LAHORE: Alight Pakistan and Jamia Binoria Al-Aalmia (Binoria University International) have joined hands to establish non-formal educational institutions and enroll over 4,000 out-of-school children belonging to marginalized segments of society in Sindh province. The purpose of this joining of ranks is to enroll the out-of-school children to provide them functional literacy combined with skills in Badin, Thatta, Mirpurkhas, Tando Allah Yar, Tando Muhammad Khan and Tharparkar, said a spokesman for Alight Pakistan here on Monday.

"Equitable access to education is the basic right of every child and this initiative will definitely help the most deserving students to avail the opportunity at their doorstep," says Dr. Tariq Cheema, country representative, Alight Pakistan.

He said that religious seminaries are traditional social safety nets looking after children from impoverished backgrounds for centuries. "Balanced education is the key to spiritual and social achievements of the children we house and teach," says Sheikh Noman Naeem, chancellor of the Jamia Binoria. The non-formal schools will be established at Jamia Binoria's affiliated Madarassahs for the out-of-school children, especially girls, between the ages of 9 and 11 who have never been to school or dropped out at an early age. The children will be taught Urdu, general knowledge, English and mathematics in accordance with the national curriculum. Alight will also explore e-learning opportunities for students and establish community education committees to provide supervision and sustainability of these schools.

Alight Pakistan and Government of Pakistan through Federal Ministry of Education and Professional Training have launched the largest-ever countrywide program in collaboration with Educate A Child (EAC) programme, a global initiative of the Education Above All Foundation (EAA), to enroll one million out-of-school children in Pakistan.

Through its strategic partners, including the provincial education departments, the NCHD, the BISP and some civil society organizations, Alight Pakistan is implementing this three-year program in 56 districts of Pakistan where 816,329 out-of-school children have been enrolled by December 2019.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020