Perspective - Page 13

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…

Reinventing basic education

In Pakistan, there is a rare consensus across political divides and among citizens concerning the dire state of education. Whether it is primary, secondary, or tertiary education, the system’s deficiencies are glaring. At present, there are a staggering 20 million children out of school, representing 40 per cent of the…

Pneumonia menace

ANIC is on the rise as the alarming surge in pneumonia cases has created an explosion of headlines sans information about prevention and cure. The menacing respiratory affliction has taken an ugly turn: this paper reported yesterday that a shocking 622 cases had come to light over 24 hours in…

Life expectancy and formal education quantified

An analysis by The Centre for Global Health Inequities Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation published in The Lancet Public Health journal reveals quantified relationship between formal education and life expectancy. Based on the data both from industrialised countries such as the UK and the US as well as developing…

Preventing suicide

IN a significant stride towards mental health reform, Pakistan decriminalised attempted suicide (later challenged in the Federal Sharia Court) by repealing Section 325 of the Pakistan Penal Code, a change that stands out for its compassion and understanding. The repeal is complemented by the Mental Health Act`s Section 49, which…

Measles spike

IT is an unfortunate reality that in Pakistan, far too many children are afflicted by, and, in fact, lose their lives to, vaccine-preventable diseases. Amongst these ailments is measles, and as a report in this paper has pointed out, there has been a sustained surge in the number of measles…

Anti-rape ordinance

THE much-anticipated Anti-Rape Ordinance 2020 introduced chemical castration as punishment for rapists. In doing so, however, it missed the very critical point that rape is not merely a physical act, and that it is triggered by many serious social and psychological conditions. More stringent measures are required to deter such…

Save the children

Climate crises negatively impact everyone indiscriminately. Disasters caused by climate change affect women, the elderly and children across the globe. The threats of climate change to the lives of children are numerous and dangerous. Climate-led disasters become fatal for children. According to Unicef, every year, environmental factors take the lives…

Depressed students

In this day and age it is very easy for students like myself to hand over our minds and bodies to depression. It is something which is seemingly increasing day by day among young people. In today’s world students are prone to go into depression as there is a lot…

Education board discrepancies

The recent revelations of financial and administrative discrepancies, coupled with exam tampering, at the Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi (BIEK) have sparked deep concerns about the integrity of the educational system in Sindh province. The findings, uncovered by an inquiry committee appointed by Sindh caretaker Chief Minister Maqbool Baqar, paint…

The Case of Missing Children

In the recently-published annual report of Roshni Helpline 1138, a non-profit from Karachi, a total of 2,633 cases of missing children were reported in the country from January to December 2023. Of those, 1,942 were successfully recovered and reunited with their parents. However, the organisation, which focuses on missing children…