National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) in collaboration with Pakistan National Commission for Unesco (PNCU) has celebrated Education for All (EFA) week with full zeal in order to promote "every child in school" with highlighting the mission of "education as a human right".
This week was celebrated, as the fulfilment of this particular right is as indispensable for the realisation of other human right as it is crucial in the achievement of the EFA goals.
National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) has organised a wide range of activities and events like seminars and walks in various districts of Punjab to create awareness about "every child in school" among the masses. District Nazims of respective districts distributed certificates among the teachers of best schools of Rahim Yar Khan, Rajanpur, Narowal, Attock, Gujrat, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Mandi Bahauddin, Sheikhupura, Khushab, Kasur, Mianwali, Sargodha, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Hafizabad, Okara, Khanewal, Lodhran, Multan, Pakpattan, Sahiwal, Vehari, Bhakkar, Bahawalnagar, Layyah, and Bahawalpur.
These districts have been selected in line with the indicators like high enrolment rate, less dropout rate and satisfactory quality education. Toba Tek Singh, Gujrat and Bahawalpur have been nominated for three best districts in Punjab in accordance with above-mentioned indicators.
Minister of State and Chairman NCHD Dr Nasim Ashraf, in his message, said that the major cause of increasing illiteracy pool was non-enrolment and dropout, at the primary level. He said that as per Education for All (EFA) goals, Pakistan has to increase its literacy rate from 53 percent to 86 percent by the year 2015.
He said that NCHD's Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme aims at achieving cent percent enrolment of the children between the age of 5 to 7 years and reduction in dropout from 50 percent to less than 10 percent at the primary level.
He said that NCHD was committed to achieve its targets by ensuring the community participation at grassroots level. He further said that Unesco had awarded prestigious "International Literacy Award" to National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) for remarkable efforts in the field of literacy.