'Punjab trying to achieve 88 percent literacy rate'

The provincial government is working hard to achieve 88 percent literacy rate till 2015, fulfilling its international commitment under the Millennium Development Goals, Punjab's Education Minister Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman said on Sunday. He was talking to various delegations that called on him here.
As many as 262,500 students between the ages of 4 and 15 were studying in non-formal basic education schools, he said.
According to him, the provincial government is implementing a comprehensive programme for providing modern educational facilities to children, adding that it was providing assistance to private schools. The Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) was providing grants and scholarships to private educational institutions and individual students, adding that private institutions were performing a valuable service in the field of education.
Reiterating the government's commitment to fulfil its responsibility in developing the educational sector, he said this was the reason why it had launched a primary enrolment campaign to achieve 100 percent literacy rate in the province, he said.
Highlighting the need for eliminating extremism, he said that it could be eradicated by the promotion of quality education, adding that it was necessary for the country's progress and prosperity. It could, he said, also help minimise unemployment and poverty.