LOWER KOHISTAN: The literacy rate in Lower Kohistan is estimated at just 22 percent, prompting education officials to call for coordinated efforts by the government, parents, teachers and local communities to bring more children into schools.
District Education Officer (DEO) Lower Kohistan Muzaffar Ali Khan made the remarks at a seminar at Government Crescent Model High School Pattan to mark International Literacy Day and the reopening of schools in the Summer Zone.
The DEO also formally launched the Summer Zone enrollment campaign, urging all sections of society to treat the initiative as a shared responsibility rather than an education department activity.
DEO calls for collective action
Muzaffar Ali Khan said quality education is fundamental to a nation’s development, prosperity and economic stability. He noted that countries that have invested heavily in education have made significant advances in science, technology, industry and their economies.
He described Lower Kohistan’s estimated 22 percent literacy rate as a serious challenge but said the situation could be improved through sustained and coordinated efforts.
The DEO called on government institutions, elected representatives, parents, teachers, Parent-Teacher Council (PTC) members, local elders and other community stakeholders to work together to increase enrollment and improve literacy.
“Bringing every child to school is our shared responsibility,” he said, urging parents to enroll their children and local elders and PTC members to support school improvement, student attendance and better learning environments.
Teachers urged to focus on quality education
Muzaffar Ali Khan said teachers have a responsibility that extends beyond enrolling students. He urged educators to focus on quality teaching, moral development, discipline, creativity, research skills and awareness of modern knowledge.
He said stronger educational foundations could help young people from Lower Kohistan develop the skills needed to contribute to the district, province and country.
Deputy District Education Officer Aurangzeb Khalil also addressed the gathering, describing literacy as the foundation of social development and a prosperous future.
He said a successful enrollment campaign was essential to improving Lower Kohistan’s literacy rate and called for more coordinated and results-oriented measures to provide children with modern and quality education.
Khalil urged parents to pay attention not only to school enrollment but also to attendance and academic performance. He also stressed the need to ensure that poverty, distance or lack of parental attention does not prevent children from receiving an education.
Enrollment campaign launched in Pattan
Following the seminar, DEO Muzaffar Ali Khan, Deputy DEO Aurangzeb Khalil and Sub-Divisional Education Officer Pattan Amir Samat formally launched the Summer Zone enrollment campaign by admitting children to school.
An awareness walk was also organized from Government Crescent Model High School Pattan through the city’s markets before returning to the school.
Students, teachers and education officials participated in the walk, carrying banners and placards bearing messages including “Education is the right of all” and “Every child should go to school.”
Speakers at the event pledged to continue practical efforts to improve literacy, raise education standards, enroll out-of-school children and achieve the targets of the Summer Zone enrollment campaign.