or is it just a call to conscience?
Mimi
The launch statement doesn't detail those operational pieces. It's the policy framework and the principle—the actual implementation structure isn't spelled out in what was announced.
Mark
Why frame it as a constitutional obligation?
Mimi
Article 25-A guarantees free and compulsory education as a right. By invoking it, the minister is saying this isn't charity or volunteerism—it's fulfilling a legal duty that the state alone hasn't managed.
Luke
That's a fair framing, but it also raises a question: if the state has a constitutional duty, why is it now asking citizens to shoulder the responsibility? Shouldn't the state be expanding its own capacity?
Mimi
Both things could be true. The state may be acknowledging its capacity limits while also trying to mobilize broader resources. It's not either-or.
Mark
What about the out-of-school children specifically? Does the policy target them directly?
Mimi
The policy is aimed at reducing the number of out-of-school children, but the announcement doesn't break down how many children are currently out of school or what the target reduction is.
Luke
That's a significant gap. Without baseline numbers and targets, it's hard to assess whether this policy will actually move the needle or just create the appearance of action.
Il Polso
- Thousands of children remain out of school and adult illiteracy persists across KP, creating a gap that government infrastructure has repeatedly failed to close on its own.
- The formal launch of 'Each One Teach One' distributes the moral and practical burden of literacy outward — from ministries to teachers, professionals, and everyday educated citizens.
- Provincial officials framed the policy not as charity but as constitutional duty, invoking Article 25-A to give the call for participation the weight of law.
- The initiative is anchored to UN Sustainable Development Goal 4, signaling ambitions that extend beyond a local fix toward a measurable, internationally recognized standard.
- Critical details — how volunteers will be recruited, supported, and held accountable — remain unresolved, leaving the policy's real reach dependent on civic response rather than state machinery.
In Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's education authorities have launched a policy called 'Each One Teach One,' inviting literate citizens to share the ancient responsibility of passing knowledge to those who lack it. The initiative, rooted in Pakistan's constitutional guarantee of free education and aligned with global development goals, acknowledges what governments rarely say plainly: that the state alone cannot carry the full weight of a society's learning. Whether a formal declaration can awaken a province-wide culture of teaching remains the deeper question.
Peshawar's education authorities have formally launched the 'Each One Teach One' policy, a deliberate attempt to move literacy from a purely governmental responsibility into the hands of the broader community. The Elementary and Secondary Education Department designed the initiative in response to a stubborn reality: too many children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are not in school, and too many adults cannot read.
The policy was shaped by four senior figures in the provincial education apparatus, with Provincial Minister Arshad Ayub Khan leading the public framing at launch. He positioned the effort as a constitutional obligation, pointing to Article 25-A — Pakistan's guarantee of free and compulsory education for every child — and argued that honoring it requires collective action, not state capacity alone. His call was direct: literate citizens, whether teachers, professionals, or volunteers, must step into the work of teaching.
The initiative also connects to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 4, tying a provincial program to a global commitment to inclusive, equitable education. That alignment suggests the government intends this as a structural shift rather than a temporary measure.
Yet the launch left important questions open. How volunteers will be recruited, coordinated, or supported has not been detailed, nor has any system for measuring progress been announced. The policy's success will ultimately rest on whether the appeal to civic duty travels beyond the officials who made it — and whether communities where schooling is already fragmented can sustain the participation the program requires.
Peshawar's education authorities have set in motion a new approach to a persistent problem: too many children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are not in school, and too many adults cannot read. The Elementary and Secondary Education Department has formally launched what it calls the "Each One Teach One" policy, a program designed to shift the burden of literacy from government shoulders alone to the wider community.
The initiative emerged from collaboration among four key figures in the provincial education apparatus: Provincial Minister Arshad Ayub Khan, Secretary Muhammad Khalid, Director Jaffar Abbasi, and Qaiser Alam, who heads the Elementary and Secondary Education Foundation. At the launch, Khan framed the effort as something more than a bureaucratic program—he positioned it as a constitutional obligation. Article 25-A of Pakistan's Constitution guarantees every child the right to free and compulsory education, he noted, and this policy represents the province's attempt to honor that commitment through collective action rather than state machinery alone.
The logic is straightforward: educated citizens have a role to play. Khan called on literate people across the province to step into the work of teaching, whether formally or informally. The idea is that by distributing the responsibility for education across society—enlisting teachers, professionals, and educated volunteers—the province can reach more children faster and more cheaply than government schools alone could manage. It is a recognition, implicit in the policy's design, that the state's capacity has limits.
The program also anchors itself to international benchmarks. It aligns with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 4, which commits countries to ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all. By tying a local initiative to a global framework, the province signals that this is not a temporary fix but part of a longer arc of development.
What remains unspecified in the launch announcement is the mechanism—how exactly educated citizens will be recruited, trained, or coordinated; what resources they will have; how progress will be measured; whether there are incentives or simply an appeal to civic duty. The policy's success will depend on whether that call to participation resonates beyond the government officials who issued it, and whether the province can translate the principle into sustained action across communities where schooling remains fragmented and irregular.
Citazioni salienti
The initiative sought to transform literacy from a government responsibility into a broader community effort— Provincial Minister Arshad Ayub Khan
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Politics & Governance