Literacy centres open admissions

RAWALPINDI: The literacy department has approved new admissions in 375 literacy centers across the district. After the decision, the strength of each class has risen to 40 students while the collective count of students across all centers has escalated to 15,000. The enrolled students include child beggars and those working at hotels, brick kilns, or collecting garbage. The department has planned to enroll 50 students in each center in the next educational year. Literacy Department District Officer Ghulam Mohammad Akash told The Express Tribune that the students get free admission, free books, copies, uniforms and stationary. Literacy centers had been set up in areas where there were no public schools closes. He said that around 1,000 unemployed young girls and boys were provided self-employment opportunities in the centers. Akash said that students were given education from nursery level to Fifth grade. He said that center provided financial assistance to students in their admission in VI grade and there were around 300-450 literacy centres in each of 36 districts across Punjab.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2019.