KARACHI, March 19: The city will get another 117 non-formal basic education centres within the next three months, it was learnt officially.
At present, 154 such centres are functioning in urban slums and rural areas of the city, wherein 4,500 students, mostly girls, between the age of 9 and 14 years, are enrolled for a three-year condensed primary school education.
The non-functional basic education programme, launched some ten years ago by the federal government after devolution of power, is now being enforced by the district governments. Funds are provided by the federal and district governments.
According to a senior officer in the city government, the non-functional and vocational education programmes have been separated from the education department unlike those in other parts of the province. These education centres in the city are being run by the EDO (literacy).
The literacy wing needs a total staff of 248 persons for its different projects while at present 39 are available. In all, 15 filed officers have been entrusted with the job to supervise and monitor the network of 154 centres.
The EDO, Usman Ali, said that the government mostly relied on NGOs, community leaders and Nazims for the establishment of the centres, its supervision and monitoring, while the educational officers went for random checking. “At present we have engaged six NGOs against a payment of Rs200 per centre per month.”
The teachers, all females selected from within the locality of the centres, are paid an honorarium of Rs1,000 per month. The centres work round-the-year and there are no summer or winter vacations.
Works for the establishment of new centres are already in progress with the assistance of NGOs, which are paid Rs1,500 for undertaking basic survey and identification of location for one centre. The centres are established on places offered by local people, Nazims and philanthropists free of cost for some period.
It was learnt that the government had to close recently four centres due to non-availability of teachers or places for the centre. On average, the government spends Rs150 on each student taking education at the centres.
After successful completion of the three-year education at the centres, the students are given certificates which entitle them to get admission to class-VI in government and private schools, said the EDO, adding that the idea behind the establishment of the centre was to give access and facilitate those who either could not see the place of learning at all or had to quite primary education for any reason.
