LAHORE, May 10: The government has set up 442 early childhood education centres in the Punjab to increase literacy rate. This was stated by Literacy and Non-Formal Basic Education Minister Husain Jahanian at the inaugural session of a two-day seminar on ‘Policy for early childhood education’ here at a local hotel on Tuesday.

He said the importance of early childhood education had been endorsed in the national policy and included in the educational reform strategies. He said the purpose of the seminar was to promote education and inform stakeholders especially DCOs and EDOs (literacy and education). To achieve 100 per cent literacy rate in Khanewal, Khushab, Dera Ghazi Khan and Mandi Bahauddin districts, a programme had been launched in collaboration with JICA.

Literacy secretary Abid Saeed and education secretary Javed Aslam also spoke.