ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training has directed the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) and the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (Peira) to actively promote Matric Tech and Inter Tech programmes aimed at equipping students with practical skills aligned with market demands. “These programmes are designed to create opportunities for youth employment both within Pakistan and abroad,” said a press release. It said the ministry has intensified its efforts to bring
Child Rights in Focus
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Textbook Board (KPTBB) has proposed to the provincial government that it should be allowed to ‘develop’ new schoolbooks and act as a publisher to save around Rs60 million paid annually to private publishers as royalties. For this purpose, the KPTBB has also suggested to the provincial government that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Textbook & Learning Material (KPTLM) Policy, 2017, be amended, as the existing one doesn’t allow it to publish textbooks, sources
ISLAMABAD: Cases of mpox continue to appear and increase in Khairpur, while also spreading to other parts of Sindh. In response, World Health Organisation (WHO) has offered vaccines for targeted use. Health experts warn outbreak is quietly expanding due to gaps in infection control and coordination, according to officials and representatives of Pakistan Pediatric Association. Officials and senior pediatricians said WHO has expressed willingness to support Pakistan with mpox vaccines if needed. However, they
KARACHI: The Grand Alliance of Private Schools Associations in Sindh on Sunday called to postpone the matriculation exams by a week due to incomplete and flawed arrangements, with thousands of students still without their admit cards. Examinations for the 10th grade are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, and for the 9th grade on Wednesday. However, more than 350,000 students remain without their admit cards even a day before the exams. Many students also do not know
When schools closed early last month, Arsala Ali was as happy as any child can be at the thought of having no lessons. On March 9, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had announced the closure of all educational institutions until the end of the month in order to conserve fuel in the wake of the Gulf conflict. Arsala, a ninth-grader, planned to study at home using YouTube. However, internet issues often disturbed her study
As many as 50 people, including 26 children, lost their lives, while 111 others were injured in rain-related incidents across various districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) since March 25, said Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on April 5. According to a report issued by the provincial authority today, the fatalities include 26 children, 17 men, and 7 women. “A total of 470 houses have been damaged, of which 409 sustained partial damage, and 61 were
HYDERABAD: Activists of religious minorities’ rights on April 4 staged a protest demonstration outside the Hyderabad Press Club against the alleged forced conversion of a Christian girl, Maria Shahbaz, in Lahore. Organised by the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), the protest was led by Fr Jamil Albert, Director of NCJP Hyderabad. Advocate Ramesh Gupta and others also spoke. The protesters said that most of the laws were drafted keeping in view the
ISLAMABAD: The consolidated data on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is unavailable, but there is a noticeable increase in the number of children being diagnosed with the disease. This was informed by speakers during an event, organised in connection with World Autism Awareness Day, held at Maroof International Hospital. It is pertinent to mention that ASD is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. ASD begins at the age of three and lasts
• Health dept confirms four of seven children who died last month in Khairpur hospitals had mpox • Claims deaths not directly linked to zoonotic viral infection • Sukkur commissioner asks DHO to initiate ‘comprehensive contact tracing’ • Babies seemed to have infected from unsterilized hospital equipment: sources • Many ‘chickenpox-like’ cases reported from other districts KARACHI / SUKKUR: An outbreak of mpox, the first local outbreak of the zoonotic viral infection in the
A NATIONAL summit organised by the National Curriculum Council and the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training should serve as the required catalyst to redefine Pakistan’s educational priorities amid rapidly evolving geopolitical and technological transformations. The summit’s goals comprised a transition from memorisation to critical thinking, creativity, inquiry and problem-solving, as well as abandoning the outdated Macaulay model. The modernisation of the curriculum includes the introduction of AI, robotics and STEM, placing greater
BAHAWALPUR: Lodhran city police claimed on April 3 to have arrested a man on the charges of sexually harassing and blackmailing a first-year girl student in Faizabad locality of Lodhran city. According to the police, a woman complainant said that her neighbour ‘I’ would train her daughter ‘S’ (17) , a first-year student, in online work. She alleged that the suspect sexually harassed her daughter, took objectionable photographs and attempted to blackmail her. She
KARACHI: As the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams are set to begin from April 7, Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi has declared the premises of examination centres restricted areas for the general public except candidates bearing valid Admit Card as well as the staff on duty. The Board of Secondary Education Karachi will conduct SSC annual examination from April 7 to May 2, with approximately 385,000 candidates at 530 examination centres across Karachi Division. According