Pakistan was ranked among the top five countries worldwide for absolute reduction in child deaths, owing to vaccination efforts, Radio Pakistan reported on April 22. In a statement issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Pakistan had averted 2.6 million child deaths from preventable diseases. The country had also eradicated smallpox, reduced paralytic polio cases by 99.8 per cent, and ensured neonatal tetanus-free areas for 80 per cent of its population. Since 1994, powered by
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Another exam paper scandal has surfaced in Karachi in which individuals running multiple WhatsApp groups, monetising access to Matric and Intermediate papers, were arrested. Such incidents have, for the umpteenth time, exposed how examination systems in Pakistan are designed, managed, and ultimately compromised. The details matter. Organised groups were selling access to Matric and Intermediate papers through WhatsApp, reaching hundreds of students and collecting large sums. Whether the papers were genuine or, in some
The recently concluded nationwide anti-polio campaign is being called a resounding success by those directly involved in the vaccination drive. The National Emergency Operations Center reports that over 44.7 million children under five received the vaccine, a figure just shy of the 45 million target, representing over 99% coverage. A polio expert calls the result “an achievement”, noting that previous campaigns routinely missed 800,000 to 1 million children, roughly three times as many as
QUETTA: The Balochistan government on April 21 said it was making headway in education by bringing out-of-school children back into classrooms and reopening long-closed institutions. Speaking at an event at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, along with senior officials, shared progress on the ongoing campaign. Education Minister Rahila Hamid Durrani and Secretary Lal Jan Jaffar were also in attendance. Officials said more than 3,700 previously closed schools have been
OKARA: A woman was arrested on April 21 for allegedly strangling her seven-year-old son to death from her first husband to save her second marriage. According to the complainant, minor’s father Irfan Ali, he received a call from his former father-in-law, who told him that his son Ali Hamza was being tortured by his mother, Nadia Bibi. He claimed that her second husband did not want his son to live with them at his
• Officials say hundreds of students caught cheating • Board claims 95pc exam centres ‘completely secure’ • Videos of cheating, copying go viral • Political parties concerned over mismanagement KARACHI: As the ongoing matric examinations continue under the Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK), multiple incidents of cheating, paper leaks and other irregularities have surfaced in the city, exposing the incompetence of the board which had been claiming a “zero tolerance” against such practices.
ESHAAL, a 12-year-old student in Grade 7, sits in front of her laptop screen attending a 45-minute math lesson online. Her video is on, the teacher can see her, but she is disconnected from the lesson. Instead, she is consumed by a private chat with her friend on another window. Such lack of engagement in online lessons is rampant and many teachers see it as an inevitable hazard of online schooling. As many schools
BARA: Girls’ education in Khyber district, particularly in Bara tehsil, is confronting serious challenges. While a large number of educational institutions exist on paper, the severe shortage of basic facilities, teaching staff, and modern learning opportunities has badly affected the entire education system. According to official statistics, there are 420 government girls’ schools in Khyber district. In Bara tehsil alone, there are 132 girls’ primary schools, nine middle schools, five high schools, and only
The other day, a private educational institution offered me an opportunity to guide its students on how to solve the question paper in board exams to achieve maximum marks or at least how to avoid deduction of marks because of lack of right and relevant information. The selected students, the institution’s high achievers so far, evinced keen interest in the session by listening to every bit of information I shared with them. Though the
KARACHI: A sessions court has sentenced a man to 14 years in prison in a case pertaining to sexually assaulting a minor boy within the jurisdiction of the Sukhan police station. The additional district and sessions judge (Malir) found Sher Ali guilty for committing rape with a six-year-old boy in a room at his place in Cattle Colony in 2023. The court also imposed a fine of Rs1 million on the convict and he
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s HIV crisis is worsening. Nearly 79 percent of people living with HIV do not know they are infected, and most of those who are diagnosed are not receiving treatment. Health experts raised serious concerns on Saturday and called for accountability in healthcare system, along with an independent audit of more than $1.1 billion in international funding used to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. At a press conference at National Press Club, former
• Health experts say between 2010 and 2024, AIDS-related deaths in Pakistan increased 6.4-fold, rising from 2,200 to 14,000 annually • New HIV diagnoses in Larkana exceeded 2,000 • Doctors stress need for using disposable syringes KARACHI: Expressing serious concern over the recurring healthcare-associated disease outbreaks in the country, experts on Saturday called for strict nationwide enforcement of single-use syringe policies and infection control protocols at health facilities. Against the backdrop of the escalating