24 April 2004	Saturday	03 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

KARACHI, April 23: Sindh Chief Minister Sardar Ali Mohammad Mahar has said that the government was striving to ensure enrolment of all children of school-going age by the year 2010 as per the Dakar Declaration of Education for All.

"The government of Sindh has taken steps to ensure that no youngster in the province is deprived of education by the year 2010," the chief minister said while talking to APP. According to an official estimate, there are about three million children out of schools in Sindh, while of these, 60 per cent are girls.

"As chief minister, it is my desire that every child in the province should get education," Mr Mahar remarked, saying that the youngsters were the future of the country as well as of the province. He said the government intended to enhance allocation of funds for education in the next budget.

To enhance literacy rate, Mr Mahar said that 24,000 teachers were being recruited in the province strictly on merit. Education Minister Irfanullah Khan Marwat pointed out that Sindh was the first province which had declared education free up to the matric level.

Education, up to the primary level, in the province was also declared compulsory, he added. Sindh also made arrangements for free distribution of textbooks from class I to V and for girl students up to class VIII also, he said, adding that the incentive was offered to curb the drop out rate among the girl students.

Mr Marwat pointed out that according to a Unicef survey, the enrolment of youngsters in schools had increased by 400,000 students within two years. He was optimistic that by the year 2010, the target of the Education for All would be achieved in Sindh. -APP