Alight Pakistan, NCHD To Establish 22 Schools For 600 Kids In Gilgit-Baltistan

LAHORE– The National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) and Alight Pakistan, formerly American Refugee Committee, have agreed to join hands to impart free education to out-of-school children at 22 schools in Gilgit-Baltistan province.

An agreement to this effect was signed by Col (Retd). Dr. Amirullah Marwat, Chairman, NCHD and Mr. Kamran Iftikhar Lone, Deputy Chief of Party, Alight Pakistan, at a simple but impressive ceremony at the former’s office here on Feb 29.

Director Education, NCHD, Dr. Shafqat Ali, Deputy Director Education, Mr. Tahir Hameed Wyne, Assistant Director Education, Mr. Tufail Ahmed and Syed Husnain Naqvi were also present on this occasion.

The enrolment of out-of-school children will kick off in the first week of March where 650 out-of-school children between the age of 6-16 will get quality education in Gilgit and Diamir districts of the province.

NCHD and Alight Pakistan-funded schools will focus on the enrolLment and quality education of the children belonging to the marginalised communities in the above mentioned two districts of the northern province of Pakistan.

Pakistan has the second-highest number of out-of-school children, with at least 5.6 million children under the age of 9 not attending school. Since 2018, Alight Pakistan is running country’s largest-ever out-of-school children enrolment intervention in collaboration with the Government of Pakistan and Qatar’s Education Above All Foundation.

The programme, titled Educate a Child aims at the enrolment of over one million out-of-school children across Pakistan. Alight Pakistan is implementing Educate A Child program in collaboration with Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), provincial educational departments and other civil society organizations in 56 districts of Pakistan where Alight Pakistan has already enrolled over 750,000 out-of-school children.— PRESS RELEASE