Pakistan Today

Pakistan facing stark disparities in literacy levels: UNDP

Moazam Baig

Bilawal Bhutto says improving national literacy rate was the joint responsibility of both government and the society

 

The 52nd International Literacy Day was celebrated across the world on September 8, 2018 with an aim to highlight improvements in world literacy rates, and reflect on the existing literacy challenges.

The issue of literacy is a key component of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

As per Sustainable Development Goal 4, the aim is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The target is that by 2030 all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.

The UNDP tweeted that there are stark disparities in literacy levels across different divides in Pakistan – particularly for vulnerable groups such as women and children.

The USAID-Pakistan supports inclusive and equitable quality education on International Literacy Day.

The UNDP also quoted Momina, a grade first student and a resident of Shinwam Jalal Khel, a remote village in South Waziristan, who recently began her journey to building a brighter future for herself, but is determined to make her efforts count.


To reach the zero out-of-school children target by 2030, Pakistan must increase its net enrolment ratio to a yearly growth of 3.8pc. EU-Pakistan is providing support to returnees and their communities in former FATA region.

Also on Friday, youngest Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and tweeted about the meeting.

In a Twitter message on International Literacy Day, Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that improving national literacy rate was the joint responsibility of both government and the society stressing for coordinated efforts to improve literacy ratio in the country.

PPP chairman said that to enable the humanity to face the future challenges to be manifested by ignorance and illiteracy, everyone has to play his role for developing a literate, progressive, peaceful and prosperous society free from intolerance and extremism thoughts.

He further stated that the Sindh government has allocated 27pc of its budget for education sector adding that he was hopeful and confident to see visible improvements in education sector as well as literacy rate in the province in next few years.

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