Parliament has done something this week that once seemed nearly impossible in Pakistan’s legislative culture. It passed a bill mandating reproductive health education in schools. The Federal Supervision of Curricula Amendment Bill, cleared by both houses and awaiting presidential assent, requires that students aged 14 and above in Islamabad’s educational institutions receive structured instruction on reproductive health. It is modest and carefully worded — parental consent is required, the scope is limited to the
Child Rights in Focus
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A six-year-old boy was found dead in Parova tehsil after remaining missing for over a month, with police saying they were investigating the possibility of assault before the killing. A police Official said the incident occurred in the Jhoke Masukhel village. The child had gone missing on Feb 13 after leaving home to buy an item from a nearby shop but did not return. His father, Mohammad Ismail, said the family
KARACHI: In a landmark shift aimed at strengthening school management, the government of Sindh has handed financial authority directly to public school heads, empowering them to manage funds for facilities and institutional improvements. Acting on the directives of Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, the School Education and Literacy Department has designated heads of 31,633 government schools as Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) under the School Specific Budget initiative for the financial year 2025-26,
CHARSADDA: A five-year old child was found murdered in open fields in Mandani area of Charsadda, triggering grief and anger among local residents, police said. The deceased was identified as Mohammad Zakria, son of Mohammad Usman and a resident of Sabandi, Mandani. According to police, unknown assailants allegedly subjected the child to torture and later hanged him before dumping the body in nearby fields. In a report lodged with Mandani police, the victim’s uncle
KARACHI: The Sindh government has granted financial powers to school heads in order to empower public schools across the province, said a statement issued on March 13. Acting on the directives of Minister for Education Syed Sardar Ali Shah, the School Education & Literacy Department has made meaningful progress under the School Specific Budget (SSB) initiative by designating 31,633 school heads as Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) for the utilisation of funds and for
LAHORE: The Punjab government has approved amendments to the School Education Department (SED) policy and granted one-time dispensation for thousands of classrooms constructed through the School Management Councils (SMCs). The notification, available with Dawn, states that the Provincial Cabinet approved the amendment to the School Management Council Policy 2024 and granted a one-time exemption for ongoing classroom construction works executed through SMCs from certain procedural requirements, including technical sanction, Punjab Public Procurement Regulatory Authority
SAHIWAL: The prayer leader (imam masjid) who had raped his seven-year-old student and uploaded a video of it on social media was arrested by the Crime Control Department (CCD) after his pistol went off inside his trousers on March 13. The suspect was arrested by CCD after an alleged encounter near Chak 70/4-R at night. The bullet caused a severe injury to his genital area. According to reports, on March 9, the prayer leader
LAHORE: Around one million students appeared in class VIII exams held across Punjab during the last four days, said the Punjab Curriculum, Training and Assessment Authority (Pectaa). The universal examination exercise was held between March 9 and 12, with nearly one million students participating across Punjab, the Pectaa said in a statement here on Friday. The Grade-VIII standardised examination have been revived by Pectaa after a six-year gap with an aim to restore assessment
PESHAWAR: In a significant move to revitalize the province’s education sector, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi presided over an important meeting of the Elementary and Secondary Education Department at the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar. The session conducted a detailed review of the overall condition of model schools and institutes across the province. Officials briefed the participants on administrative, teaching, and infrastructural issues plaguing these institutions. The meeting decided to revive model schools
CHINIOT: The Punjab government plans to enhance the annual Non-Salary Budget (NSB) for schools from Rs16 billion to over Rs20 billion after revision of existing formula indicators. Chairing a meeting, School Education Department Project Management and Implementation Unit (PMIU) Programme Officer Syed Azeem Naqvi said the department was planning to enhance the non-salary funds provided to public sector schools next year to provide missing facilities, improve infrastructure and ensure repair and maintenance of almost
DIJKOT: The body of five-year-old boy who had gone missing from Islampura was found in a canal in Chiniot. The child Azaan, had gone missing while playing outside his home. A kidnapping case was registered. During a protest by his family, Lyallpur Town SP Abid Hussain Zafar and other officials reached the spot and assured the protesters that the case was being pursued. The body was later shifted to the Allied Hospital for post-mortem.
BAHAWALPUR: Musafirkhana police in Bahawalpur district claimed to have killed three alleged rapists and killers of a minor boy while a constable suffered injuries during an ‘encounter’ near Mohani village, about 30 kilometres from here, on March 12. According to police PRO Rao Kashif, acting on a tip-off, a team conducted a raid on the suspects’ hideout during the night. Upon spotting the police team, the three suspects, along with their four accomplices, allegedly