ISLAMABAD, April 20: The Tawwana Pakistan Programme will provide about 0.5 million girls access to education in about 5,300 primary schools of the poverty- ridden districts in rural areas.

“Besides, it will bridge the gender gap through improving the educational and nutritional status of girls,” said federal secretary, ministry of women development, social welfare and special education, Parveen Qadir Agha, here on Sunday.

Talking to APP, she said the Rs3.6-billion-project had been launched for a period of 54 months, being implemented through the Baitul Maal and non-governmental/community organizations, using public-private participation model.

The secretary said the project was being implemented in 29 poorest districts throughout the country, including Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir, covering over 500,000 girls of 5-12 years of age in about 5,300 government primary schools.

The programme has been launched successfully in about 650 schools and provision of supplies has been completed in 2,300 primary schools/communities, she said. Moreover, newly-recruited 5,000 local community organizers (one for each school) would be trained by the Aga Khan University besides provincial team partners for technical assistance.

She said the TPP was aimed at only improving the nutritional/health status of school-age girls but it would also increase enrolment and sustain attendance to reduce the drop-out rate.

The programme, Ms Agha added, would create awareness in the community for better healthy living through health and nutrition education. One meal in a day would be provided for 260 days a year, deworming medicines would be administered to the children biannually and micronutrients would be given to girls twice a week, she added.

“The success of the programme depends on the cooperation of provincial departments of education, health and involvement of local bodies, and we are hopeful to reduce the gender gap in school enrolment by mutual efforts,” she said.

The major burden of poverty is borne by women and girls in rural areas and we have the objective to provide them the best educational and nutritional facilities at their doorsteps to improve the status of school-age girls of these areas, she added.

Ms Agha said committees would be set up in the selected 29 districts to oversee implementation of the nutrition programme, involving representatives of district governments.

The nutrition committees, which would consist of a community organizer, schoolteacher, representatives of parents, students and local councillors, would ensure the success of the project.

She said the National Steering Committee at its meeting presided over by the federal minister for women development, social welfare, and special education with federal ministers for health, education, planning and development, finance, provincial education secretaries (schools), district Nazims, representatives from the NIU, AKU, PBM would also oversee the performance of the project.

The secretary added that a sum of Rs500 million had already been transferred to the local governments through the Baitul Mall for onward transfer to the School Tawwana Committees. The ministry has demanded more than Rs1 billion for the project during the fiscal year 2003-2004 and received Rs590 million during the current fiscal year, she said.