STAFF REPORT LHR: Pakistan needs an aggressive movement to enhance the literacy rate by the year 2015, and ensuring that every child has access to education, according to a UNESCO report.
With a reported literacy rate of 56 percent in the year 2010 according to the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) 2010, Pakistan is among the least literate nations of the world.
According to the UNDP’s International Human Development Indicators database, Pakistan ranks 130 among 141 reporting countries and territories in terms of adult literacy.
The hurdles include lack of political will, leadership and a clear strong policy on literacy and Non Formal Basic Education (NFBE), absence of permanent organizational structure for Literacy and NFBE in provinces leading to coordination gap, meager and inconsistent financial assistance and capacity gap.
“It is the responsibility of the state to provide free education to every citizen,” said renowned education expert, Professor Fateh Malik while talking to media.
According to the UNESCO report, 54 per cent women in the country are still illiterate among of which, 64 per cent rural women are from Punjab, 69 per cent from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 78 per cent from Sindh and 87 per cent of rural women belong to Balochistan.