Gender and Development

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Pakistan

Non-formal Primary Education and Functional Literacy for Rural Women in Selected Barani Areas of Punjab

TA 4414

Pakistan has one of the lowest literacy rates at 45% in the South Asian region. There were an estimated 49 million illiterates in the country in 1995, out of which 28.4 million are women. Basic education, comprising early childhood education, elementary education, and adult literacy, have been assigned top priority in the National Education Policy 1998-2010. The policy provided for nonformal education by emphasizing that nonformal systems will be adopted to complement the formal system. Nonformal education for rural women is also an important pillar in the poverty reduction strategy of both the Government and the provincial government of Punjab.

The objectives of the TA are to undertake the preparatory work that includes a program to empower rural girls and women through the nonformal provision of functional literacy, skills training, and basic education. Participation in the training under the proposed SLBAP will then increase access of rural poor women both to development activities financed by the ensuing investments made under the proposed SLBAP and to other opportunities for self-advancement.

The TA will consist of the following components:

1. the preparation of a syllabus and of training materials suited for literacy training and skills training aimed specifically at girls and women in isolated, underdeveloped, and disadvantaged rural areas;
2. the pilot testing and assessment of service delivery to poor girls and women in selected pilot villages;
3. an expansion of the training program to meet the demand expected from the implementation of SLBAP; and
4. the establishment of women's literacy resource centers in each district covered by the proposed SLBAP to aid in sustainability and expansion of the program.

The TA will provide for the establishment of women's literacy resource centers in each district within the Department of Literacy offices that will be responsible for the development of information, knowledge, and imparting training to the teachers, vocational trainers, and NGO field staff. These centers will also support female beneficiaries by enhancing their exposure and access to financial products offered by microfinance institutions. The provincial government of Punjab has assured that the women's literacy resource centers will be operated and maintained as part of district literacy infrastructure.

The TA will be implemented with the assistance of a national-level NGO experienced in women's education and skills training wihin rural areas of the country. The first step in the process of material development will be for the national NGO and the Department of Literacy and Non-Formal Education (DLNE) to agree on the skills to be imparted along with literacy and primary education training.

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