KARACHI: Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani has said the government and philanthropists are under a solemn obligation to fully back the sincere charities striving hard to spread education in Pakistan.

He stated this while speaking as the chief guest at the Fun Gala event organised by the Green Crescent Trust (GCT) at a holiday resort to entertain over 1,200 orphaned children enrolled in its charitable schools in Karachi.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister appreciated that the nonprofit GCT for setting up 170 schools in remote and less-privileged areas of Sindh, with an enrolment of over 32,800 students from deprived families.

He said that Pakistan could progress at an accelerated pace only after eradicating the issue of illiteracy in the shortest possible time.

He said that the country`s development and advancement would remain an unfulfilled dream without enrolling out-of-school children in the country.

The minister opined that bona fide charities, which embarked upon the mission of providing quality schooling to children from underprivileged communities, had been shouldering an important responsibility of the government.

GCT chief executive Zahid Saeed said that over 26.2 million children were out of school in Pakistan and enrolling them was a massive challenge that required constant support from philanthropists and donors.