In a significant step towards digitizing the non-formal education system, the Sindh government, in collaboration with the School Education and Literacy Department and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has handed over 500 gadgets to 500 non-formal education centers established across Sindh. The handover ceremony was held in Karachi, with Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah attending as the chief guest. Also present on the occasion were Secretary School Education and Literacy Department Zahid Ali Abbasi, Director Literacy and Non-Formal Education (LNFE) Sindh Abdul Jabbar Mari, Chief Program Manager RSU Dr. Junaid Samoo, Chief Executive Advisor Curriculum Wing Dr. Fauzia Khan, Executive Director STEDA Rasool Bux Shah, Director General Monitoring and Evaluation Mola Bux Sheikh, JICA Deputy Chief Advisor Abid Gul, relevant departmental officers, representatives of partner organizations, and facilitators from the centers.
Speaking at the event, Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah stated that the Sindh government has launched a serious initiative to address the issue of out-of-school children in the province. He emphasised that this gap cannot be filled through conventional education methods alone and that non-formal education is the only effective way to help as many out-of-school children as possible receive an education. The Minister noted that around 1.6 million children are born in Sindh every year, with only 800,000 to 1 million enrolled in public and private schools, while, based on available resources, the government can only educate 200,000 to 300,000 children through traditional measures. Acknowledging these realities, he stressed the need to explore alternative approaches.
Syed Sardar Ali Shah said that providing digital facilities to non-formal centers will help modernise them and will enable continuous contact with centers for online teacher training. He further announced that under the expansion of non-formal education initiatives, 3,000 centers will be established across Sindh, helping 100,000 children complete their education swiftly outside of the conventional system. Secretary School Education Zahid Ali Abbasi, in his address, stated that the gadgets will facilitate monitoring of non-formal centers and allow direct observation of their performance, including student attendance and learning progress. JICA Deputy Chief Advisor Abid Gul mentioned that the gadgets will make it easier to provide periodic training to teachers, keeping them updated with modern teaching methods.
Addressing the ceremony, Director Literacy and Non-Formal Education (LNFE) Sindh Abdul Jabbar Mari shared that in the first phase of the non-formal education initiative in Sindh, 500 centers have been established in Jacobabad, Kashmore, Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar, and Umerkot, targeting 15,000 children for education. Currently, 16,349 students are enrolled in these centers, with 8,598 being girls, which is a higher number than boys. He highlighted that these centers have been set up in areas with the lowest literacy rates, with priority given to underprivileged communities, providing education opportunities to children aged 9 to 16 years.