Topics & Events

Mr. Kinoshita while speaking at the event

Islamabad; 8 September 2022: Since 1962, International Literacy Day (ILD) is celebrated annually on September 8th ‘to advocate and broaden awareness on the importance of literacy and bridging the literacy gaps’. This year International Literacy Day is being celebrated worldwide under the theme, ‘Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces, ensuring quality, equitable, and inclusive education for all.’

In Pakistan, ILD is also celebrated to reaffirm commitment towards education, which is a fundamental right of all children, boys and girls, youth and adults. According to UNICEF Pakistan has the world's second-highest number of out-of-school children, i.e., 22.8 million under the age cohort of 5-16 years. Most of them, nearly 77% are rural children. The gender gap is also apparent as 53% girls are reported to be out-of-school in comparison with 47% boys. This year's unprecedented monsoon rains and floods have also adversely affected the educational and road infrastructure. The preliminary assessment suggests that "Education is in the state of emergency", as: 22,000 schools have been damaged, whereas, more than 3.5 million children's education has been halted due to rain & floods; and 5,500 schools have been converted into shelters for the flood affectees (Pakistan Education sector working group-EIE).

JICA's Advancing Quality Alternative Learning Project Phase-II (AQAL), along with its government and civil society partners, is observing ILD 2022 with a renewed commitment to reach out to the displaced and OOSC, youth and adult population in federal areas and all four provinces. The goal is to provide uninterrupted and equitable primary education through flexible and accelerated non-formal education.

JICA in collaboration with Ministry of Formal Education and Professional Training and Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad organized an International Literacy Day 2022 event, with the participation of multi-disciplinary experts and deliberated upon the existing and prospective educational needs of Pakistan. The event also highlighted the significance of literacy that can certainly provide the academic foundation necessary for continuing the education, combating poverty and eventually contributing as productive citizens. JICA, through AQAL project, has been supporting non-formal education for over a decade. Consequently thousands of non-formal education centers have been established by counterparts, INGO, and NGOs across Pakistan. The project's partnerships and outreach has transformed many homes and unconventional spaces into learning homes for children.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr Kinsoshita Yasumitsu, Chief Representative - JICA Pakistan said, ‘Literacy is our gateway to life-long learning that prepares us to collaborate, achieve and celebrate our collective, social and economic recovery and prosperity ’. Mr. Kinoshita Yasumitsu resolved that, ‘JICA would continue to advocate for literacy until such a time, that there is not a single child out of school by bringing literacy and non-formal education to the 22 million out of school children ’. Presenting the literacy and mass education initiatives of AIOU, Dr Zia-ul-Qayum Vice Chancellor Allama Iqbal Open University stated , 'Whenever we talk about initiatives for our of school children, reaching the unreachable, JICA has always been supportive. We have recently toured Turgarh with Ms Ohashi and Mr Gill, ensuring ALPs reach the least accessible areas. Together, we are handholding those 523 girls and will enroll them into the Middle Tech Program, an initiative led by JICA-AQAL. The redefining literacy study collaboratively undertaken by JICA-AQL, AIOU and NCHD offers incisive recommendations for the Government to make Pakistan's digital literature count. The recommendations will be presented to Ms. Zeb Jaffer, Parliamentary Secretary MOFEPT who is a keen supporter of this national cause'. Findings of JICA-AIOU collaborative study Redefining Literacy in the Digital Era were also presented by Dr Nasir Mahmood, Dean - Faculty of Education. National Commission for Human Development conducted the study in 7 regions of Pakistan by collecting data from over 7000 respondents. The findings call for the necessity to validate the existing literacy definition with the current needs and measure literacy with standardized tools instead of depending on self-reported claims. The closing plenary also included the findings from the moderated Panel Discussions on the themes namely, The Necessity of Redefining Literacy in the Digital Era, Leverage Technology to Transform Literacy Models for Human Capital Development and Transforming Literacy Models by Integrating Vocational and technical Skills for Economic Uplift. The event was attended by the representatives of Government, Semi-Government and Private Institutions, development practitioners and organisations, academia, edu-tech professionals and members of the civil society.