Special Cell to Promote Adult Literacy in Province

The News
Monday, July 13, 2009

KARACHI: The Sindh government has decided to establish a special cell to promote adult literacy in 23 districts of the province, said Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah.

He issued these instructions during a briefing given to him by National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) Chairperson Nafisa Shah.

The CM was informed that the NCHD had established 6,800 “feeder schools” out of which over 3,188 closed schools were re-opened. It has also developed a programme for adult literacy and has established 25,000 literacy centres in which more than 528,000 people (mostly women) were being educated.

Nafisa Shah briefed the chief minister on the Universal Primary Education and Adult Literacy Programmes implemented by the NCHD in all 23 districts of Sindh under a PC-1 approved by the federal government. NCHD Chief Operating Officer Zulfiqar Ahmad said that the NCHD had a two-pronged approach towards education and literacy in Pakistan. In primary education, the NCHD supported the provincial and district education department by collecting data about out-of-school children, their enrolment in primary schools and prevention of their dropout.

The CM assured the NCHD chairperson that the Sindh government will extend all possible support to the NCHD in its Education for All programme.

He asked the NCHD to implement its plans in coordination with the provincial education department.”