PESHAWAR, Feb 23: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Masood Kausar has said that the low literacy rate in the country poses a great challenge to all and it demands a strong commitment to correct the situation.

Speaking as chief guest at the convocation of City University of Science and Information Technology, the governor said that improving literacy rate in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas needed immediate attention. He said that in tribal areas the literacy rate among females stood at three per cent and males at 16 per cent.

"It amply helps to understand the causes of current difficulties which we have been facing in Fata," a press release quoted the governor as saying.

Mr Kausar said that to improve the situation the private sector should play a more efficient role in promotion of education in the underdeveloped areas. The country's future, he said, depended on its youth who were expected to act responsibly and behave with pride. He said that the youth could make Pakistan a leading country in the world.

"It is my firm belief that the fertile and innovative brains of the present day youth can do miracles in making Pakistan a leading nation of the world, and the government and parents are not sparing any effort to make this possible," the governor said.

Over 330 graduates were awarded M.Phil, MS, master, and bachelor degrees in education, computer sciences, business, mathematics and English. Among them 54 got gold medals for achieving distinction in their respective fields.

Highlighting the significance of manpower in achieving economic growth, he said that developed countries dominated the world through their innovations. These countries, he added, had monopolised 85 per cent of the innovations across the world, 53 per cent of which were taking place in the US.

Universities had an important role to encourage innovation and promote moderation, said the governor. Modernization, he added, could be achieved by pursuing a discourse to expend knowledge base, achieving the desired results through technological advancement.

He said that the role of private sector in supplementing the government's efforts towards promotion of education was highly encouraging.

However, he stressed that it was the responsibility of the private educational organisations to make sure that no one from their ranks could bring bad name for the private sector because of any weaknesses on their part.

Congratulating the graduates, the governor advised them to be confident in their march ahead and win an honorable position for themselves and the country.

"This is a challenging phase of your life which is more practical and rewarding," he said.

Earlier, vice-chancellor of the university Abdul Saboor Sethi presented the institution's annual report, claiming credit for producing some 3,560 graduates in various disciplines. He said that apart from two degree colleges in Peshawar and Mardan, nine schools with total enrollment of 23,000 were presently working in the provincial metropolis under the aegis of Peshawar Model Educational Institutes.