ISLAMABAD: Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said on Thursday that the literacy rate in the country has fallen to 58 per cent from 60 per cent.
The federal minister was addressing the Senate today, where he said that the number of children out of schools can cross the figure of 20.28 million.
He said that as per the Population Census 1998, a literate is a person who can read a newspaper and write a simple letter in any language.
Mahmood said that a campaign for adult education will be initiated and it has been recommended that intermediate students should teach adult illiterates.
“Under the programme, it is suggested that one person should be turned literate within 41 days,” he said.
The federal education minister said that these measures will likely ensure that the literacy rate can be improved 10 to 15 per cent.
