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MULTAN, Jun 01 (APP):The Punjab government is focusing on improving the educational foundation of children through the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) program, which is not only helping retain students in schools but also bringing thousands of out-of-school children back into classrooms.
Project Director Imtiaz Shahid said the FLN program was launched in 2023 to help children in early grades strengthen their basic reading and math skills.
He explained the initiative is targeted at both enrolled students who are not learning properly and those who have dropped out of school.
He said that in the first year, FLN camps were set up in five districts, where 1,215 schools hosted 2,050 learning camps. A total of 81,532 children benefited from the initiative, including 22,556 out-of-school children.
Nearly half of the participants were girls.
In the second phase, he said, the program expanded to 12 additional districts.
A total of 3,030 schools hosted 6,060 camps, surpassing the original target of 148,240 by enrolling 176,588 children.
Among them, 35,046 were out-of-school children brought back into education.
He said, now in its third phase, the program is targeting another 12 districts with high dropout rates and low school participation.
These include Mianwali, Rajanpur, Bahawalnagar, Layyah, Bhakkar,
Chiniot, and others.
The current phase aims to enroll 148,240 children, including 30,300 who are out of school.
He said learning materials such as worksheets, assessment tools, academic calendars, and attendance sheets are provided by the Program Monitoring and Implementation Unit (PMIU), while schools arrange stationery and sports items.
Teachers use a dedicated mobile app to report daily progress, which is uploaded to a central dashboard.
Monitoring is conducted through regular visits by AEOs and teams from PMIU, the School Education Department, and UNICEF.
Weekly online meetings are held with CEOs, focal persons, and AEOs to keep the process on track.
Imtiaz Shahid added each child is assessed at the start and end of the camp.
Results from earlier phases show significant improvement in foundational literacy and numeracy among students.
He emphasized the role of community involvement, stating that door-to-door campaigns and corner meetings with parents have played a vital role in encouraging school attendance, especially for girls.
Awareness banners and leaflets are also widely distributed.
He added that teachers and AEOs receive special training to effectively run these camps, while recreational and sports activities are included to make the environment friendly and engaging for children.
He called the FLN program a social movement aimed at giving every child in Punjab the opportunity to build a strong educational base. He said the government is committed to continuing these efforts so that no child is left behind.