ISLAMABAD, Dec 29 (APP): President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday asked the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) to work for promotion of universal primary education in the country.

The President expressed these views while talking to Chairman NCHD, Colonel (Retd) Dr Amirullah Marwat, who presented him the annual report of the commission here at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

President Alvi said NCHD needed to focus on out-of-schoolchildren by providing them formal and non-formal education.

The NCHD chairman briefed the President about the future plans and role of the commission in promotion of human development and primary education.

He said that NCHD had introduced primary education in 100 madaris (seminaries) in Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), besides training to189,000 literacy teachers and supervisors in literacy and social mobilization.

He apprised the President that NCHD had established 10,937 feeder schools with 15,000 teachers in remote and far-flung areas of the country.

The NCHD chairman presented the annual report of the commission to the President who is the Patron-in-Chief of NCHD.

The President appreciated the efforts and role of NCHD in poverty alleviation and capacity building of teachers and supervisors.