KARACHI, Nov 17 : The recently established literacy department of the city district government Karachi has established a literacy centre at the children’s jail Landhi

All the required items have been obtained through donations.

The department has also established ten new literacy centres in the Orangi Township with the support of the Rotary Club and the Bright Education Society. The department plans to establish 147 new centres.

EDO literacy Col Muzaffar said the department was in touch with associations of traders and businessmen for the promotion of literacy.

The department has proposed a plan under which uneducated workers can receive basic education from 7 to 9 pm in government school buildings. However this plan needs cooperation of and close working with the education department.

The department aims to double the present literacy level and take it beyond 80 percent by the year 2010.

Presently the most illiterate areas in Karachi are about 1375 villages around the city, mainly in Malir, Gadap and the suburbs of Lyari. Major work in these areas has been done by NGOs, prominent among them being Bahn Beli in Gadap, the Reformers and the Hands in Malir while, the Lyari Community Development Project has done considerable literacy promotion in Lyari and Chakiwara.

“The department plans to establish and manage Non Formal Basic Education (NFBE) centres for youngsters of 10-14 years of age and industrial homes for young women of 15-25 years of age. However, it is not possible without community involvement,” says the EDO. Therefore community centres will be set up to impart community, health, family and civic education.

The department is to have five DOs ,18 DDOs and 48 ADOs, each responsible for three towns in their respective field .

The major problems identified by the EDO regarding the implementation of the literacy programme at the city level, include meagre financial resources and salaries of teachers, virtual nonexistence of labour and educational laws and non-availability of trained staff.—PPI