Education and Learning Program
Program aims to mobilize donor and philanthropic resources for the construction of schools; use of technology to improve teaching and learning, and organizing competitions and events to attract children towards learning. Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD) promotes SMCs as the vehicle to implement the program and builds community-Government partnership through them to achieve the sector objective.
In 2018, The United Nations ranked Pakistan at 150 out of 189 countries in its Human Development Index. Pakistan’s literacy rate is ranked 113 in a total of 120 countries. According to the Pakistan Economic Survey, 2017-2018, the literacy rate for entire Pakistan, includes ten years old and above is 58 percent. The national net enrollment for primary level for overall Pakistan stood at 54 percent while Punjab leading the rest with 59 percent, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 53, Sindh by 48 percent and Baluchistan 33 percent. According to the Pakistan Survey 2017-2018, the male and female literacy rate in Sindh is 70% and 46%, respectively.
The biggest barrier to a girl’s education in Pakistan is lack of access. Cultural limitations prevent parents sending their daughters to mixed gender schools restricting access to single sex safe-houses. Across the nation, education is built to demand rather than supply, meaning that boys schools often out number girls, especially in rural areas. For the average girl, school is too far away, too expensive or not safe enough for her parents to allow her to send – even if she wanted to go.
CSD’s has focused upon youth engagement in out of school children enrollment. It has also been learnt that ownership for government schools at community level is also missing. Awareness raising for ownership building has also been a focused area of the organization. Activation of School Management Committees and formation of committee/ school support groups at UC level has also been a major task of the organization.