Pakistan has once again launched a nationwide polio eradication campaign, aiming to vaccinate more than 28 million children under the age of five across 99 districts. In just the first five days (the campaign started last Monday), 18 million children were vaccinated – a promising figure, but still short of the scale required to contain the virus. The urgency is clear: since the beginning of this year, 24 polio cases have been confirmed, with
Child Rights in Focus
A SCHOOL administrator recently remarked in a tone of resignation that these days many parents would rather have their children remain occupied with academic work than risk letting them venture outside. “The world beyond the gate,” she said, “is no longer safe.” Streets feel more chaotic, parks feel less secure, and neighbourhoods, once considered havens of community life, now come with their own anxieties. One can understand the sentiment. There is a certain reassurance
ISLAMABAD: Chronic obesity is silently killing and crippling thousands of relatively young Pakistanis every year, with new evidence showing that more than 100 million adults are now overweight or obese. This was stated by national and international health experts at a moot in Islamabad. They said the disease was fueling an alarming rise in diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, cancers, infertility and obstructive sleep apnea. They stressed that without urgent interventions, Pakistan will face an
Recent years have witnessed significant developments in the NFE sector, including the formulation of a comprehensive NFE policy, strengthened institutional frameworks, and the scaling up of Accelerated Learning Programs (ALPs), including innovative models like ALP (Middle-Tech). The “Zero OOSC Campaign” in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), a successful collaboration between government agencies, NGOs, and the community, demonstrates the effectiveness of a coordinated approach in identifying and enrolling OOSC. The 2023-24 NFE Statistical Report provides valuable
LAHORE:On the instructions of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, rescue and relief operations of Punjab Police in flood-affected areas are continuing at a rapid pace. Inspector General of Police Punjab, Dr. Usman Anwar, said that Safe City thermal imaging technology and drone cameras are being used to rescue people and livestock trapped in flood-affected areas. Punjab Police spokesperson while sharing details, said that so far Punjab Police have ensured the evacuation of 348,907 flood-affected people,
The Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) has officially launched its online document issuance service to facilitate students and the general public. According to officials, with this new facility, students would no longer be required to visit the BIEK office in person to apply for or obtain their academic documents. Instead, they could conveniently apply through the Board’s official portals: www.biek.edu.pk and portal.biek.edu.pk. The following credentials and documents could now be obtained online: HSC
Each year, climate-induced disasters cost Pakistan billions of dollars and push millions into deeper poverty. Yet our policies remain stuck in a reactive cycle, waiting for the damage to occur, then scrambling with relief. This approach is not only costly but also destructive to development gains. Prevention is smarter in every sense. It is cheaper to invest in resilient schools and hospitals than to rebuild them after destruction. Moreover, prevention saves lives and livelihoods.
Rawalpindi: Additional District and Sessions Judge Afshan Ijaz Sufi sentenced the accused to death three times and a fine of Rs1 million in the case of kidnapping and rape of a 13-year-old boy. The Dhamial police station had registered a case against Irfan Azeem on March 15, 2023, on the complaint of the victim’s uncle Zulfiqar, under the provisions of murder, rape and kidnapping, alleging that he kidnapped the 13-year-old boy when he went
KARACHI: The Sindh government on 3rd September announced a cervical cancer prevention vaccination campaign from Sept 15 to 27 across the province among girls aged 9–14 years, warning that more than 5,000 women are diagnosed with the disease every year and 3,000 of them die. Announcing the campaign at a media briefing, the health officials and experts highlighted the urgent need for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Pakistan by sharing national and global
CHINIOT: The administration has extended the closure of 86 schools for three more days in the flood-affected parts of the district and established field schools for the affected children. As per details, Chiniot Deputy Commissioner and District Education Authority Administrator Safiullah Gondal ordered the continuation of the closure of selected schools as all other public and private schools opened on Wednesday after more than three months of summer vacations. “Owing to flood emergency in
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah launched the second phase of the English as a Subject for Teachers & Educators (EaSTE-II) programme on September 3 in collaboration with the British Council. “This initiative is hailed as a landmark effort aimed at enhancing the quality of education in Sindh by bolstering teacher capacity,” Shah said during the launch at the CM House. He said EaSTE-II builds upon the achievements of the first phase, and
Islamabad: In a groundbreaking initiative aimed at equipping students with global communication skills, 18 Federal Government (FG) schools and colleges in Islamabad have begun offering free foreign language courses in eight widely spoken international languages. The programme, exclusively launched in the capital’s federal government institutions, is a collaborative effort spearheaded by the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, funded by the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission and implemented by the National University