MUZAFFARGARH: The National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) has opened 2,000 adult literacy centres in Pakistan, and of them 60 are in Muzaffargarh district.

This was said by NCHD Deputy Director Inam Bari Sohrani in a media briefing on Thursday.

He said such centres would increase in the district to increase adult literacy rate.

According to him, literacy rate in Muzaffargarh was 48.27 percent and gender-wise breakup was: female literacy rate 30.97 per cent and male literacy rate 58.37. He said adult literacy centres were being financed by PHDF.

On the direction of Pakistan NCHD Chairman Ameerullah Khan Marwat, 2,000 adult literacy centres were working across the country.

Mr Sohrani said that in literacy centres, 97,770 uneducated females got admission, and of them, 34,470 acquired basic literacy skills.

Assistant Director Mohammad Khalid Sattar said three union councils of the district had the least literacy rate and they were Ahmad Mohana, Shah Jamal and Shareef Chajra. He said the NCHD had focused on these three union councils for literacy.

The centres provide enabling environment to adult learners.

One such learner is Shamim Mai. The mother of three says initially she was hesitant to attend class and sit by young learners. But the teacher boosted her confidence to learn basic skills of reading, writing and solving mathematics operations.

She said she was going to apply for a passport to perform Umrah and she would be happy to sign the documents instead of putting her thumb impressions.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2020