Three hundred Imams to be trained by next month

ISLAMABAD—Training of a total three hundred Imam trainers would be completed till November this year, an official in the Population Welfare Ministry said.
The Ministry has decided to include a total of 13,000 religious opinion leaders in population campaign across the country.
In the first phase, he said a total of 140 religious leaders from Punjab, Sindh, North West Frontier Province, Balochistan, Azad Jammu Kashmir, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Northern Areas, were imparted training at Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, Abbotabad and Karachi.
He added the second phase of training,in which 160 religious opinion makers were to be groomed, would be kicked off soon after the holy month of Ramazan, hoping training of the total 300 trainers would be completed till November.
Moreover, the official said the Ministry would impart training to the remaining 12,700 Imams in a two-day orientation programme for which the provincial population departments had proposed the number of training groups, dates and venues at District and Tehsil level.
About details of the training, the official said the training covers education of Imam on high population growth's implications on economic development, population welfare program's objective and its service delivery system, mother and child healthcare, training techniques and methodology including communication skills and their expected role as advocate of the population welfare programme.
When asked about expenses in this regard, he pointed the Population Ministry would bear all the expenses of the trainers and imams from its own budget.
"The support of religious leaders and scholars particularly the imam, who have been engaged in population welfare reproductive program, will help make a bridge between public and private sector to bring down growth rate in the country to a desirable level, the official hoped.

—APP