BISP to support 3m children for primary education: Farzana
14 February, 2013
ISLAMABAD: BISP will support 3 million children to receive primary education with the financial and technical support of the World Bank and DFID, said Farzana Raja, Federal Minister and Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) while addressing 'Seminar on Social Protection' organised by the Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives (IDEAS) on Wednesday. Giving details she said a monthly cash payment of Rs. 200 per child/per month up to 3 children per beneficiary family will be provided to the families ensuring minimum 70% attendance of the child/children in schools every month. This initiative will support the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal related to primary education. Farzana Raja said 9 million of BISP beneficiaries' children are unable to attend primary education primarily due to financial constraints of their families. BISP has recently initiated a primary education programme for the enrolment of children, aged between 5-12 years, of the beneficiary families. She said BISP is striving to reach out to the 20 to 22 percent of Pakistan's poorest of the poor in a view to improve their socio-economic conditions. Farzana Raja said that the government through BISP alone cannot manage the huge mandate of social development in the country and therefore, private entities should join hands with BISP. She invited researchers, experts and academicians to come forward and suggest measures for further improvement of various initiatives of BISP for the uplift of the poor and marginalised sections of the society. She also emphasised that provinces should also play their part in institutionalising the culture of social protection in Pakistan. End.
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