Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari emphasized the importance of education and literacy as foundational pillars for Pakistan’s future during his message on International Literacy Day, celebrated annually on September 8. The President underscored this year’s theme, “Promoting Multilingual Education: Literacy for Mutual Understanding and Peace,” highlighting literacy’s role in fostering unity and peaceful coexistence.

According to Press Information Department, President Zardari reiterated the constitutional commitment to education under Article 25A, which ensures free and compulsory education for children aged five to sixteen. In response to the country’s literacy challenges, the government has declared a National Educational Emergency to enroll out-of-school children and educate 70 million adults.

The “Each One Teach One” (EOTO) Program, initiated under the Prime Minister’s Roshan Pakistan Literacy Drive by the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), encourages literate citizens to teach at least one illiterate person. Additionally, the government is enhancing educational access through Conditional Cash Transfers and the Benazir Taleemi Wazaif program, which offers stipends to underprivileged children up to the higher secondary level, currently benefiting 9.7 million children.

Moreover, 102,000 scholarships have been awarded to low-income students for undergraduate education. President Zardari called for a national recommitment to the cause of literacy, asserting that educating every Pakistani is essential for the nation’s prosperity, inclusivity, and peace.