Traditionally literacy has been commonly defined as the ability to read and write at an adequate level of proficiency that

is necessary for communication. More recently however, literacy has taken on several meanings. Technological literacy, mathematical literacy, and visual literacy are just a few examples. While it may be difficult to gauge the degree to which literacy has an impact on an individuals overall happiness, one can easily infer that an increase in literacy will lead to the improvement of an individuals life and the development of societies. While in developed nations, the majority of the population over the age of 17 possesses basic literacy skills in reading and writing,, the rate of literacy in developing nations is much lower. This lack of widespread literacy hinders the further development of such nations. International agencies like UNESCO are campaigning to raise literacy rates worldwide. While progress has been made and literacy rates have increased, the growth in population worldwide has led to a further expansion of illiterate individuals. UNESCO has found a correlation between illiteracy and poverty, low life expectancy, and political oppression. Literacy campaigns around the world also include programs to increase the level of adult literacy. Increasing literacy rates among adults can serve several purposes. Equipping adults with basic literacy skills can enable them to be more proactive when it comes to their childs education. As this works to increase literacy, political conditions in oppressive countries may improve. Moreover an increase in literate adults means an increase in individuals campaigning for education as a fundamental human right. Sri Lanka is an example of a developing nation that has shown a dramatic increase in literacy. Sri Lanka has a literacy rate of 96%, one of the highest literacy rates in all of South Asia and much higher than that expected of a developing country. This can be attributed to the countrys policy of providing free education to all children regardless of income. Additionally, the illiteracy rate for adults 15-24 is only 4.4% according to the 2001 census. Printer Friendly Version Resources

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Pakistan vows 85% literacy rate by 2015

Pakistan vows 85% literacy rate by 2015 English_Xinhua 2009-09-09 01:16:10 Print ISLAMABAD, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said here Tuesday that the government is committed to achieving the goal of 85 percent literacy rate by 2015, the local NNI news agency reported. Addressing a seminar marking the International Literacy Day, he said education is the top priority of the government, which has declared 2010 as year of literacy. He said education plays an important role in overall socio-economic development of the country. The government has allocated over 31 billion rupees in the budget this year for the education sector. The government will raise the education budget to four percent of GDP from the existing 2.4 percent. The prime minister said special emphasis is being laid on women education so that they could play constructive role in overall economic development of the country. He said a special meeting of the four Provincial Chief Ministers will be held in Islamabad on Wednesday to finalize the draft of new education policy. The prime minister said that the government would not allow a handful of miscreants to put at stake the future of the coming generation. He said the maximum resources would be diverted to rebuild schools and colleges damaged by terrorists in Malakand division in the country's troubled northwest. Meanwhile, the prime minister also inaugurated adult literacy center in Peshawar, the capital of the North West Frontier Province. On the occasion he was informed that 100,000 adult literacy centers will be established for enhancing literacy rate across the country. Pakistan vows 85% literacy rate by 2015_English_Xinhua

Literacy Rate Illiterate Population

43.2 % 46.7 million source : 2000 figures estimated by UNESCO Institute for Statistics, July 2002

Definition of a Literate Person

A person is literate who can read and write a paragraph (3 lines) in national/regional language with comprehension.

Name of National Literacy Agency

Prime Minister's Literacy Commision

View "Literacy Facts and Figures" of Pakistan

Structure of National Literacy Agency

number of NGOs working in the field of literacy number of literacy classes in most recent year

12 (1998) ...

number of classroom hours designated to achieve basic literacy

270

National Policies and Strategies

National Policies on Literacy/Non-formal Education in Latest Policy Document on Education
a. Democratization of education through the expansion of elementary education (both formal and non-formal methods), and expanded adult education, literacy and functional literacy programs, as a basic requirement for economic development, modernization of social structure and for providing equality of opportunity for all citizens. b. Pakistan's New Educational Policy 1998-2010 The New National Education Policy 1998-2010 was announced by the Government of Pakistan on 27 March 1998. It pledges to double the literacy rate, universalize primary education, replicate the non-formal schools to reach the un-reached, widen the learning time by reducing school holidays, improve the assessment system through introduction of National Testing Service, and initiate the decentralization process through the formation of District Education Authorities. The policy professes to prescribe the ideals and goals for preparing foundation of a reformed educational system which will make it possible for the nation to stand on its feet in the changed socio-economic world. New Education Policy- Special Thrusts The government has resolved to eliminate illiteracy from the society and stands internationally committed to Universalize Basic Education for all children, youth and adults by the year 2010. The Prime Minister's Literacy Commission (PMLC) has been entrusted the assignment of accomplishing this task through the non-formal basic education approach. As per the enhanced programme the PMLC would open 75,000 new non-formal basic education schools by the year 2002. Moreover, the "Compulsory Primary Education Act" will be slightly amended

