LAHORE, March 27: Governor Khalid Maqbool ordered on Wednesday the creation of a literacy department so as to educate 38 million illiterate people in the province.

He issued the direction during a briefing on literacy in the province here at the Civil Secretariat, saying the new department to be headed by a provincial secretary would help concentrate on children who had discontinued education before reaching class five.

The briefing was attended by Punjab Social Welfare Minister Shaheen Attiqur Rehman, Planning and Development Board Chairman Malik Muhammad Akram, his Principal Secretary Tariq Mahmood and Education Secretary Shahid Rashid.

The governor directed that Nazimeen of Lodhran, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh and other districts having below than 40 per cent of the literacy rate should take effective and result-oriented steps to promote education in their respective areas.

He said he would especially visit literacy centres during his future field tours, directing the authorities concerned to include NGOs and philanthropists in the process of promoting education in the province.

The governor said the buildings of 54,000 government schools in the province could be used for promoting education in the evening hours.

Ms Attiqur Rehman said 3,200 literacy centres were being created in the province with the funds provided by the federal government. Out of these, 29 would be established in jails.

She said through these centres illiterate people would be given basic education in seven months so that the literacy rate could be increased to 80 per cent in the province by the year 2015.

The minister said committees comprising local community, parents, traders, notables, NGOs and education experts were being created so as to implement the education for all plans.