06 February 2004	Friday	14 Zilhaj 1424

LAHORE, Feb 5: The Literacy and Non-Formal Basic Education Department (LNFBED) is launching a four-year project to achieve 100 per cent literacy rate, universal primary education and a zero dropout rate in four model districts.

In a joint venture with the federal government, district governments and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the department has selected Dera Ghazi Khan, Khanewal, Khushab and Mandi Bahauddin for the project.

LNFBED officials have visited the Mandi Bahauddin and Khanewal districts to launch need assessment and mapping activities and complete the spade-work for launching the model districts project from the next financial year. The officials plan to visit the Khushab and D.G. Khan districts next week.

The current literacy rate is 30.6 per cent in D.G. Khan, 39.94 per cent in Khanewal, 46.6 per cent in Khushab and 47.44 per cent in Mandi Bahauddin.

It is learnt that the Punjab government has decided to allocate Rs200 million for the project and received federal government's commitment to a grant of Rs100 million and JICA's to one of Rs70 million. The four district governments have also committed to contributing Rs100 million that include Rs35 million from the Khanewal district.

According to department officials, some Rs470 million have so far been committed while the LNFBED is preparing a revised PC-I of Rs750 million for the project on the basis of projected figures.

As the LNFBED was required to complete the need assessment and mapping of all four districts by June 30, the officials said survey teams had been constituted and their training started in Mandi Bahauddin and Khanewal districts.

The teams, comprising union councillors, teachers, Village Literacy Promotion Committees (VLPCs) members and volunteers from NGOs and CBOs, would be required to conduct household and school surveys to collect data about the number of children of school-going age, school-going children and illiterate adults below 50 years of age in respective districts.

Following the surveys, the department will conduct an exercise to work out how many non-formal basic literacy centres and adult literacy centres should be opened to achieve the goal.

It is learnt that data collected at the village level will be compiled at the union council level and consolidated at the district level for development of the Phase-II implementation strategy.

For the Phase-I implementation strategy, the LNFBED has already constituted a provincial steering committee, a provincial implementation unit, district literacy promotion committees, district implementation units and union council and village literacy promotion committees.