Pakistan’s literacy rate still remains miserably short of MDG target

Islamabad
Education development is guided by two comprehensive international initiatives, endorsed by an overwhelming majority of governments around the globe. These are the Education for All (EFA) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Talking to ‘The News’ at an event arranged in connection with the World Literacy Day here on Tuesday, Basic Education Community Schools (BESC) Director General Ghulam Qadir Khan said that the second and third Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) specifically addressed education — Goal 2: Achieving Universal Primary Education; Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and empowers women progress towards achievements of these goals has been embarrassingly slow.
According to him, Pakistan’s literacy rate, though having improved marginally over years, still remains miserably short of the MDG target of 88 per cent by 2015.
There is another proposed set of goals relating to future international development for 2016-2030 called SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). They are to replace the MDGs.
He said that establishment of non-formal Basic Education Community Schools for out of school children is an innovative initiative taken by Pakistan. The ministry of federal education and professional trainings, Government of Pakistan is running the nationwide non-formal primary education programme in all provinces and regions of the country named as Establishment and Operation of BECS. The cost of BECS programme is Rs4,282.059 million as approved by the ECNEC.
The main objective of the BECS programme is to strengthen non-formal approach to supplement the formal education, eradication of illiteracy and achievement of universal primary education (UPE) as envisaged by Constitution of Pakistan Article 25-A and in MDGs by extending free, flexible and modern basic education opportunities to out-of-school children and youth, having no access to the formal system of education, especially disadvantaged children, girls and special children for an equitable society.