NEF strive to achieve 87% literacy rate by 2015
By Muhammad Ali Malik

ISLAMABAD—National Education Foundation (NEF) has planned to extend the Basic Education Community (BEC) Schools Project to the remote areas of the country. This was stated by Ms. Tahira S. Sheikh, Director Programmes NEF, while talking to APP.
The BEC Project, she said, aimed to achieve 87 % literacy rate by the year 2015. The project mainly emphasized on increasing literacy rate and participation rate at primary level and cover the drop outs and miss outs of age group 10 to 14 and age group of 4 to 9 years. Previously, Rehana Sheikh told, that the project was implementing with public and private partnership in collaboration with NGOs but now under the directives of General Sabeeh Qamar-uz-Zaman, Chairman NEF, the foundation has established its offices in 95 districts nationwide for expediting the efforts on its own in promoting education to the far flung areas.
The process of staff recruitment was in progress while equipments and cars are being provided to these offices.
The area offices of BEC project were also established in areas of FATA, FANA and AJK, she added. While elaborating she said that the project was designed for a period of 3 years (July 2006 to June 2009).
It envisaged to establish 10,000 BEC Schools for 4 to 9 years age group and 10,000 BEC schools for 10 to 14 years age group, she added.
The project also included conversion of 1500 BEC Schools of 4 to 9 years age group into regular BEC Schools.
The project was initiated to facilitate the 1.52 million learners of primary level education.