PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Education Department has drastically altered school timings across government institutions. According to a formal notification issued by the department, all government schools will now begin classes at 7:30 am. Primary schools will close at 1:35 pm, middle schools at 2:35 pm, while high and higher secondary schools will end at 3:00 pm. The new schedule includes Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as weekly holidays. Class duration has also been extended from the
Child Rights in Focus
In this video, Sarah Ahmad, Chairperson of the Child Protection & Welfare Bureau, Punjab, speaks about why protecting children is ultimately a state responsibility, and what happens after a child enters state care. She discusses the scale of child rescue operations in Punjab, the realities behind reported cases of child abuse, abduction, child labour and forced begging, and how the adoption and foster care system functions in Pakistan, including the safeguards involved.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on April 1 it has launched a new framework for teenagers’ accounts, enabling them to independently own and operate bank accounts and digital wallets. In a press release, the SBP outlined the key features of the initiative, emphasising the goal of fostering a financially literate, digitally adept generation. “The framework is designed to empower the country’s youth to save securely, transact confidently and develop responsible financial habits,”
KARACHI: A missing minor boy was found dead in an open manhole on March 30 near his home off Superhighway, triggering a protest by relatives and residents against local government representatives over their failure to cover sewers. SITE-Superhighway Industrial Area SHO Mohammed Nawaz told Dawn that three-year-old Ahsan Naveed had gone missing from his home in Faqeera Goth near New Subzi Mandi on Sunday night. Later, his body was spotted by a man in an open
BAHAWALPUR: Police claimed on March 30 that a suspect, who had allegedly raped and murdered a minor boy, was killed during an “encounter” in the limits of Hasilpur city police station. According to a Bahawalpur district police spokesperson, three suspects allegedly opened fire on a police patrolling team, which intercepted them for their identification. The police returned the fire and during the shootout one of the suspects was killed, allegedly in the firing by
DIR UPPER/QUETTA: In the rugged terrain of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Dir Upper district, the promise of equal educational opportunities for girls remains largely unfulfilled even in 2026. Official records reveal a glaring imbalance: while girls constitute more than half the population, educational facilities for female students lag significantly behind those for boys, forcing many to study in substandard conditions or drop out entirely. According to data from the District Education Office, the district has a total
LAHORE: The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Lahore has intensified its crackdown against cheating during the ongoing matriculation examinations 2026. Controller of Examinations, Tauseef-ur-Rehman, visited several centres across different cities to monitor transparency during the English paper held on Monday. According to Tahir Javed, spokesperson BISE Lahore, during inspections, four candidates were caught red-handed while cheating. The most significant action took place at Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Lalyani (Kasur), where QR
A five-year-old boy died after falling into an open manhole in the SITE Super Highway area, police said on Monday. The incident occurred in Faqira Goth near Lucky Star Hotel, where the child’s body was recovered from an uncovered manhole. The deceased was identified as Ahsan, son of Naveed, a resident of the same locality. According to police, the child had gone missing on Sunday evening. His family searched extensively but could not trace
LAHORE: A hotel employee has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a seven-year-old girl in the Gulberg area. According to police, the incident occurred when the minor girl was playing with her younger brothers under her mother’s supervision. While playing, the girl wandered into a nearby private hotel, where the accused, identified as Sharif alias Allah Rakha, a hotel employee, allegedly subjected her to sexual abuse. When the girl’s condition deteriorated, her mother inquired about
Islamabad: As the British Council rolls out a global Safeguarding Toolkit, developed with UNICEF’s support, to address emerging digital and behavioural risks, more than 800 schools in Pakistan will be part of this major student protection programme. The initiative comes as school safeguarding faces rapidly evolving, hard-to-detect threats, including peer-on-peer harm, mental health concerns and AI-enabled abuse, according to the British Council. “Since safeguarding challenges increasingly span both online and offline spaces, the Toolkit
KARACHI: Christian organisations and rights groups held demonstrations outside the Karachi Press Club on March 29, expressing concern over the safety of minor girls and their forced marriages and conversions. Groups, including the National Christian Party, Gawahi Mission Trust, and other civil society representatives, organised separate protests. The participants, including women and young girls, carried placards and chanted slogans, demanding protection against forced marriages and alleged forced religious conversions. Leaders of the demonstrations, including
SAHIWAL: As many as three minor girls were allegedly raped in separate incidents across the district in the past 24 hours and the police claimed to have registered cases and arrested two suspects. As per details, in one incident suspect R allegedly assaulted his 13-year-old cousin A in village 170/7-R. According to the police report, R had come to stay as a guest at the residence of the victim and attacked the girl at