RAWALPINDI: The government has established 19 adult literacy centres in different parts of Rawalpindi under the Punjab Literacy Programme.

As many as 11 literacy centres were set up for prisoners in Adiala jail, two for transgender community, one for the Hindu community in a temple in Lalkurti and five for the Christian community.

District Literacy Officer Rawalpindi Ghulam Ahmed Akash revealed this during a briefing on Punjab Literacy Programme at his office on Friday. It was attended by senior officials of education and literacy department.

Mr Akash said minorities, transgender people and prisoners have been especially focused in the literacy programme formed under the supervision of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar and Minister for Informal Education Raja Rashid Hafiz.

He said all 19 centres have been operating since Nov 15 where illiterate adults are taught a special syllabus of the Punjab Informal Education Department for three months to make them literate citizens.

He added that up to 15 people have enrolled in each centre and qualified teachers were recruited who take classes for two hours daily focusing on basic English, Urdu reading and Mathematics.

The district officer also said intermediate and matric-qualified transgender teachers have been hired for both literacy centres for the community in Shamsabad.

Two literacy centres have been set up in churches in Dhoke Syedan near Burfkhana Chowk, Chak Jalal Din and Kashmir Bakers, Raja Sultan Degree College Road while three more centres for Christian community have been set up near Attock Refinery Morgah Road, Lalazar state near Combined Medical Hospital (CMH) and Qasim Base Adiala Road.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2019