Chairperson National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) Syeda Nafeesa Shah has said that government has keen interest for promotion of education, health and generates employment as well as poverty reduction programme which would help achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Talking to APP at CM camp house Khairpur on Friday, she said that for creation of educated, healthy and tolerant society, education plays a vital role and all stakeholders especially newly elected representatives of political parties should give due priority to education sector.

She said that NCDH was working in 114 districts of the country in a brief period and its adult literacy programme was mainly focusing on female literacy to achieve 80 per cent literacy rate by 2015.

She said that funding was main hurdle in promotion of literary and four per cent of GDP should be given to education.

Ms Nafeesa expressed the hope that new government would allocate all possible resources for education sector and universal access of children to primary education. She said that their priority was to provide education to people and create awareness among parents to educate their children.

The Chairperson said that Sindh chapter has reopened 3347 out of 6800 non-functioning schools in Sindh which was aimed at helping the country to achieve 85 per cent literacy rate by 2013.

She added that NCHD provided 7165 teachers to government-run schools in addition to establishment of 13769 literacy centres from where 298394 learners were graduated throughout Sindh while 86 per cent graduates were females.

To a question, she said that for establishment of effective communication the NCHD had installed 88313 community volunteers throughout Sindh to motivate people for community development and create consensus for joint efforts for promotion of society.

She said that NCHD was committed to promote female literacy through volunteerism for development of country to ensure quality education through teachers training adding that NCHD had also trained 34043 teachers to increase enrolment and prevent dropout rate.

She said that goal of NCHDs education programme is to achieve 86 per cent literacy rate by year 2015 and for achieving this goal NCHD has devised a strategy which is enhancing net enrolment rates of children in primary education from 62 to 90, reducing dropout rate from existing 50 to 15-20 and through adult literacy centres annually 1.2 million illiterates would acquire basic literacy skills.

Syeda Nafeesa said that NCHD is the primary and largest support organisation of the government for realisation and achievement of MDG in sectors of education, health, capacity building and volunteerism for community development and gender empowerment, operating in 19 districts of Sindh.

To another question, she said that human development endeavours of NCHD are supported by a public private partnership between the government, private sector and international donor community for ensuring sustainability in long run and to abide by stringent rules of governance.