Provincial Minister for Literacy and Non-Formal Education, Raja Rashid Hafeez has said that the Punjab government has approved the Literacy Policy by which effective and fruitful results are likely to be achieved through educating the illiterate.
He expressed these views while visiting the Literacy and non-formal education centres of Shahbaz Nagar, Muradabad and Adult education (Taleem-e-Balighan) Centre of District Jail, Faisalabad.
MPA Firdous Rai, CEO Education Ali Ahmad Siyan, Superintendent District Jail Faisalabad Sheikh Afzal Javed and other officers of Literacy Department were also accompanied him during the visit. While inspecting the Literacy Centres of District Jail, the minister said that the present government, under the able and dynamic guidance of Imran Khan, is trying hard to press the agenda of spreading the light of education as the education is the prime need for the social and economic prosperity. He observed the facilities given by the literacy centers to the juveniles and affirmed that Literacy Department has adopted a number of reformatory measures to widen its scope to far-flung areas so that the illiterate tiers of the society could get the benefits of education at their doorsteps. The Minister said that suitable funds would be allocated in next fiscal budget to promote literacy. He revealed that a proposal is under consideration to raise the honorarium of the teachers of non-formal education centers. The minister, in a question-answer session with the students, appreciated the teachers for their quality training.
Later, the minister inspected the Adult Education Centres of District Jail Faisalabad where the superintendent jail apprised him regarding a number of ongoing programmes initiated for the welfare, education and wellbeing of the prisoners. The minister reaffirmed that the government adopted a number of reformatory measures to escalate literacy and provision of education facilities to the prisoners in jails is an important part of the programme through which the prisoners could get awareness regarding knowledge during captivity.