As per the programme, through this intervention, it is also anticipated that parents or caregivers of 30,000 out-of-school children will be engaged in literacy and numeracy programmes.

On January 6, 2014, Chemonics International was awarded a contract by USAID to implement the Sindh Reading programme to achieve the target of improving teacher competencies for effective early grade reading and assessment practices, improve student access to supplementary reading material and enhance participation of parents and caregivers in support of early grade literacy for out of school children, said a statement issued here on Tuesday.

The programme aims to directly impact 400,000 students by providing training, and resources for improving reading, teaching, learning, and assessment in Grades K-5 in selected government schools of the Sindh province’s targeted seven districts (all Talukas) and five selected towns of Karachi.

As a result, primary school children will demonstrate grade-appropriate competence in reading, which will enhance their learning capabilities.

The programme will provide professional development opportunities for up to 15,000 government teachers to improve their competencies in effective reading in the target areas.