Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and Literate Pakistan Foundation (LPF) have signed an agreement whereby through a full-fledged campaign, 75 new adult literacy centres will be established in five districts of Sindh and Balochistan.
Engineer Naeem-ur-Rehman Akhoond, Senior General Manager, SSGC and Mohammad Afzal Butt, Acting President LPF and New Century Education signed on behalf of their respective organisations.
The campaign will commence from January 1, 2007 in five districts namely Jacobabad, Sanghar, Dadu, Pishin (Quetta) and Khuzdar (Balochistan) as well as other remote, far-flung villages.
Mohammad Ishaq Shaikh, Dy. Director Literacy and Non Formal Education, Government of Sindh, Ishrat Malik, Corporate Communication Officer, LPF and Bushra Afzal, Co-Chairperson, Supporters of The Citizen Foundation (TCF) and senior SSGC officials were also present to witness the signing ceremony. Since 2004, more than 5,200 illiterates have so far benefited from this non-formal adult literacy campaign in 181 centres established in cities and towns including Karachi, Larkana, Sukkur, Nawabshah, Badin, Ziarat, Kalat, Sibi, Gwadar, Mirpur Khas, Hub and Quetta.
Naeem-ur-Rehman Akhoond said more than 2000 uneducated individuals stand to get themselves educated through this campaign so that they could improve their socio-economic status and emerge as important member of their communities.
Akhoond also said SSGC has been involved in adopting a number of schools in its franchise areas of Sindh and Balochistan. He further added that the company bears all their operating expenses and closely monitors their progress to ensure that high standard is maintained. 'It will be a big contribution on our part if we reach out to those underprivileged areas which are beyond the reach of the Government,' said the SSGC official.