ISLAMABAD, Sept 19: Federal Minister for Social Welfare and Special Education Zobaida Jalal has said the number of vocational schools would be further increased across the country to eradicate poverty.

She said this during a visit to the Pakistan Baitul Maal (PBM) head office here on Sunday. The minister was accompanied by Shahnaz Khan, co-chairperson of the Human Development Foundation (HDF), Florida.

The objective of the visit was to explore areas of cooperation and collaboration between the HDF and the ministry in various fields aimed at social uplift. Ms Jalal hoped that Pakistanis abroad and NGOs working in the social welfare sector would join hands with the PBM to support various projects which, she said, were aimed at women's empowerment, eradication of child labour, rehabilitation of poor and community-based development programmes.

She said the feedback regarding vocational and Dastkari schools would also be ascertained in order to further ensure the trickling down of the projects to the common man. She said the government was resolved to eliminate poverty and child labour in the country.

Ms Khan informed the minister that there was a lot of room for coordination between the NGOs and the ministry in various fields relating to social development. She appreciated various projects of the PBM and said her organization would support it in terms of donations and imparting professional training to its employees.