BISP is the flagship social safety net programme of the country and Waseela-e-Taleem Programme is a landmark initiative of BISP with regard to the great causes of education and long term poverty alleviation. This was stated by the President Mamnoon Hussain during the launching ceremony of PM Nawaz Sharif's Waseela-e-Taleem Programme of BISP in Thatta.
The event was organised by the joint collaboration of BISP and its partner organisations, UK government DFID and Aurat Foundation. Representatives of development partners, academia, media and thousands of BISP beneficiaries associated with Waseela-e-Taleem Programme of Thatta district were present on the occasion.
Waseela-e-Taleem Programme is a conditional cash transfer initiative of BISP funded by UK government DFID and technical assistance of World Bank. Under this programme, BISP is providing education to around 850,000 beneficiary children of 5 to 12 years age in 32 districts of the country.
BISP targets to increase the number of enrolled children up to one million by the end of December 2015, and up to two million by the end of December 2016. BISP also aims to extend this programme to the whole of the country so that maximum number of deserving children may benefit from the facility of incentive based free education.
On the occasion, President Mamnoon said that poverty and ignorance have direct linkage with extreme tendencies in our society and hence, combating poverty has become imperative to eradicate extremism and create a peaceful society for social cohesion and sustainable development. Waseela-e-Taleem Programme has, therefore, been envisaged to promote education among children belonging to downtrodden segment of society and help them out in breaking the vicious circle of poverty.
The President congratulated Chairperson BISP and her team for expanding this initiative and addressing the issue of poverty through the provision of education to the beneficiary children. He added that being the President of Pakistan and patron-in- chief of BISP, he stood committed to support BISP and all its programme interventions in general and Waseela-e-Taleem Programme in particular.-PR