National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) would complete projects on primary education, literacy and provision of basic healthcare services by December 2007 at the cost of $25 million provided by Unicef, Unesco, US Aid etc, during the last five years.
This was discussed in a quarterly NCHD programme workshop held here at a local hotel on Monday. General Managers of School Health Programme from the four provinces, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and Federally Administered Northern Areas (Fana) participated in the workshop.
The workshop was informed that free of cost check up of the children is being done in 16 districts across the country under the health programme besides providing 3 lakh spectacles and hearing devices. The workshop was informed that 10 million mothers have been trained in 5 years to make Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) to mitigate dehydration problem, which is very common in the country.
It was also discussed that the target to establish 50,000 literacy centres by December 2007 would be met while the same number of centres would be established in the first quarter of 2008, with the help of local community.
About 2200 primary schools have already been set up as they have been provided buildings while the NCHD took the responsibility of funding these institutions. Local governments across the country have taken the control of about 4000 schools, the workshop was told. The participants submitted their suggestions for the betterment and expansion of School Health Programme and discussed the problems regarding operational activities, ORS field survey and action plan.
The NCHD is a fast-track initiative to improve social sector outcomes at the grass roots. The goal of the Commission is to fill the implementation gaps and improve public sector delivery mechanisms to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through universal primary education, adult literacy/gender empowerment programme, reducing population growth rate, improving infant and maternal mortality and capacity building at grass roots.