PESHAWAR – Urging the media to focus attention on the poor literacy rate, Inayat Ullah Khan, President Pakistan Association for Adult Continuing Education (PACADE), Saturday said the systematic destruction of schools and colleges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA was depriving the children of their basic right to get education.
Addressing ‘Media Forum for the Promotion of Literacy in Pakistan’ at Peshawar Press Club (PPC), he called for stemming the trend and taking steps to root out militancy and terrorism from the society, saying the literacy rate in the country currently stood at 57 per cent whereas it was 50 per cent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Flanked by PPC President Saif-ul-Islam, Inayat reminded the audience that according to the Dakar Declaration, Pakistan was bound to increase the literacy rate to 86 percent by the year 2015. He said over 60 million Pakistanis were unable to read and write.
“Without increasing the literacy rate, no one can achieve the goal of progress and prosperity,” he remarked. Answering a question, he stressed the need of declaring the primary education as compulsory and establishing adult literacy centres throughout the country on the emergency basis.
