Daily Times

The Accelerated Learning Programme ( ALP), aimed at instilling contemporary education into the students of religious seminaries, was launched in Swat. Under the programme, students of ages 10 to 15 years would receive contemporary education concurrently with their religious studies at Madrassas. Açcording to Sawar Khan, director of the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), the ALP has been launched with the support from Pakistan Human Development Fund ( PHDF), for which the federal education ministry also poured in its support.

“Under the program, students of several seminaries of Swat district such as Baidara, Ala Abad, Engro Dehrai and Manglore will be enrolled,” Khan said, adding that the program would entertain those students who didn’t get a chance of getting contemporary education.

He said the learning program had been divided into two phases, the phases involved making the students good at Math, English and Urdu, whereas, the phase two involved computer science. He added both phases could be completed in five years and after the course was over, course completion certificates, equivalent to eighth grade would be given to the students.

The certificates will then enable the students to get enrolled directly in matric and take their annual exam along with the school-based students. NCHD Director General Hassan Baig said he was astonished to personally see the ability and presence of mind of the Madrassas students. “I visited some Madrassa in Swat and found the students there better than those of the private school in Swat,” Hassan said. He added it was a good time to take them on board and give them modern-day education to make them responsible citizens.

The ALP project aimed at providing education to the students deprived of school-based education was started in February of the previous year. The program has taken on board the highly qualified staff to get educated the students of religious seminaries and make them good at modern-day education.