NCHD’s 5,949 feeder schools, 6,000 adult literacy centres functional

ISLAMABAD, Mar 19 (APP):As many as 5,949 formal feeder schools of National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) are functional across the country with 355,000 enrollments along with 6,000 adult functional literacy centers, said Chairperson Razina Alam Khan on Monday. Briefing Senior Management meeting about NCHD’s plan of skill development, training programmes along with imparting education, she observed that the initiatives would provide employment opportunities to the illiterates by making them skillful. She said NCHD had started Adult Literacy Programme for the mothers and Universal Primary Education through its Feeder Schools in the remote areas for the unprivileged children.
NCHD developed many models and initiatives are taken to provide education to all with equal rights and creating opportunities both for girls and boys.
“It is encouraging to note that the number of out of school children has decreased to 22.8 million in the country, now we have to make them all bright stars and to stop dropouts from schools. It is the time to convert all our commitments, strategies and plans into action and work with true spirit for eradicating illiteracy and rights of the children,” she stressed.
It was target to achieve targets of 90% literacy rate and 100% enrollment by 2025, she maintained. Establishment of Non-formal Schools in Islamabad in collaboration with JICA Pakistan, and running of 100 madrassa Feeder Schools for mainstreaming the children with Universal Primary Education, Community Learning Centers, and School Health Programs for children and adult literacy centers at workplace and jails were our successful innovations, she observed.
While talking about Pakistan being a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Pakistan always remained at the fore front to advocate, protect and promote child’s rights.
“Our resolve towards child welfare continues to reflect in our state policies,” she stated.
She commended the efforts of Ministry of Human Rights for introducing the Criminal Law (Second Amendment) Act 2016, which clearly stated harsh punishment for offences against children including exposure to child abuse and human trafficking.
Education and awareness is the only way to bring a positive change in attitudes of individuals as well as society with other stakeholders on board is on a mission to empower women and children to become useful citizens with sources of earnings.
She said the focus was on educational and training aspects including skill development.
Being Muslims and under the Constitution of Pakistan we were under obligation to promote best interests of children by providing them access to equal opportunities without any discrimination, she said.
“In our programmes we should ensure that children are being provided a conducive, healthy and protective environment for learning,” she stressed, adding checking the dropout of children from schools was another gigantic duty of us.