NCHD to establish 12,000 literacy centres

Islamabad

The National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) has planned to set up 12,000 new literacy centres in the country's less developed and remote areas.

According to NCHD Chairperson Razina Alam Khan, PC-1 of the project was approved recently.

She told reporters here on Tuesday that the Senate Committee on Education had observed that the non-formal education and adult literacy programme should reach the remotest, most backward and poorest of the poorer.

"The NCHD in collaboration with the Annual Status of Education Report has been active in 143 districts to enhance the school enrolment rate, prevent dropout rate and check absenteeism of schoolchildren. The Unicef is to be part of the project," she said.

Razina Alam said a training institute for literacy and non-formal education would be established in Islamabad, while literacy centres would be established in seminaries.

She added that special courses had been arranged for taxi drivers, gardeners and labourers with special literacy courses.

"The National Training Institute for promotion of literacy and non-formal education aims to build capacity, material and research development, examination and assessment/certification and equivalency and maintaining data bank for literacy," she said.

The NCHD chairperson said the commission would continue persuading the relevant authorities for allocation of necessary funds to continue the ball rolling in a positive manner.

She said that the NCHD was a not-for-profit organisation with the mission to transform lives by improving access to basic education and healthcare in the country’s poorest communities.

"Ours is the country's leading agency fighting illiteracy and helping people find routes out of ignorance," she said. 

Razina Alam said with nationwide network of 101 Human Development Support Units (district offices) situated all over Pakistan and hands-on-experience, the NCHD aimed at enlarging the scale and scope of the efforts made by the government in ensuring the effective provision of social services. 

"We perceive human development as a process of enlarging choices, building capacities and encouraging participation of communities at grassroots level. To ensure this, the NCHD is directed towards supporting the government line departments, civil society organisations and the local communities in the sectors of education, basic health care and income generating activities at the grassroots," she said. 

The NCHD chairperson said her organisation identified, and consequently presented innovative and cost effective solutions to fill implementation gaps, building the capacities of the involved agencies and stakeholders to effectively address the issues hampering the process.

"Through extensive training programmes and capacity building workshops catering to all stakeholders, the NCHD helps ensure a lasting impact," she added.