ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Monday stressed the need for collective efforts and taking joint responsibility to improve literacy rate in the country.

Bilawal Bhutto, in his message on the International Literacy Day being observed on September 8, said illiteracy was a fertile ground for disharmonious and intolerant societies, and the nation should take notice that the number of out-of-school children was growing.

"Every child has the basic right to education, and nations, who fail to provide this right, ultimately suffer because nurturing a healthy and educated generation is the only guarantee for a peaceful, prosperous and strong country."

He said the PPP had always struggled for improvement in literacy and education as it had the distinction of establishing the largest number of education institutions in Pakistan while academic activities suffered a lot during dictatorial regimes when ghost school buildings were introduced as a political bribe for free-wheeling political puppets in exchange for their support.

Bilawal Bhutto claimed that the PPP’s Sindh government had earmarked more than a quarter of its provincial budget on education and the province was planning programmes to attract out-of-school children to attend schools.