Islamabad : President Mamnoon Hussain on Tuesday called for improvement in the professional skills of teachers besides increase in the number of students.
He was speaking to chairperson of the National Commission for Human Development Razina Alam Khan, who called on him at the Aiwan-i-Sadr here. Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Engr. Muhammad Balighur Rehman and senior relevant officials were also present on the occasion.
The NCHD chairperson presented the organisation’s Annual Report 2016 to the president on the occasion. She said a not-for-profit organisation, the NCHD was striving to transform lives by improving access to basic education and healthcare in the country’s poorest communities. “We are the country’s leading agency fighting illiteracy in 134 districts and helping people to find routes out of ignorance,” she said.
The NCHD chairperson said with a nationwide network of 101 Human Development Support Units and hands-on-experience, the organisation wanted to enlarge the scale and scope of the efforts made by the government to ensure the effective provision of social services.
“We perceive human development as a process of enlarging choices, building capacities and encouraging participation of communities at the grass roots. To ensure this, we’re supporting the relevant government departments, civil society organisations and local communities in the sectors of education, basic health care and income generating activities at the grassroots,” she said.
She said the NCHD 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 which cater to all the stakeholders involved in the process, we help ensure a lasting impact.
These capacity building exercises are targeted towards Government Line departments, community-based organisations and the community,” she said.
Appreciating the skill development training programme along with imparting education under the auspices of the commission, the president said the initiatives would provide employment opportunities to the illiterate people by making them skilful.
Education minister Balighur Rehman informed the president that thousands of literacy centres had been become operational across the country. The president hoped that the NCHD’s efforts to further the cause of education in the country would continue. He assured the commission of his all possible support for the purpose.