and enforced by the Provincial Governments in letter and spirit. The real impact of the new policy would need to be seen in terms of the provisions which would be translated into actions; targets supported by correspondingly proportionate allocations in the annual budgets; implementation of the restructuring proposals and pledges through appropriate institutional mechanisms; and effective participation and involvement of local communities through decentralized management of schools by parents, local leaders, and ordinary citizens at the local district and village levels.

Current Literacy/Non-formal Education Objectives/Strategies

a. Pakistan's commitment to double the rate of literacy by the year 2000 cannot be accomplished without achieving universal primary education (UPE). This will be achieved by complementing the formal primary school system by a strong non-formal basic education initiative. b. A massive Non-Formal Basic Education Program, on a war footing, will be launched to provide access economically and expeditiously to all the 5.5 million primary school age (5-9 years old) children who are at present out of school. The 10- to 14-year-old adolescents and youth who have missed primary education, will be given a second chance through a condensed crash course to enable them to complete the primary education cycle in 2-3 years' time. c. The Asian Development Bank sponsored a pilot project for 15 to 25 years-old rural women. On successful completion, the program is planned to be replicated nationwide. d. Attainment of literacy, social and occupational skill training programs will equip the beneficiaries with appropriate income generation skills to ensure socio-economic development of Pakistan. Educated unemployed adults will also be able to benefit from these skill-training programs. e. Additional strategies, such as the tested Qur'anic Literacy Program and other methods in collaboration with the other sectors, will be used to achieve universal literacy. f. A Literacy Fund will be created to finance the literacy movement in the country. g. The National Literacy Movement will be launched on an emergency basis in every village, tehsil and district. All parties agree that elimination of illiteracy by the year 2010 will be

achieved. h. Mosques, wherever feasible, will be utilized as one of the means of providing non-formal basic education to increase literacy. i. The Prime Minister's Literacy Commission (PMLC) will prepare a plan of action, in consultation with provinces for a coordinated effort in the National Literacy Movement. j. The PMLC, which is the apex body entrusted with the task of raising the literacy rate, will be strengthened as a Statutory Body to enable it to discharge its functions effectively within the minimum possible time. Adequate funds will be ensured to implement policy targets. k. All the appointments in the Non-Formal Basic Education Community School/Centres will be made locally, in consultation with the community, without any political interference. l. All the industrial units registered under the Factory Act would consider it mandatory to make the employees and their dependents literate. Similarly all the federal as well as provincial agencies like WAPDA, Pakistan Steel, Directorates of Industries, OPF, Chambers of Commerce, PTV, PBC etc. shall be entrusted with the same responsibility. m. Another useful resource available in the country, in the form of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, can be effectively used in the expansion of literacy programs. It is estimated that there are more than 870,000 Boy Scouts and more than 320,000 Girl Guides in Pakistan. These young people have the physical capacity, intellectual motivation, emotional stability, spiritual commitment and, above all, basic knowledge and experience to work with communities collectively in difficult circumstances. They can be entrusted with the responsibility of implementing some of the non-formal education programs. Based on the performance and quality of service rendered, a system of merit certification shall be introduced. n. The number of existing Non-Formal Basic Education (NFBE) Community School/Centers will be increased from the existing 7,000 to 82,000 by the year 2002 to meet policy targets of primary education both through formal and non-formal methods to enroll 5.5 million out-of-school children. The NFBE Community Schools will neither be parallel nor permanent, but will be used to accelerate universal access till formal schooling becomes available to the unreached. o. The proposed targets for both the formal and non-formal basic

