RAWALPINDI, March 16: The Rawalpindi District Council has been asked to implement an adult literacy and vocational training programme by the year 2017, officials privy to the decision told Dawn here on Monday.

The executive district officer (literacy), Prof Nisar Ahmed Siddiqui, has prepared a plan for "eradication of illiteracy from the district". The plan is to be executed by the end of 2016 to achieve its targets.

By the end of year 2015, the plan aims at educating 414,519 people in the rural areas while the target of educating urban population is fixed at 24,165 people. In the year 2002, the population growth rate stood at 2.1 per cent.

Official statics reveal that the population growth rate will decline to 2 per cent from last year's rate of growth by -01. In the year 2002-03, the number of non-schoolgoing children totalled 135,729 and this number is expected to rise to 147,370 in the year 2005-06. In the year 2002-03, the number of non- schoolgoing children (male) is 63,285 and those in the female category is 72,444.

The action plan discusses issues and problems in primary/ elementary education. The plan concentrates on the obstacles in achieving the desired goals and targets.

It refers to low participation at the primary and middle level, especially of girls. It focuses attention of lack of physical facilities in primary schools like buildings, furniture, tats/ mats, blackboards, chalks and charts.

The factors such as low salary, low status of teachers and weak supervision of teachers has contributed towards absenteeism of teachers. The other factors were inadequate pre-service and in service training and lack of dedication and motivation in most of teachers, especially when they are appointed on political grounds.

Additionally, lack of school mapping makes it difficult in identifying the appropriate location for establishment of new primary schools as well as unattractive school environments has resulted in poor retention and a high dropout rate.