Pakistan’s Punjab needs 135 billion rupees to achieve 90% literacy by 2035
Pakistan’s Punjab province needs 135 billion Pakistani rupees to achieve a literacy rate of 90% by 2035. The province also has 9.6 million children who do not attend school and 26.8 million illiterate adults, Dawn reports.
According to Punjab’s Literacy and Non-Formal Basic Education Department, the largest share of children outside the education system is in the 8-to-16 age group. The department believes that the formal education system cannot effectively reach students of this age, so non-formal education is a scalable and flexible learning mechanism for them.
Non-formal education network
The department has established 20,273 non-formal schools in the province, providing access to education for more than 593,000 children. In addition, 1,260 adult literacy centers operate in all 36 districts of Punjab. Overall, the programs target more than 800,000 learners in the central, northern and southern parts of the province.
The department’s director general, Asim Javed, said that 135 billion rupees are needed to meet the targets by 2035. According to him, the funds are intended to cover the expansion of the non-formal school network, teacher training, learning materials and the establishment of new adult literacy centers.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Accelerated learning
According to Javed, the accelerated learning program makes it possible to obtain elementary education in 18 months, while the formal system requires 36 months. Adult literacy courses at the relevant centers last six months. The department has also introduced 13 market-oriented technical specializations, while literacy centers implement specialized programs in agriculture, healthcare and the extractive industry.
Director of Monitoring and Evaluation Irshad Baig said that the department uses real-time monitoring, digital systems and performance assessments based on key indicators. The number of elementary-level graduates rose from 12,055 in 2019 to more than 29,000 per year, while 470 schools were upgraded to the elementary education level.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said on International Literacy Day that the authorities are paying special attention to young people’s digital literacy. Representatives of UNICEF and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA, attended the themed event.