education schools will need to be revised in the light of the Census results made available by the end of 1998. p. In hard-to-reach areas 25,000 NFBE Community Schools will be gradually upgraded to the middle level, over the policy period. q. The implementation would require further resource inputs and infrastructure at union council, district, province and national level. At the national level, the PMLC would co-ordinate with the operational structures at the sub-national level. A major function of the national structure would be to catalyze coordination in both planning and implementation at nationalprovincial and inter-provincial levels. Similarly, at the provincial level, each provincial structure would catalyze coordination between provincial-district, and inter-districts, and in a similar mode at the district and union council level. r. The PMLC will involve and encourage all the organizations, particularly Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) in the development of teacher training packages, learning materials, teaching aids, etc. The AIOU will also be involved in developing post-literacy skill training programs through distance learning. The teachers of NFBE Community Schools will be encouraged to take up PTC and CT courses of the AIOU to enhance their skills. s. Literacy Corps comprising College/University students/teachers shall be established for literacy programs during vacations. t. Khankahs/Mazars (religious institutions) shall donate a portion of their earnings to the literacy fund. u. Development grants to local governments shall be linked with literacy programs. v. If an illiterate prisoner becomes literate, the duration of his/her imprisonment shall be shortened accordingly. w. Driving and ammunition licenses shall be given only to literate persons.

Lessons Learned from Past Literacy Programmes and Activities

a. Programs not properly implemented with true spirit. b. Financial constraints. c. Lack of political commitment.

National Literacy Goals

YEAR total adult literacy rate (%) female adult literacy rate (%) male adult literacy rate (%)

1998 40.0 28.0 51.0

2000 42.2 29.7 53.0

2010 53.9 39.9 64.6

(updated in May 1999)

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Home Regional Lahore Govt taking steps to improve literacy rate

THE NATION 22 Nov 2011 Govt taking steps to improve literacy rate
Published: January 13, 2011

LAHORE - Punjab Education Minister Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman has said that the provincial government for the first time in the countrys history has introduced far-reaching reforms in education sector for improving quality of education and literacy rate to radically uplift socio-economic conditions of people.

He was addressing participants of one-day seminar on Regional Economic Cooperation in South Asia organised by the Centre for South Asian Studies, New Campus at its seminar hall here on Wednesday. Former Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmad Khan, Prof Dr Muhammad Saleem Mazhar and Prof Dr Javed Ahmad also addressed the audience. The minister said the existing 2 per cent allocation for education was raised to 4 per cent, and knowledge of modern sciences and technology was imparted to the young generation, Pakistan could not achieve its rightful and honourable place in the comity of advanced nations. Giving details of the revolutionary measures adopted by the provincial leadership, the minister said presently there was not a single ghost school in the entire province. He said a huge amount equal to total provincial development outlay of Rs 150 billion was required to cater to the missing facilities in all the 63,000 schools of the province. He said the government was extending handsome scholarships to meet the academic expenses of 16,000 students out of the proceeds of Punjab Education Endowment Fund set up with seed money of Rs 2 billion. The private schools were also being compelled to adopt the curriculum of government run schools for enforcement of a uniform system of education. State-of-the-art 2,486 IT labs costing Rs 5 billion have been provided at school level so that the students could benefit from the latest computer and internet facility. He said Punjab had taken the lead in introducing BS 4-years programme in 26 colleges of the province to ensure highquality education to student community. Delivering his address, former foreign secretary Shamshad Ahmad Khan observed that 57 Muslim countries possessed 70 per cent reserves of oil and gas of the world but their share in world GDP is only 5 percent. He said the weakest link responsible for our economic backwardness was the criminal neglect shown to educational promotion by our successive rulers. He said we could not achieve 100 per cent literacy target by setting up islands of state-of-the-art academic institutions for children of affluent classes surrounded by a sea of countless government schools meant for students coming from resource-less and deprived families. Prof Dr Muhammad Saleem Mazhar and Prof Dr Javed Ahmad also addressed the audience.

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Rural women uphold Pakistans literacy rate

By Shahbaz Rana Published: February 15, 2011

Punjab the most educated province, literacy ratio dips in Sindh. DESIGN: NABEEL SAMAD ISLAMABAD: The quest for knowledge in rural areas, particularly in females, compensated for the declining trend of getting an education in cities, according to the Pakistan Labour Force survey.

