PESHAWAR, Nov 19: The Pakistan Baitul Maal has started a programme in collaboration with the World Bank to enhance literacy ratio and increase primary school enrolment, starting its first phase from the Kohistan district.

Under the programme, the Baitul Maal has made it compulsory for 7,000 deserving people, benefiting from its Food Support Programme (FSP), to enroll their children aged between 5 and 12 years with public schools.

They would get an additional monthly amount of Rs200-Rs350 along with the sum of Rs3,000 a year under the Food Support Programme. The parents are to ensure 80 per cent attendance of their children in schools.

The enrolment process of students would commence from Dec 11 in Kohistan.

A meeting was held recently which was attended by officials of the Baitul Maal and the Child Support Programme. It was also attended by DCO of Kohistan Dildar Mohammad Danish, district Nazims of the district and union councils, former MNA Malik Aurangzeb and officials of the local education department.

Assistant Director of the Child Support Programme Lal Badshah represented the Peshawar chapter of Pakistan Baitul Maal. He gave a detailed briefing about the enrolment of children under the new programme saying that the enrolment has been made conditional with the FSP. He said that under the programme Rs200 would be provided for the enrollment of one child and Rs350 for two.—APP