Student enrolment drive: Govt, NGOs gear up for second phase

Aims to enroll 800,000 children in current academic cycle

PESHAWAR: The provincial government is planning to launch the second phase of its campaign to enroll children in schools across K-P. In the first phase, approximately 400,000 children were enrolled in schools. Also, around 150,000 children were placed at informal schooling institutions such as seminaries and community schools.

Officials from the Directorate of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Elementary and Secondary Education  and representatives of supporting organisations met on Tuesday to discuss the second enrolment drive. The meeting was chaired by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Directorate of Elementary and Secondary Education Chief Planning Officer Idrees Azam. Other organisations present at the meeting were Alif Ailaan, Unicef, Khwendo Kor and Pakistan Reading Project.

While talking to the participants, Idrees Azam said the target is to enroll 1.1 million children. He added the provincial government aims to enroll 800,000 children in schools and over 300,000 in informal institutions. He asked supporting organisations to focus on children from rural areas. “Enrolment  in schools in urban areas have increased, but more work needs to be done in rural areas,” he said.

Azam also divided the tasks among the supporting organisations to enroll children in schools across the province. Alif Ailaan is responsible for arranging all campaign-related events for six districts in the province, including Peshawar, Mardan, Swat, Kohat and Kohistan. Khwendo Kor will be responsible for arranging the enrolment drive in Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Karak and Shangla districts. Similarly, work has been divided among other organisations as well.

The inaugurating event for the enrolment drive will be organised by National Commission for Human Development at Government, Peshawar on September 8. The drive will be launched simultaneously on a district level on the same day.

Alif Ailaan representative Umar Orakzai told The Express Tribune the organisation is planning to start an awareness campaign for mothers across the province. Women representatives from the organisation will conduct a door-to-door campaign in an attempt to persuade mothers to send their children
to schools.

Umar said the organisation also plans to meet the newly-elected local government representatives to tell them about areas where schools are missing many basic facilities. The organisation also created an awareness campaign for local radio stations to spread awareness about the enrolment drive in the area’s  local language.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 2^nd,  2015.