In 2009-10 the literacy rate in Pakistan marginally increased to 57.7 per cent due to an increase in the literacy ratio of females in rural areas. During the preceding year the literacy rate was 57.4 per cent. The male literacy rate stood at 69.5 per cent while it was 45.2 per cent for females. According to the official definition, the literacy rate is that percentage of the population ten years and above which is able to read and write in any language. Though more than half of the rural population is illiterate, the ratio improved by over half a percentage point to 49.2 per cent by June 30, 2010 due to an increasing number of women and girls who can read and write. The female literacy ratio improved to 34.2 per cent, a progress of 0.8 per cent in a year. In rural areas, the 63.6 per cent male literacy rate improved by only 0.4 per cent in comparison. The literacy rate in urban areas marginally declined due to a dip in the number of men who qualify as literate. The urban literacy ratio decreased 0.1 per cent to 73.2 per cent, due to a fractional reduction in the male literacy rate. At present more than eight out of ten urban males are educated but the ratio is below that of 2008-09. The provincial literacy rates also depict interesting trends. In Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the number of educated people increased, while it decreased in Sindh. The figure remained stagnant in Balochistan at 51.5 per cent. Punjab turned out to be the most educated province, followed by Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber -Pakhtunkhwa. In Sindh the percentage of educated people dropped by one per cent to 58.2 per cent in 2009-10. The declining ratios were witnessed across the divide, rural, urban, females and males. Contrary to that in Punjab the literacy rate increased to 59.6 per cent. Over half of the rural population is literate and the urban literacy ratio stood at almost three-fourth in the province. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa the literacy rate increased to 50.9 per cent, a progress of almost one per cent. The rural literacy rate increased to 48.4 per cent but the urban literacy dipped by 0.4 per cent. The urban literacy rate increased while the rural literacy rate declined. In terms of level of education, near four out of ten literate people are not even matriculates. Another one out of ten is below intermediate, the survey reveals. Only 4.7 per cent of the total literate population has cleared intermediate but not bachelors and just 4.3 per cent have a bachelors or above. Even today over four out of ten Pakistanis are illiterate according to official figures. Published in The Express Tribune, February 15th, 2011.

Improving literacy through television

By Ismat Riaz November 14, 2010

Recently, the visionary who shaped and made Sesame Street, the children`s educational programme through song and animation such a success in the USA, passed away in Burlington, Mass, USA. Gerald S. Lesser was a Harvard psychologist who became Sesame Street`s longtime educational advisor. Dr Lesser was an emeritus professor at the Harvard School of Education where he taught from 1963 till his retirement in 1998. From 1969-1996, he played a vital role in shaping the programme`s curriculum which would achieve specific cognitive, affective and outreach educational goals. The curriculum prepared pre-schoolers, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, for school as studies had shown that they lagged a year behind their middle-class peers when they started grade one. It was also unprecedented that a realistic setting of an inner city and neighbourhood was used as the background. Sesame Street, with its combination of puppets, animation, humour and cultural references is meant for American children and has found acclaim and success across the USA. It is the first pre-school educational television programme to target children aged 2-5 to be able to recite their A B C`s, recognise letters and the sound of letters. The show also teaches counting, cognitive skills like logical reasoning and social skills like cooperation. The character Oscar the Grouch was designed to help children understand different perspectives and how other people look at different situations in different ways. Once again, the idea of television educational programming for children in Pakistan was floated recently by concerned people with the probability of funding by donors abroad. Pakistan is at the crossroads in defining a route to increase its literacy rate. Issues such as poverty and nonavailability of access to education for nearly six million out of school children is a daunting task which it will not be able to meet despite the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Statistics tell us that there are more than 40 per cent illiterates in the country which comes to about 80 million people out of a total population of 170 million. In this area, television can play a vital and crucial role to bring literacy to the pre-school and primary school population as well as adults. A collaborative effort by a popular children`s puppet theatre here and the Sesame Street, New York, team is on the cards and recruitment for writers, television producers and directors is already taking place in the main cities of Pakistan. It is an ambitious seven-year plan and it proposes to bring education within the reach of children who at present have no access to schooling. However, according to Sesame Street`s pioneer producer Joan Ganz Cooney, the initial USA production in 1968, was considered an ambitious social experiment of using public television to educate pre-schoolers meaningfully on such a large scale. There had to be a kind of marriage between educators and the new medium of television. Dr Lesser worked with the producers, inhouse researchers and creative team to consider such questions as

