Perspective - Page 12

Insights From the 2023 Census Report

The 2023 Census conducted by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics released its complete report in July 2024 indicates that the total population of Pakistan is 240 million out of which the population of children under 18 is 112 Million (47% of the total population). Children Population (under 18) Population under 18 Total Male Female Transgender Pakistan 112,472,700 58,099,978 54,370,121 2,601…

Juvenile Offenders in Punjab

The total number of convicted and undertrial juveniles imprisoned in various borstal institutes and jails of Punjab province was 645 as on 15 March 2022 (Prisons Department, Govt. of Punjab). Out of the total number of juvenile offenders, 81% (523) juveniles were on trial (under trial) and 19% were convicted…

deficiencies in Pakistan's education system

The Impact of Pakistan’s Education System

What PM Shehbaz Sharif blurted out recently isn’t quite a national secret.…

Grace Marks by Sindh Government

In a move as surprising as it is contentious, the Sindh provincial…

Laws and domestic workers

ON assuming power after his landslide victory in West Pakistan in the 1970 elections, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto introduced five labour welfare laws and brought in amendments in other laws applicable to industrial and commercial establishments. These laws pertained to the education of workers’ children, the constitution of a workers’ welfare…

Human Trafficking in Pakistan

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in monetary discontent and absence of opportunities, are forced into scenarios that put their safety in peril. The recent horror show of trafficking saw smugglers cash in on Pakistani immigrants, desperate to…

Is playtime a luxury for children and youth?

Urban children often engage in tuition or schoolwork, while rural children spend more time with family Imagine a perfect world, where every child can enjoy boundless playtime after school. What if children everywhere could freely engage in their favourite activities? What if they all had access to fun and educational…

Death Mines

Not just the first such incident, and will not be the last unless stringent labour protection measures are put to practice. Another coalmine incident, in Harnai district of Balochistan, claimed the lives of a dozen workers on 20 March 2024. Hundreds of miners die from mining accidents in Pakistan every…

The Case for Teaching Punjabi in Schools

THE chief minister of Punjab, Ms Maryam Nawaz, has said that Punjabi will be taught across schools in the province. This was announced at the Punjab Culture Day ceremony last week. It is a welcome announcement. Some 80 million people speak Punjabi in Pakistan and, worldwide, Punjabi speakers number around…

Unveiling Deepfakes

Laila* first met Adeel* at a fine dining restaurant along the coastline of Karachi city, after eight months of online dating on Instagram. She was then 20, he 21. The two talked for hours as the golden sun set, meeting the horizon of the sea. Laila described Adeel as the…

Combatting human trafficking

Human trafficking in Pakistan is a severe and multifaceted problem that has affected countless individuals, particularly women and girls, coerced into exploitative labour or sexual servitude under the false pretences of better opportunities. The issue presents a dire humanitarian crisis, as it inflicts immeasurable suffering upon its victims and greatly…

Mother’s milk, mother’s choice

LAST month, the Senate approved the `Islamabad Capital Territory Protection of Breastfeeding and Child Nutrition Bill, 2023` that aims to discourage the use of breast milk substitutes. Back in November, there had been heated speeches on the floor of the Upper House regarding the import and sale of breast milk…

Transforming Education with Innovation

The MoFEPT has taken impactful initiatives that allow access to learning materials for all children from any location. We know the world today has entered a new technological era, bringing with it a social, political and economic interdependence. And because today’s world is far more complex than yesteryear’s, it requires…

Education should be a long-term priority

WITH elections behind us, it is time to get our focus right. Of course, putting the national economy back on track will take precedence over much else in the short term. However, in doing so, we should not lose sight of the long term, and in that context education is…