School enrolments up to 48.062m

Islamabad : The countrywide school enrolments have gone up from 46.223 million in 2015-16 to 48.062 million in 2016-17 and are likely to further increase to 50.426 million, National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) Chairperson Razina Alam Khan said on Friday.

Addressing the 50th commission meeting here, the NCHD chairperson regretted that a stark disparity had been observed between male and female literacy rates, while the literacy rate for people aged above 10 years and above was 58 percent.

She also said the net national enrolment rate for primary level was 54 per cent with Punjab on top with 59 per cent followed by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with 53 per cent, Sindh with 48 per cent and Balochistan with 33 per cent.

“We have seen issues like low learning, a shortage of trained teachers, outdated syllabus, and poor planning for implementation of programmes in education system in the provinces according to their needs. The regional differences are also a major cause for poor educational system in the country,” she said.

The NCHD chairperson said education guaranteed development and tomorrow belonged to those who prepared for it today.

“We should all pay attention for educating our children so that we could build the foundation of a bright future,” she said.

She said the main hope for national development lied in proper education and skill development of people.

“The Constitution protects the rights of all children for free and compulsory education and advocates adult literacy,” she said.

Razina Alam said our formal educational system included 31 private institutes and rest public sector’s,” she said.

The NCHD chairperson said besides main programmes, the commission promoted literacy among prisoners, mainstreamed seminaries by introducing primary education along with religious education, established National Training Institute, and piloted non-formal schools in Islamabad Capital Territory.

The commission members appreciated the efforts of the NCHD in the field of non-formal education, adult literacy and skill development which actually empowers the neglected section of society.

Later, Caretaker Education Minister Muhammad Yousaf Sheikh visited the NCHD offices and received a briefing on the working of NCHD.

The minister appreciated the NCHD’s projects and initiatives for the empowerment and development of the neglected sections of society.