South Asian Pulse

UNESCO and Literacy movement in Sindh By Dr. Jassim Taqui

UNESCO Proposes Enforcement of Article 25-A and Literacy Movement in Sindh
Al-Bab Report



Karachi: 02 July 2012: Education is a human right, and means for social and human development. As a signatory of Education For All Declaration and to Millennium Development Goals, Pakistan thrives to bring every child into school by 2015. One of the major step ahead to meet this target, is the introduction of the Article 25 A through the recent 18th Amendment of the Constitution of Pakistan. The article 25 A states that:

“The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of 5 to 16 years in such manner as may be determined by law”.

UNESCO in collaboration with Pakistan Association for Continuing and Adult Education (PACADE); a national NGO for literacy, held a forum with the print and electronic media for the enforcement of Article 25-A of the 18th Amendment of Constitution and promotion of EFA (Education for All) in Sindh at the Karachi Press Club. The UNESCO Director in Pakistan, Dr. Kozue Kay Nagata, made a request for accelerating efforts to achieve the internationally committed targets of achieving 86 percent literacy by the year 2015 and meeting the goal of Universal Primary Education as laid down in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
UNESCO highlighted the role of media and how as a powerful medium, it could help influence the government and society to pay due attention to this neglected field. UNESCO also exhorted the Sindh Government to come up with a requisite provincial Act (law) to enforce the Right to Education under the Article 25-A for implementation. UNESCO observed that neither democracy nor the economy can function meaningfully and pick up strength and momentum if the masses lack the basic human skills of reading and writing in this day and age of knowledge societies.

According to an official survey, 22 percent of the primary schools have no buildings, 86 percent lack electricity, 46 percent have no latrines and there is no proper provision of drinking water in 51 percent of schools. As for the education budget allocation, there has been in 2012 a slight increase of 0.29 percent.

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