Daily Times

KARACHI: Adult Literacy Program which was meant for the uneducated over-age adults faces hindrance for the last five years due to lack of funds, Daily Times has learnt.

The program was initiated in 2006 by the curriculum department of the federal ministry of education with the assistance of community and welfare organizations. It was aimed that those people especially women who are between the ages of 15 to 45 years and still want to get education at an older age, which would unable them to have better earning opportunities.

Under this program, federal ministry of education, with the help of local communities hired women from those communities to teach their fellow women at community centers and also provide them with the training of different skills and crafts.

Twenty five thousand women were enrolled in these programs, and were provided skills training and basic education for six months to every student. The teachers were paid three to five thousand rupees, and the women who were enrolled under this program were provided books and other materials through this program.

Around 82 thousand women and 100 thousand men got basic and training only in the metropolis of Karachi and the program has also helped out them through increasing their chances of better earnings.

It was in 2012, when the program issued a circular, in which the authorities of federal ministry of education announced the closure of this initiative, reduced coordination with the community organizations. They also halted providing of funds and course materials to the program of formal education which resulted in community organizations loosing its interest in the program.

Consequently, books worth million of rupees are smitten by dust in the offices, thousands of overage and adults who were seeking education, and hundreds of women teaching under this program and earning for their families are deprived of the opportunity.

“Informal education provides a chance of getting education to over-age students which improve the community and society at large” Professor Dr Jubish, Chairman of Education department at Urdu university said, that there is a crucial need of Adult Literacy Program through which uneducated people can be educated.

“I wished to be an educated person but the Adult Literacy Program has been stopped. Therefore I have no place where can I get proper education” Ahmed Khan, A resident of Gulsahn-i-Iqbal said that the program was very appropriate for over-age students but unfortunately it seems that the government is not interested in teaching adults who did not get this opportunity when they were young .

“Uneducated house women can’t get any education for the past few years because there is no proper forum for them where they can acquire it”, Waseem Ahmed, Assistant Director of National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) said that people from far and distant parts of the country still approach us, asking about the program, and demand for the course material and financial assistance.

In this connection a summary report was sent to the federal education ministry for resuming the program again, and they were hopeful that the program will be started soon. Official of the NCHD admitted.