ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President, Dr Arif Alvi, on Wednesday called for collaborative efforts with mosques to impart education to 28 million out-of-school children by utilizing them for literacy and educational purposes. He said that mosques and seminaries could play an important role in promoting ethical values besides creating awareness about important social and health problems at the grassroots level.
The President expressed these views while chairing a follow-up meeting on masques and seminaries at Aiwan-e-Sadr.
Speaking on the occasion, President Alvi said that imparting education to nearly 28 million out-of-school children in the country was a big challenge, which would require thousands of new schools and additional resources. He stressed the need for non-traditional and innovative solutions and collective efforts by society to provide education to out-of-school children.
The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training informed the meeting that it had launched an Accelerated Learning Program to educate out-of-school children.
The President said that Masajid and Madaris could play an instrumental role in reforming society and overcoming social evils by promoting ethical values, brotherhood, tolerance, peace, inter-faith harmony, and respect for each other’s rights through the Friday sermons. He also highlighted the need to raise awareness, through Masajid, about mental and general health problems, population welfare, women’s rights, inter-faith harmony, and malnutrition at the community level.
President for Integrated Approach
He further urged the adoption of an integrated approach by the ministries of education, health, and religious affairs at the federal and provincial levels by involving the mosques and seminaries to educate the people about social and health problems.
