About 4,500 primary schools have already been handed over to private owners RAWALPINDI: The Punjab school education department has also finalised the process of selling 500 public middle and high schools by November end after the privatisation of 4,500 primary schools, irking the educators who have already planned a major sit-in in Lahore. The department will advertise the list of middle and high schools this month. About 4,500 primary schools have already been handed
Child Rights in Focus
Violence against children remains a widely prevalent scourge in Pakistan, despite the best efforts of activists and NGOs and several government interventions. While the country has a reasonable legal framework to safeguard children’s rights, local ‘culture’ and ‘traditions’ mean it is not uncommon to see well-kept child workers in the homes of people who support expanding children’s rights. Crime data and statistics published by various rights groups show that many children still suffer from
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has stated that children and youth are not only the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change but also “our greatest allies in creating a sustainable future”. He was speaking at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. During his first official engagement, the Sindh chief minister participated in an event hosted by Unicef at the Pakistan Pavilion, where he signed a
KHYBER: Amid complaints about a lack of facilities and shortage of essential items, over 1,000 out of the total 2,041 displaced Kukikhel families have returned to the Thor Chappar area of Tirah Valley here since the second phase of their repatriation began on Oct 29, say officials. They, however, insist that most of the returnees went back to Jamrud and Peshawar due to the dilapidated condition of their homes, harsh weather, and acute shortage of essential commodities. Several
INCARCERATED mothers constitute a rapidly increasing segment of the prison population in Punjab. According to data released by Punjab Prisons, as of last month, the total number of female prisoners stood at 1,218. Of these, 137 are mothers with children and 104 are under trial. The total number of children living in prisons with jailed mothers is 159, including 68 boys and 91 girls. In 2022, the total number of mothers in Punjab’s prisons
Leader says education system is being destroyed under systematic conspiracy ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association (APPS&CA) has firmly rejected the decision to close educational institutions due to smog. All Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association’s Central President, Dr Malik Abrar Hussain said closing schools due to smog is unwise and damaging measure. “The education system is being destroyed in the country under a systematic conspiracy,” he added. In a statement
KARACHI: The Sindh Home Department has instructed the Inspector General of Police and the Prosecutor General for the swift disposal of the Fatima Furiro murder case in Ranipur, district Khairpur, Sindh. The case has attracted national and international attention, with implications for Pakistan’s global human rights rankings. Fatima Furiro, a nine-year-old maid, was found murdered in August 2023 at the haveli (residence) of Pir Asad Shah, a powerful and influential figure. The proceedings are
LAHORE: The first dengue-related death was reported in Punjab this year on 13th November when a teenage girl succumbed to dengue complications in the Mayo Hospital. As per hospital sources, Manahil, a resident of Sahiwal, was shifted to the hospital with a history of high fever and the doctors isolated her for treatment. She developed complications as the dengue progressed to an advanced stage during treatment. She died at the hospital on Wednesday. Mayo
MUZAFFARGARH: A madrassa teacher was arrested on 13th November for allegedly torturing an 11-year-old student in the Uttara Sandeela area after the boy refused to ask for donations. The suspect, identified as Abdul Hafeez, reportedly chained and beat Muhammad Amin after the child declined to collect donations, commonly known as ‘chanda’ from local residents. The incident came to light when the victim’s father, Muhammad Akhtar, reported it to the Karam Dad Qureshi police station.
ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on 13th November called for providing facilities to schools in rural areas and ensure an effective monitoring system within the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE). The FDE is a supervisory body which oversees affairs of 431 schools and colleges of Islamabad. The directorate has been without a director general ever since the post got vacant in July last year. Since then, the education ministry has been looking after the affairs
KARACHI: The Sindh government has approved the draft of the country’s first-ever ‘Transgender Education Policy’ that proposes adding a separate category for transgender children in admission forms for schools and colleges, alongside male and female options. The policy draft was approved in a meeting chaired by Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, said a press release issued here on Wednesday. It said that the draft, which will soon be presented before the provincial
SWAT: A large number of girls students on 12th November took to the streets to protest the government’s decision to allocate land of their college for the construction of a boys’ college in Khwazakhela tehsil here. The students chanted slogans against the government’s decision and called for its reversal. The protesting students said that their college building had remained under the use of security forces for 15 years, and when the college was made