1. What did young children need to know before they entered school? 2. How much information were they developmentally ready to absorb? 3. Above all, how could television best be exploited as a delivery system for this information? Thus, the model that accrued from a number of brainstorming seminars consisted of collaboration between educational advisers, researchers and producers. The aim was that pedagogy had to be both enjoyable and instructive. A curriculum evolved and continues to bring joyful and meaningful instruction to children. Since its inception, Sesame Street has taught more than 80 million children and now reaches viewers in 140 countries. It has won more than 100 Emmy awards. In the case of Pakistan, nonetheless, caution has to be exercised in bringing about educational change through the medium of television. Since 1947, radio and television has already played a major role in providing cheap and available entertainment and information to the Pakistani populace. Nearly half of the 170 million population of Pakistan are children under the age of 16. The education sector is facing a crisis of quality, accessibility and equity. These days more children are out of school then in school for a formal education. The recently introduced Early Childhood Education programme is facing the same crisis of malaise and inefficiency as the rest of the primary and secondary schooling in Pakistan`s public education sector. At the same time, the knowledge base of the world is increasing at a phenomenal rate with advances in technology. The world is referred to as a global village and the 21st century is experiencing a roller coaster ride towards an ever increasing reliance on machines. To make basic reading, mathematics, science, geographical and historical concepts available to Pakistan`s under-16 population through the medium of radio and television will definitely go a long way in addressing the problems of illiteracy, education and health. It will also serve to plug the gap till the country undergoes a long spell of political stability and education becomes available to all. However, great care and planning must go into the project at hand taking in view Pakistan`s cultural and social references. Any education divorced from contextual and every day experiences of its people are likely to fail in the long run. Pakistan also has a number of mother tongues spoken in its four provinces and Urdu is the lingua franca and medium of instruction for 70 per cent of its school population. It would be advisable to make a single programme and then dub it into all the mother tongues spoken as well as English. The project managers must be cognizant of the fact that literacy is a primary goal and that it will have multiple tiers in Pakistan`s case. Sesame Street is confined to pre-schoolers aged 2-5. Pakistan will need a more comprehensive coverage to be able to make any impact on a population that is both illiterate as well as dropouts from school at the primary and secondary stage of schooling. The Pakistani television audience will comprise of three age groups

 Pre-school, ages 2-5. Primary school, ages 5-9. Middle school, ages 10-13. Accordingly, television programmes could encourage learning in the following parameters. For pre-school children the focus will be on 1. The alphabet, 2. numbers up to 10, 3. music, 4. social skills, 5. hygiene and 6. civic rules for pre-school children. For the primary age group concepts may focus on 1. Addition and subtraction, 2. formation of three letter words, 3. storytelling, 4. everyday living experiences, 5. social relations, and 6. discovering role models in their cultural and historical past. For the middle-school age group, concepts could go on to include 1. Science concepts, 2. word building (vocabulary), 3. poetry and prose through dramatic art, 4. musicology, 5. informative historical narratives and 6. world and Pakistan`s geography. The creation of puppets for this educational project should have terms of reference in relation to Pakistan`s rich historical and cultural heritage. The character of Ibn Batuta is suitable for geographical travels and children can learn basic geographical sights and concepts by his varied travelling through many countries. Storytelling in the narrative form has been a cultural and academic pursuit in most parts of the subcontinent. The producers for the television programming could use animated versions of Amir Hamza, Talismay Housh Ruba (Umar Aiyar), Qisa Chaar Dervesh (Mulla Nasruddin and Chacha Chhakan) and Tales of the Arabian Nights (Ali Baba and Forty Thieves). These could also then be developed into reading programmes for children. Al-Beruni is another character who could be developed as a puppet for purposes of introducing scientific concepts. The list is endless for all the facets of basic subjects to be learnt at the middle and secondary school age in a cultural and environmental setting.

Making serial programmes for a wider world view can also be made a part of the Pakistan Educational Television project. A specific serialisation of the inventions that have shaped our world could be enjoyed by middle up to high school children. Furthermore, world historical narrative could be made into a captivating serial for middle and secondary school children. A look at the prose and poetry of Pakistan developed after 1947 will introduce literary and linguistic appeal to the younger generation who have lost the art or habit of reading. Dramatic renderings from literature could be another avenue to be explored for educating the youth and opening up different viewpoints. Saa`di is called the Shakespeare of Persian literature and many across the generations have learnt Saa`di`s Gulistan and Bostan for its value in acquiring wisdom, moral guidance and counseling through stories and poems. Our youth would benefit greatly by a revival of these stories adapted for viewing by children of all ages. Educational television in Pakistan has not been explored on a large scale due to lack of equipment and more sophisticated technology. Lack of funding has been another impediment for such a project. Now that project is being planned here with the approval of the Ministry of Education. It must ensure an all encompassing educational programme for not just pre-schoolers but across the board, subject and topic wise, for all our youth under the age of 25. Learning in an enjoyable way through television will ensure that the growing frustration in society among the youth is mitigated to a certain extent. The writer is an educational consultant based in Lahore. ismatriaz@yahoo.com