Education either formal or non-formal is very essential for the grooming of the human being because education is considered as the essential part of the individual. In Pakistan the trend of non-formal educational systems is increasing and improving day by day. The government, NGO’s and the local bodies are striving to improve and expand this system in Pakistan.
The main aim behind the establishment of non-formal system in Pakistan is to ensure that the children are being provided the facility of education in rural areas of Pakistan. Such programs are being implemented in the villages and those tribal areas where the modern educational institutions are not being implemented and at the same time they cannot afford the luxurious educational system which is beyond their financial reach.
In the non-formal educational system involvement is the key factor, the people of the village make a collaborative team which plays their role in designing, developing, implementing and later monitoring and reviewing the respective educational system, this gives them the sign and feeling of empowerment and at the same time feel of ownership. There are various salient features which differentiates the non-formal educational systems with the common formal educational systems in the country. These features include the following;
- Teachers in the non-formal educational system are being selected and appointed from the respective community and the society.
- The schools are being established near the residence of the students so that it can be easier for them to attend it.
- The syllabus and the curriculum are being designed by the administration and is being based on the current affairs, national issues and the practical realities of the life in that very respective village.
Although the physical infrastructure of such schools are not as lavish and well-maintained as the government or privately owned formal institutions which makes this system cost and time effective both as they are formed with ease in less time and with less manufacturing and maintain cost. The government has worked on this seriously in Pakistan and especially by the Punjab government which have helped the establishment of such institution in the rural areas of Pakistan. Amongst the various significant projects of the government few of them are illustrated below:
- Literacy Programme (32 Districts)
- Campaign for Enhancement of Literacy (04 Districts)
- Community Learning Centers (Sahiwal Division)
- Punjab Literacy & Livelihood Programme (Multan & DG Khan Division)
Brick kilns Project (Multan & Khanewal Districts)
