Coding compulsory Pakistan schools policy takes immediate effect after Senate passes landmark education amendment bill
Pakistan has taken a major step toward digital education. The Senate passed the Free and Compulsory Education Amendment Bill 2026 on Friday, making coding compulsory in Pakistan schools from elementary to high school level. Computer science and programming now join the national curriculum as mandatory subjects under an amendment to the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2012. Moreover, the law came into immediate effect following Senate approval.
Senator Sherry Rehman chaired the session in which lawmakers passed the bill. Senators argued the move would prepare students for a technology-driven global job market. Furthermore, they stressed that digital literacy has become essential in modern economies. Therefore, embedding coding into the curriculum from an early age gives Pakistani students a critical head start.
The Senate session also passed the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council bill, though not without drama. The vote ended in a 13-13 tie. Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal had warned lawmakers that the bill would lapse without approval on Friday. Several senators, including Sherry Rehman, pushed to send it to committee for further review. However, the presiding officer cast the deciding vote in favour of the legislation, breaking the deadlock.
Lawmakers also heard sobering employment figures during the session. Around 5.9 million people remained unemployed in Pakistan during fiscal year 2024-25, according to the Pakistan Labor Force Survey. The unemployment rate exceeded 7 percent. The coding mandate, therefore, arrives at a moment when skills development carries genuine urgency for the country’s workforce.
Separately, 23 out of 163 public universities currently operate without permanent vice chancellors, though appointments are under process. Federal Urdu University also faces a financial crisis, though staff salaries continue despite the difficulties. Finally, Pakistan’s motorways generated Rs. 71 billion in revenue between July 2024 and March 2026, with 85 percent collected through the M-Tag electronic toll system.
