KARACHI, Dec 1: Pakistan with 47 per cent of its population below 18 years of age and 13 per cent under five against a population growth rate of 2.4 per cent needs to adopt an efficient and pragmatic population welfare programme.

The Health and Nutrition Development Society, a local NGO, in its recent report said that despite all efforts each local woman, on average basis, in her reproductive age is expected to have 5.3 children.

This was stated to be directly linked to the existent literacy rate in the country which is registered to be no more than 45 per cent. Against 57 per cent literacy rate among men it comes to mere 33 per cent for women.

Early school enrolment rate comes to 84 per cent — 99 per cent among boys and 69 per cent among girls. The figure comes down to 50 per cent once these children reaches class five. The high drop-out rate again leaves out 33 per cent of boys and 17 per cent of girls because of varied reasons.

The situation could also be attributed to the fact that against the UN recommendation, seeking seven per cent of budgetary allocation of any country to be allocated for education, Pakistan barely manages to earmark even two per cent of national funds for education.

Constant negligence towards these important sectors on part of different governments in the past may have its reasons.—APP