Senate body for stepping up efforts to promote female literacy
By Asad Cheema

ISLAMABAD—The Sub-Committee constituted by the Senate Standing Committee on Women Development to examine the causes of low literacy and low participation for women has called for stepping up efforts to promote female literacy.
The sub committee met at the Parliament House Thursday with Senator Mrs. Razina Alam Khan in the chair and finalized its recommendations for onward submission to the main Committee.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chairperson of the Committee underscored the need to step up efforts for promoting literacy and education among the females as they form half of the country’s population.
The Sub-Committee, after detailed deliberations finalized its recommendations which include setting up of a Female Education Directorate in the Ministry of Women Development for conducting surveys to assess the situation on ground and for evolving appropriate methodology to enhance female literacy in the country.
It also recommended maintaining a complete data base on female education, posting of female teachers near their home stations, launching of awareness campaign for rural women and preparation of promotional booklets in easy Urdu and local languages for guidance. The Sub-Committee recommended constituting of mobile teams to meet local village elders and to convince them of the utility of female education.
The Committee also proposed provision of some kind of monetary benefit to parents who send their female children to school along with preparation of motivational documentaries. Likewise, it advocated taking of provincial/district governments on board and launching projects for illiterate female councilors on the pattern of capacity building courses to improve their working.
These recommendations would now be considered by the main Committee. The meeting was attended, among others, by Senators Sardar Muhammad Jamal Khan Leghari, Mrs. Fauzia Fkhar uz Zaman, Semeen Siddique and Ms. Sabina Rauf.