World Literacy Rate

STATISTICS From various sources: Total Adult Literacy Rate : 55% - (UNICEF Pakistan Statistics 2007) Total Adult Literacy Rate : 54% ( Male 66.25% , Female 41.75%) - (Pakistan’s Ministry Of Education) Punjab : 60.8% (Male 70%, Female 51%) NWFP : 47.4% (Male 63%, Female 30.8%) Sindh : 51.5% (Male 60.5%, Female 42.5%) Balochistan : 34% (Male 45%, Female 23%) Total Literacy Rate : 49% Wiki Rankings Total Literacy Rate 50% CIA Factbook - Est 2005)

Province Literacy Rate Punjab 46.56% Sindh 45.29% NWFP 35.41% Balochistan 26.6%

Province Literacy Rate Punjab 27.4% Sindh 31.5% NWFP 16.7% Balochistan 10.3%

Province Literacy Rate Punjab 20.7% Sindh 30.2% NWFP 15.5% Balochistan 10.1%

Province Literacy Rate Punjab 60.2% Sindh 57.7% NWFP 49.9% Balochistan 48.8%

List of countries by literacy rate, as included in the United Nations Development Programme Report 2005. Rank Country Literacy Rate 1 Australia 99.9 1 Austria 99.9 1 Belgium 99.9 1 Canada 99.9 1 Czech Republic 99.9 1 Denmark 99.9 1 Finland 99.9 1 France 99.9 1 Georgia 99.9 1 Germany 99.9 1 Iceland 99.9 1 Ireland 99.9 1 Japan 99.9 1 Luxembourg 99.9 1 Netherlands 99.9 1 New Zealand 99.9 1 Norway 99.9 1 Sweden 99.9 1 Switzerland 99.9 1 United States 99.9 1 United Kingdom 99.9 21 Estonia 99.8 22 Trinidad and Tobago 99.7 23 Barbados 99.7 23 Latvia 99.7 23 Poland 99.7 23 Slovenia 99.7 27 Belarus 99.6 27 Lithuania 99.6 27 Slovakia 99.6 30 Kazakhstan 99.5 30 Tajikistan 99.5 32 Armenia 99.4 32 Russian Federation 99.4 32 Ukraine 99.4 35 Hungary 99.3 35 Uzbekistan 99.3 37 Tonga 98.9 38 Azerbaijan 98.8 38 Turkmenistan 98.8 40 Albania 98.7 40 Kyrgyzstan 98.7 40 Samoa 98.7 43 Italy 98.5 45 Bulgaria 98.2 46 ...

Mahjabeen, now 18, lives in a village called Neeli in District Pishin. Six years ago she passed sixth grade at a government girls’ High School, which was 7 km from her home. She was withdrawn from school due to cultural norms disapproving of grownup girls attending school so far from home. But Mahjabeen's burning desire to continue her education never ceased. The establishment of DIL Community Girls Middle School, Munzaki Bostan, four miles Neeli, gave Mahjabeen renewed hope. She found the courage to ask her father for permission to enroll, but he bluntly refused. When the project staff approached her father to try to convince him, he shooed them away. But Mahjabeen was not going to give up. She had an idea: if the other four girls in her neighborhood joined the school, her father would have to agree. She worked on every one of them, insisting they would regret it if they missed this wonderful opportunity of continuing their education. Fortunat...

When Meena Gul's was a baby, her family suffered a tragedy. One day, relatives with whom the family had an ongoing feud walked into the house and killed her father, uncle and grandfather. While the incident was resolved between the family elders, they neglected to compensate Meena Gul's mother, who now faced the frightening prospect of supporting two children on her own. But Meena Gul's mother vowed that not only would she financially support her children, she would also ensure they attend school. She went to work in people's homes, tending to their cattle and doing hard labor. She sent Meena Gul and her brother to the government school far from the village, where they received little attention from the teacher. The family was therefore thrilled when the DIL school opened in nearby Zarif Khan with attentive and dedicated teachers. DIL teachers speak very highly of Meena Gul's mother, saying she has never put her children to work. Meena Gul and her b...

Hasina studies at the DIL School in Zarif Khan, Dir. As a child, she suffered brain damage after falling off the roof of her house. Despite her poor cognitive skills, Hasina desperately wanted to attend the DIL school. She would lead her mother by the hand almost daily, and upon reaching the school, she would point at children and ask, “why can’t I attend school like them?” Teachers at Zarif Khan were unsure how to integrate Hasina into the class, but she was so keen to come that they agreed to enroll her. Initially, Hasina had trouble fitting in. She kept forgetting where she was supposed to sit, and her inability to understand simple concepts frustrated her. As a result, Hasina frequently fought with her classmates and was hostile toward teachers. The DIL teachers persisted with her, hoping that patience and love would help her overcome fears and frustrations. Over time, Hasina became accustomed to the school routine and began ...

