KARACHI, July 12: The government has prepared an incentive package for Madressahs to bring these institutions to the mainstream and has allocated a sum of Rs1 billion in the 2003-04 budget for the purpose.

This was stated by the Federal Education Minister Ms Zobaida Jalal, after a brain-storming session on Madressahs at the Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) on Saturday.

The meeting was also attended by the SEF Managing Director Prof Anita Ghulam Ali, Sindh Education Secretary Ghulam Ali Pasha, and joint secretary, Ministry of Education, Islamabad, Dr Haroona Jatoi.

The minister said that about Rs250 million were allocated for Madressahs in the last fiscal year, which were distributed among the provinces according to the National Economic Council formula.

About the recent package, the minister said that it pertained to introduction, at the primary level, of text books for General Science, Mathematics and English to the usual curricula of Madressahs.

There would also be a three-year financial support for any Madressah that asked for such an assistance, she added.

She said that under the package the teachers to be appointed by the madressahs would be trained by the government to teach these subjects.

Their salaries would also be paid by the government, she added.

She stated that at the high school level there would be subjects like Economics, Pakistan Studies and Computer Literacy.

There would also be one-time grant for setting up of science and computer laboratories at Madressahs, she said, adding that every Madressah would be given five computers.

To a question, the minister said 10,000 Madressahs had voluntarily responded to the incentive package out of over 11,000 such institution in the country.

The minister hoped that within two months the package amount would be disbursed among the Madressahs.

LITERACY RATE: By the year 2005, the literacy rate in the country would rise to 60 per cent from the current rate of 50.5 per cent.