UN - Page 7

Ghost Schools

KARACHI: Apropos the letter “Ghost Teachers” published on September 19, 2024, the issue of ghost schools is another sad reality in Pakistan’s education system. These schools exist only in name, with buildings left abandoned and teachers still collecting salaries without fulfilling their responsibilities. However, the problem goes beyond just missing educators. The rise of child labour in the country is…

child labour in auto industry in Pakistan

Rapid assessment of child labour in automobile repair workshops in Pakistan

This Rapid Assessment examines child labour at automobile repair workshops in Pakistan, with a view to providing updated information on its magnitude, identifying factors that push children into this form of child labour and reviewing national efforts to address the phenomenon. Based on its findings, it offers recommendations for policy…

Local Production Of Iron, Folic Acid Supplements May Curb Anaemia In 15m Pakistani Girls

ISLAMABAD: The local production of Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFAS)…

Vaccination Centres Inaugurated in Peshawar, Mardan

PESHAWAR: Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah on 14 August 2024 inaugurated…

Study on Displaced, Migrant Children Launched

PESHAWAR: The National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC), in collaboration with Unicef Pakistan and with support from the government of the Netherlands, on September 23 launched a study on the situation of displaced and migrant children in the country, along with an accompanying policy brief. The study, titled…

Pakistan’s First AI-based Teacher Training Programme Launched

For the first time in Pakistan, the Sindh government has launched an AI-based online training programme for teachers, designed to support educators in adopting faster, more effective and modern teaching practices. To formalise this initiative, the school education & literacy department, Unicef and Khan Academy Pakistan (KAP) signed an MoU…

Moot Highlights Importance Of HPV Vaccination For Cervical Cancer

LAHORE:A provincial advocacy seminar on eliminating cervical cancer through the introduction of the HPV vaccine in Punjab was held in Lahore under the aegis of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Punjab in collaboration with UNICEF. The seminar, chaired by Dr Samra Khurram, Director EPI Punjab, was attended by senior…

International Literacy Day: Experts Call For Promoting Non-formal and Technical Learning

On the occasion of International Literacy Day, education experts emphasized that to address the issue of out-of-school children, the country must promote non-formal and informal modes of learning alongside the traditional education system. This, they said, would enable children deprived of education and literacy to play an effective role in…

WHO Warns Disease Outbreaks Could Be Lethal In Flood Zones

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s monsoon floods have already claimed 910 lives and injured more than 1,000 people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Officials and health experts warn, however, that the deadliest phase of the disaster may only just be beginning. Outbreaks of dengue, malaria, diarrhoea and other diseases now threaten…

Sindh Govt, Unicef Reiterate Commitment To Ensuring Children’s Welfare

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on September 07 met the United Nations Children’s Fund’s (Unicef) new Pakistan representative, Pernille Ironside. He welcomed her and expressed the hope that the partnership between his government and Unicef would grow stronger during her term. The meeting was held at the CM…

Theft of Childhood

LAST month, I travelled through Pakistan’s four provinces to oversee UNFPA projects and initiatives. I also engaged with partners to get their perspectives on development amid the recent geopolitical and funding challenges. During these visits, I connected with various partners, officials and intellectuals. One particularly moving — and painful —…

School Nutrition Programmme Phase-II launched

LAHORE: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has launched Phase II of the School Nutrition Programmme. In this connection, a consultative meeting between the PFA and a UNICEF team was held on August 12, said a PFA handout. PFA Planning & Coordination Director Muneer Hussain Chopra gave a detailed briefing about…

Aseefa Bhutto, Sindh Health Minister, MPs Unite For Stronger Breastfeeding, Nutrition Laws

ISLAMABAD: First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, and parliamentarians from across the political spectrum on 11-August-2025 signed a landmark joint declaration on gender, breastfeeding, and nutrition in Pakistan, pledging coordinated action to protect child health, empower mothers, and remove systemic barriers to optimal breastfeeding…

Pakistanis Spending Billions On Formula Milk Unnecessarily: Experts

At a time when fewer than 2,000 newborn infants in Pakistan genuinely require breast milk substitutes due to maternal death, critical illness or rare metabolic disorders, the country consumes formula milk and baby food worth over Rs110 billion every year, officials and health experts disclosed on 01-August-2025. Senior paediatricians and…