National & Provincial Policy

Steps to be Taken To Devise Policy For Improving Child’s Nutrition: Minister

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Health Dr Mukhtar Bharat on October 21 claimed that the government would take all possible steps to devise a policy to improve child nutrition and maternal health. Addressing an awareness seminar on the harms of formula milk, Dr Bharat said formula milk had negative impacts and urged media to play a role in creating public…

Call to Tntegrate Air Quality Data into Policymaking for Real Impact

LAHORE: Dr Omar Masud, the CEO of Urban Unit, says that the air quality data of monitoring sensors can make a real impact if its integrated in policymaking. He was speaking at the session “Developing a National Air Quality Management Framework for Pakistan” during The Air We Breathe conference, organized…

Balochistan CM Bugti Launches Youth Policy

QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti formally launched the Balochistan Youth Policy on…

Parents urge ministry to reinstate lightweight school bag policy

ISLAMABAD: As the summer vacation has commenced, elementary school students may find…

Don’t Leave Children at Mercy of AI, Warn Experts

KARACHI: Experts have warned that leaving children “at the mercy of Artificial Intelligence (AI)” could prove dangerous, urging parents and schools to prioritise AI literacy as technology becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life. The warning came during the 10th Adab Festival, which concluded on November 23 and featured its first-ever…

Letting Federal Wealth Go

The first meeting of the 11th National Finance Commission (NFC) to discuss and finalise a new award was postponed last week due to flood emergency in the country, which demanded urgent government attention and resource mobilisation to mitigate potential human and material losses. Background research, however, revealed that, compared to…

Every Child Matters: C-ARTS and Transformation Of Autism Care in Sindh

When Fatima was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at just three years old, her parents were overwhelmed. Like so many families in similar situations, they faced a maze of uncertainty—confusion, societal stigma, and a painful lack of support services. They wondered if their daughter would ever speak, go to…

Non-formal Education Policy In Works To End Out-of-school Crisis

Islamabad: Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on 10-July-2025 announced that the Federal Non-Formal Education Policy 2025 was currently in development, with the ambitious objective of achieving a ‘zero out-of-school children’ target. He also declared that the National Action Plan for Non-Formal Education 2025 was…

Unified National Response To Education Emergency Stressed

ISLAMABAD: Convener of Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights (PCCR) Dr Nikhat Shakeel Khan on 26th May highlighted the urgent need for a unified national response to Pakistan’s education emergency. She emphasised the pivotal role of parliamentarians in addressing this challenge and introduced the PCCR’s flagship report, ‘Parliamentary Engagement for National…

KP Textbook Board Stopped From Executing Contracts With Publishers

PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court on 4th March temporarily stopped Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Textbook Board (KPTBB) from executing profit-sharing contracts with eight private publishers for publishing of textbooks for grade 9 to 12. A bench consisting of Justice Wiqar Ahmad and Justice Sabitullah Khan issued notices to the respondents including the KPTBB…

Policy Dialogue Held On School Dropout Issue

Islamabad: The Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE) and the Data and Research in Education – Research Consortium (DARE-RC) jointly hosted a policy dialogue on ‘Initiating an Early Warning System (EWS) to Identify Students at Risk of Dropout’ here. The event brought together policymakers, education experts, and key stakeholders to address…

Government Schools To Adopt Inclusive Policy

The Punjab government has decided to bind the public sector schools in the province to give admissions to differently-abled students on a priority basis. The initiative is part of an inclusive education policy set to be launched by the provincial government. According to officials, the admissions of differently-abled students will…

Climate Resolutions 2025

2025 will be a year of new openings and possibilities for Pakistan. Several initiatives started during the outgoing year will approach completion and offer opportunities to integrate economic and climate priorities. For Pakistan, economic and climate vulnerabilities reinforce each other and hence they must be addressed simultaneously. We will learn…

Out-of-school Children Remain On Outer Margin Of Policy Priorities

ISLAMABAD: As 26 million children remain out of schools despite an education emergency and enhanced focus on this problem, the new educational framework has called for a two-pronged approach to address this issue, while also saying that the sector “remains on the outer margins of policy priorities”. The ‘National Education…