KARACHI: The government of Japan will provide a grant of 1.1 million dollars to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for supporting Non-formal Education initiative to provide quality alternative education to out-of-school children and adolescents in Sindh.
150 Non-Formal Education (NFE) centres will be established to provide access to quality alternative education for 4,500 children and adolescents (2,500 girls among them) in Ghotki and Khairpur districts. These NFEs will be established by UNICEF in collaboration with JICA, under the leadership of the Directorate of Literacy and Non-Formal Education, School Education and Literacy Department, Government of Sindh.
Children and adolescents will get second chance to acquire quality learning through non-formal education modality using accelerated learning curriculum and textbooks approved by the government of Sindh. Through this initiative, 150 NFE facilitators (teachers) including at least 90 females will be trained on child-centred interactive teaching methodology to deliver quality and relevant NFE content for quality learning of students in these NFE centres. Community involvement is another major feature of the project.
Village Education Committees, comprising 20 community members (at least 60 per cent women) will be formed and trained to support effective functioning of the NFEs. School Education and Literacy Department Secretary DrIqbalHussainDurrani has said that the government of Japan’s support to non-formal education in Sindh is part of an agreement signed with UNICEF whereby USD 1.1 million will be granted for establishing 150 NFE centres in two districts of Sindh. 4,500 children and adolescents (at least 2,500 girls) will benefit from these NFE centres.
Speaking during the launching ceremony, the secretary said that NFE was an important stream, and was among 4 priorities of the School Education and Literacy Department in development agenda for the next ten years. He appreciated UNICEF for on-going collaboration and further partnership on NFE through this project as well. He said the quality work done by JICA in the education sector, not just in NFE, by supporting the directorate to achieve the targets of Sindh Education Sector Plan (2014-18) in areas on non-formal education, but in constructing state of art 52 permanent schools in different districts of Sindh, and expressed hope that the fruitful support and partnership will further develop.
The consul general of Japan said education played a critical role not only for the development of individual talent and ability but also for the overall economic development of a nation. For the purpose of ensuring inclusive and quality education for all, Japan will continue to support improvement of education in Pakistan and I do believe that the society in which everyone shines will be achieved.
Chief Adviser of JICA said JICA has been consistently prioritising Non-Formal Education (NFE) in its ongoing technical assistance to Pakistan since 2004. Currently, JICA is implementing Advancing Quality Alternative Learning (AQAL) project that aims to strengthen Non-Formal Education delivery systems in Sindh. Now, JICA is further strengthening its commitment to NFE in collaboration with UNICEF to ensure the right to education to out-of-school children and adolescents.
At the same time, JICA expects the government of Sindh to come forward and expand Non-Formal Education as a strategy to provide the right to education to out-of-school children and adolescents under article 25-A.
She regarded the forum of the NFE Task Force in Sindh as a unique and outstanding feature that ensures the cooperation and partnership of all stakeholders for promotion of NFE. UNICEF’s support to the School Education and Literacy Department is aimed to strengthen equitable access to quality education for boys and girls in Sindh; and non-formal is an appropriate educational modality to provide access to education for marginalised boys and girls especially those who are overaged, dropout and labourer children those live in underprivileged regions and particularly the girl child.