PESHAWAR, Sept 23: Under the literacy project, 15,000 centres were set up in the NWFP where 350,000 illiterate people received education while another 17,000 such centres will be established during 2006-07 to double the literacy rate in the province.

This was revealed during a meeting of the Board of Governors of the Elementary Education Foundation (EEF) held here on Saturday.

The meeting was presided over by NWFP Minister for Education Maulana Fazle Ali Haqqani.

Special Secretary Education Fazal Manan, MD EEF Ali Begum, MD EEF Mushtaq Jadoon and other members of the board attended the meeting.

MD EEF Mushtaq Jadoon, while briefing the meeting, said that during the last year, the foundation established a modern English laboratory.

In the first phase 24 master trainers of the Education Department would be trained to prepare a breed of teachers with thorough command over the English language.

He said the foundation had established 203 girls community centres in 12 districts of the province to promote female education.

Besides, one thousand teachers of private schools had been given training in teaching while 2000 private school teachers would be trained during 2006-07.

A new pilot project for post-literacy and skills would be launched while under the project, 15 female community literacy centres would be established, he added.

These community literacy centres, he said, would focus on post literacy skills and community organisation.

The meeting was informed that in order to ensure quality of education in backward and far flung areas, the Elementary Education Foundation would start Mufti Mehmood Model School in Dera Ismail Khan and Fazle Ali Model School in Swabi.

The provincial minister, in his concluding remarks, highlighted policy of the provincial government and its achievements in promotion of education and literacy.—APP