Govt - Page 22

Nadra launches platform to track sex offenders in Pakistan

Nadra, the National Database and Registration Authority, has created the National Sex Offenders Registry (NSOR) platform, which includes an SMS verification service to aid in the identification and monitoring of individuals who have been convicted of sexual offenses against children and women . The database is connected to various law enforcement agencies and provincial governments to ensure that updates are…

Three school education depts merged into one authority

LAHORE: The Punjab government on 14 June 2024 established the Punjab Education, Curriculum, Training and Assessments Authority (PECTAA) after merger of three departments -Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB), Quaid-i Azam Academy for Educational Development (QAED) and Punjab Examination Commission (PEC) with a view to reform school education. Earlier, the…

Over 4,200 children sexually abused in 2023, says Sahil

ISLAMABAD: The data compiled by Sahil shows that 11 children were abused…

13% hike in education budget by Punjab Government

LAHORE: The Punjab government has announced a significant increase of 13 per…

Teacher arrested on charge of raping schoolgirl

DADU: Police arrested a primary schoolteacher posted in a village near Jhol town in Sanghar district on 7 May 2024 on charges of raping a girl student of class fifth. Jhol police registered an FIR against the teacher under Section 338-A (Punishment for Isqat-i-haml) of the Pakistan Penal Code on…

Several held over girl’s marriage with elderly man

SWAT: The police on 6 May 2024 detained several individuals for their alleged involvement in solemnising marriage of a teenage girl to a 70 year-old man. Among those apprehended were the Nikah Khawan, the girl’s father, and witnesses to the ceremony. Initial reports from Ghaliegey police had stated that the…

Fistula and child marriages

Seema’s battle with fistula unveils the tragedy of early marriage, urging society to confront the intertwined dangers of child marriage and women’s health crises. Seema, a resident of Astore District of Gilgit-Baltistan, received the title, ‘Woman of the Year’, not for her achievements, but for a fate imposed upon her…

54pc drop-out rate in Sindh linked to insufficient number of middle, secondary schools

KARACHI: Sindh Education Minister Sardar Ali Shah on 30 April 2024 informed Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah that the insufficient number of middle and secondary schools in the province was the major reason behind the 54 per cent drop-out rate for children at the post-primary level. He told a…

Unicef Pakistan launches National Gender Strategy

ISLAMABAD: Unicef Pakistan on 30 April, 20204 launched its National Gender Strategy (2024-2027) to bring about lasting and transformative change for millions of girls between 10-19 years. Unicef said that if the strategy was implemented effectively from urban to rural areas, it could drive change, address inequalities and improve the…

PM considering plan to declare four-year education emergency

ISLAMABAD: The federal government in principle has decided to declare a four-year education emergency in the country to tackle out-of-school-children and other pressing issues in the sector. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in coming days is likely to declare the education emergency. Sources said the PM was expected to chair a…

Bill proposed for increasing minimum age for girl marriage

LAHORE: The Child Protection Welfare Bureau (CPWB) has proposed the Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2024-25 to the Punjab government. The bill suggests increasing the minimum age for girls to marry to 18 years. CPWB Chairperson Sarah Ahmad has written to Punjab Home Secretary Noorul Amin Mengal, emphasizing the urgent need…

Polio risk high in 34 areas of Karachi

KARACH: Forty-three areas in 11 districts, including 34 in Karachi division alone, are at a high polio risk whereas more than 38,000 cases of refusals were reported in the province during the national immunisation days observed in February this year. This was shared during a meeting of the provincial task…

Govt to digitise Punjab schools

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that educational institutions in the province are being digitised in line with modern needs. The digitisation will be completed through public-private partnership. Computer tablets will be provided to teachers in schools to improve the preparation of their lessons. “Youth, especially women,…

Private schools directed to implement freeship law

Karachi: At least 10 per cent students, both boys and girls, are getting free education at over a thousand schools surveyed by provincial government officials in Sindh. Moreover, many students enjoy 25 to 50 per cent discounts at private educational institutions, said a report of Directorate of Inspection and Registration…