ISLAMABAD: The National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) organised a ‘Literacy Day Walk’ in collaboration with Unesco on Monday, commemorating the International Literacy Day.

The event aimed to raise awareness about the vital role of literacy and education in transforming lives and building a prosperous Pakistan.

This year’s theme, ‘Promoting Multilingual Education: Literacy for Mutual Understanding and Peace’, was highlighted throughout the walk.

Numerous participants, including government officials, educationists, volunteers, students and civil society members joined the walk, which commenced from Shaheed-i-Millat Secretariat and culminated at D-Chowk.

The event featured thought-provoking speeches, poster displays and a literacy pledge ceremony.

Senior Joint Secretary Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training Sohail Akhtar Malik graced the event with his presence.

He emphasised the importance of literacy as a tool for equipping people with the basic knowledge and skills to contribute effectively towards socio-economic development of a country.

Pakistan faces significant challenges in achieving universal literacy and numeracy, with approximately 70 million illiterate individuals. The literacy rate of Pakistan standing at 60.5pc (Census: 2023), ranks second lowest in South Asia.

This presents a pressing concern, undermining Pakistan’s development goals and its international commitments, including Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4.6.

The Ministry of Federal Education has undertaken several steps to promote literacy in the country. Under the current National Educational Emergency declared by the prime minister on May 8, 2024, NCHD and the ministry have set the ambitious goal of enrolling 26.2 million out-of-school children and striving to educate approximately 70 million adult illiterates nationwide.

In a decisive move to transform the country into a nation of literates, NCHD has launched the ‘Each One Teach One’ (EOTO) Programme as part of the Prime Minister’s Roshan Pakistan - National Literacy Drive.

This initiative is more than just a programme; it is a nationwide movement aimed at involving every literate citizen in the mission to eliminate illiteracy.

The EOTO initiative encourages each literate individual to take responsibility for teaching at least one illiterate person, thereby creating a ripple effect with the potential to transform entire communities.

At present, the EOTO programme is being implemented in 184 schools and colleges of Islamabad by engaging students of grade 9 and above.

The programme is being extended to Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan soon.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2024