There’s one thing Samina is certain about—she is not going to be a housemaid like her mother and older sister. Second of six, three brothers and three sisters, she joined DIL Paradise School when it opened in 2001. She attends school regularly even though she lives in the mountains more than one kilometer away from the school. Since her father, a mason, mother and older sister have long working hours; she takes care of her younger siblings in their absence. She is especially proud of the fact that she persuaded her parents to enroll her younger siblings, who now also attend DIL Paradise School. She works with them every evening so that they can excel at their studies. Having a passion for art she would like to become an artist someday. Unfortunately, her parents are going through a very rough spell as their home was recently robbed of all its contents. They had very little to start out with but the incidence has left them completely impoverished. She wonders how long s...

Thirteen-year-old Mariam is so bright that her teachers recently made her skip a grade. She has just turned thirteen, hence there is mounting pressure from relatives to get her married off as she belongs to a very conservative “Pathan” family. Mariam, the eldest of six, is fortunate as her father, a driver, and mother want her to continue her education and become a role model for the younger girls in her family. Since Mariam enrolled in DIL Nation School in 2001, she has actively participated in co-curricular and social activities. Her teachers claim that if this brilliant young girl is provided with the right kind of support and allowed to continue her education she will definitely realize her dream of becoming a computer programmer and a linguist.

Sisters Overcome Disabilities with Help of Instructor "It was a strange experience for me; I was not expecting such results," explained Rizwana Kausar, teacher of DIL-Dhoke Hafeezullah School, Rawalpindi, regarding the success of her deaf and dumb students, Anjam Javeed, 11, and Rabia Javeed, 13. The girls’ parents desperately wanted their daughters to attend school like normal children, so they sent them to a private school four years ago, only to be returned home by the teacher who found them to be inattentive and difficult to teach. When a DIL school was established in their village in 2002, both sisters enrolled. Initially, the girls used sign language to communicate with the teachers and students, but as they learned to read and write, the blackboard became their basis of communication. Questions were written on the blackboard and the sister...

Located in an urban slum of Rawalpindi, Nai Abadi town lacks basic amenities such as a sewerage system, safe drinking water, proper roads, gas supply, health care etc. To survive, most of the inhabitants, including women and children, are involved in demanding daily labor. Hence, it took a lot of convincing on part of the teachers and DIL-ABES staff to get parents to send their children to the local DIL-ABES Community School, considered an oasis for school going children in this completely neglected town. Sehrish Shafqat along with her three brothers works daily on a “Khaddi” (hand loom), after attending the DIL-ABES Community school, to support the family of nine including her parents. They also embroider shirts that require 12 hours of labor per shirt. Each shirt earns them a paltry sum of 100 to 150 rupees ($1.72 to $2.59). Extremely enthusiastic about her studies, Sehrish does not miss a day of school despite her many responsibilities. “Education is the only thin...

Nowa-Dil School Reshman, 12, recently graduated from a DIL-NOWA Primary School in Unnar Colony, Khairpur. She is the second youngest of four sisters and three brothers. Her father is a laborer and returns home very late in the evening. Here, she shares her story: "When we first moved to Unnar Colony, I would longingly watch the neighborhood girls scurry off to school each morning. Whenever I broached the subject of attending school with my parents, my father would absolutely refuse to yield. One day the teacher visited my mother and coaxed her into sending me to school. My mother laid one condition: my father must never find out. So I attended school regularly except for the days when father was at home. This is how I joined school—it was the happiest moment of my life. My father, however, did not object to my brothers attending school—he actually en...

The DIL team met Rozina in early August, 2001, at the Brigadier Bashir Ahmed Girls Primary School in Wali Dino Sheikh. She was shy, but ready to answer questions with a smile, even when asked about her painful life history. Rozina's father died when she was barely a few months old. Her mother, left with a young son and an infant daughter, received no support whatsoever from her in-laws. In fact, they seized the land and assets left to her by her husband. Rozina's mother was forced to move into a cramped, single room with her two children. When her husband's family demanded that she give up that room as well, the community finally intervened and convinced them to leave the widow and her children alone. Rozina has thus grown up a witness to abject poverty. Her mother makes bags and tends to her neighbors' cattle. Her brother has recently started working, which has added to the family income, but they know that without the help of their community that regularly provides th...

My name is Zurriat Qureshi and I teach at Sojhero Pilot School, Sagyoon. I have been through very difficult times during my schooling. Since I started my primary education I have faced opposition from my relatives and community. When I turned 9 years old, I was very interested in studying further. My father refused to allow me to continue my schooling. He agreed to consent on one condition--I continue helping him look after the livestock till noon everyday. Permission to continue with my education was met with great opposition from our neighbors and community. So, after completing class five, I had to leave the school. For the next two years I remained very upset especially since I was exposed to programs on the radio and TV talking about the advantages of education. My interest and desire for education grew over this time, and I took to reading a book called 'lengh munjha looh' which was about a girl who struggles to achieve her goal in life. She too faced many difficulties bu...