On International Literacy Day, SOS Foundation organizes an awareness walk in Islamabad
ISLAMABAD, Sep 08 (SABAH): On the occasion of International Literacy Day, an awareness walk was organized in Islamabad under the auspices of SOS Foundation. A large number of children from different schools and backgrounds, teachers, educationists, social workers, and people from different walks of life participated in the walk.
Speaking at the event, Director Programs Abdus Salam said that more than half of Pakistan’s population is made up of children and youth, but regrettably, 2. 8 million children and youth are not receiving basic education. He said that this number is more than the total population of many countries of the world.
Abdus Salam said that many private organizations, including SOS Foundation, are working to provide education to out-of-school children, but until education is not included in the government’s priorities, private institutions cannot deal with this problem completely. He demanded that the government declare an educational emergency and work against illiteracy on a war footing.
Director National University for Security Sciences Dr. Khalid Azim said that education is the basic right of every child and it is the responsibility of the government to create better education and training opportunities for children. He said that children in developed countries are working on artificial intelligence and robotic technology, while a large number of our children are deprived of basic education. He warned that if this situation remains, Pakistan will lose its ability to stand in the ranks of the nations in any field.
Educationist Anila Junaid said that Article 25-A of the Constitution gives every child the right to free basic education, but unfortunately education is not among the government’s priorities. She demanded that the education budget should be increased to at least 5 percent of the GDP, so that we can make Pakistan 100 percent literate by 2030.
The walk concluded with a pledge by the participants to work together to eradicate illiteracy from Pakistan.
Other participants who spoke at the event included social worker Nauman Shakir, Professor Ali Khan, educationists Ahsan Hamid, Sadia Aamir and Gul Fatima.