Literacy Trends in Pakistan - UNESCO Islamabad

an education that includes learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to be. It is only through education that anindividual’s potential and talent can be used to transform society, according to the needs and changing circumstances.“Achieving EFA goals should be postponed no longer. The basic learning needs of all must be met as a matter of urgency”.In Dakar, the participants committed for achieving 50% improvement in levels of adult literacy by the year 2015, especially for women andensuring that by the year 2015, all children particularly girls and those belonging to ethnic minorities have access to complete free, andcompulsory primary education of good quality.Mass literacy and basic education is considered a pre-requisite for socio-economic development worldwide. In Pakistan, every effort has beenmade for the quantitative expansion of formal school education with the assumption that it will contribute to enhance the literacy rate. Thisassumption has not held true during the last five decades and the country is still far away from universal mass literacy.The main purpose of this document on literacy trends and statistics in Pakistan is to present a precise, brief and overall picture of the literacysituation in the country and to provide information on the literacy situation in various districts / provinces in Pakistan, and discuss the majorcauses for low literacy rates in certain areas, as compared to other regions reflecting higher levels of literacy. This document also presents ananalysis and forecast of trends of different parameters of literacy statistics upto 2008.2. DATA SOURCESThe results of the 1998 Census are the major source for the statistical part of this publication. In addition, the following sources have also beenutilized for the purposes of data collection and analysis for this profile.1. Population Census Organization, Govt. of Pakistan, Statistics Division, Census Reports of 1998, Islamabad. May 2000 (105District Census Reports - DCRs)2. Population Census Organization, Govt. of Pakistan, Statistics Division, Census Reports of 1981, Islamabad. May 1984 (62District Census Reports - DCRs)3. Literacy and Mass Education Commission, Literacy Profile of Pakistan 1951-1981, Govt. of Pakistan, Islamabad, February, 19844. World Population Data Sheet 2000, Population Reference Bureau, Washington, D.C, June 2000.5. Pakistan School Education Statistics 1997-1998, Academy of Educational Planning and Management, Ministry of Education,Govt. of Pakistan, November, 1999.2