KHYBER: Nine female teachers of the recently established Government Girls Degree College in Bara are awaiting payment of their salaries for the last 10 months. The aggrieved staff told Dawn during a visit to the college in Alamgudar area in Bara that they were faced with serious financial issues as they had now started borrowing money for their personal expenses from their relatives and friends. All the nine female subject specialists, having the required educational
Child Rights in Focus
SWAT: Residents have complained the Government Primary School Rahimabad No 2 in Mingora’s Rahimabad area doesn’t have a permanent building, forcing more than 900 students both boys and girls to attend classes in rented shops and garages. They said the school, established years ago, never had a proper structure, raising concerns about the safety and learning of students. The residents said they sent their children to school for a brighter future. “Despite being in
LAHORE: A prep class student was allegedly raped by a school employee in Faisal Town on 31st October. Lahore Operations DIG Faisal Kamran confirmed the incident, saying the police acted swiftly and arrested the suspect who was said to be an employee of the same school. The police also registered a first information report (FIR) on the complaint of the girl’s father who said the suspect took her daughter to a house adjacent to
KARACHI: Expressing concern over rising maternal mortalities and health complications due to unsafe abortions, speakers at the launch of a study on 30th October called for making reproductive healthcare services safe and accessible across Pakistan which saw 3.8 million abortions in 2023 from 2.25m in 2012 — a 56 percent increase since 2012. They were speaking at the launch of the study titled ‘Safeguarding Women’s Health: Trends, Inequities, and Opportunities in Pakistan’s Abortion and
GENEVA: A record 8.2 million new tuberculosis cases were diagnosed worldwide last year, the World Health Organisation said — the highest number since it began global TB monitoring in 1995. The WHO said its Global Tuberculosis Report 2024, released on Tuesday, highlights “mixed progress in the global fight against TB, with persistent challenges such as significant underfunding”. While the number of TB-related deaths declined from 1.32 million in 2022 to 1.25m last year, the
Lahore schools considering schedule changes to prioritise the health of children Lahore: A three-day school closure and potential schedule adjustments in Lahore is being considered as the city grapples with deteriorating air quality, local officials announced. Amid severe smog conditions, schools could close on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays to reduce health risks, pending a review by the environmental authorities, Express News reported. The Punjab Environmental Protection Agency spokesperson said a decision is expected following
ISLAMABAD: Polio crippled another child in the Chagai district of Balochistan, where a 5-year-old girl was paralyzed by the wild poliovirus, bringing the national polio case count to 43 this year. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed the case on 30 October 2024, highlighting the ongoing challenge Pakistan faces in its fight against polio. This case marks Chagai’s first polio diagnosis this year and brings Balochistan’s
HARIPUR: A minor girl was found in unconscious condition in bushes outside her village, the police said here on 29th October. Saddar Police quoted Tanzeela Bibi, a resident of Banda Munir Khan village, as saying that her two and half years old daughter, Zonisha was playing in the street in the morning when she went missing. The complainant said that she searched for her but failed. However, in the afternoon the villagers spotted her
PAKISTAN is in the midst of a critical education crisis, with over 22.8 million children aged five to 16 years out of school, placing it second only to Nigeria in this context. The situation is especially dire for girls, with 53 percent out of school as compared to 43pc of boys. Declaring a national education emergency, Pakistan identifies poverty, lack of infrastructure, cultural barriers, child labour, and early marriages as core obstacles. Innovative solutions
ISLAMABAD/ KALAYA/MIRANSHAH/ KOHAT/LAHORE: Polio has crippled yet another child in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where a 30-month-old girl has become the 42nd victim of the virus this year in Pakistan, officials confirmed on 29-October-2024. The diagnosis, verified by Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, highlights the continuing threat of polio across the country. This case, the first reported from Nowshera in 2024, adds to Pakistan’s mounting total, which includes
Pakistan faces a polio crisis with 40 cases this year, highlighting an urgent need for revamped eradication strategies. On the International Day for Polio, Pakistan got an unfortunate distinction. We identified another polio case, totaling 40 so far this year. Despite successive governments declaring Polio as a high priority and a national emergency, we are completely failing in polio eradication, even though we were so close a few times. Not only do we have
PESHAWAR: The health department is starting a four-day deworming programme for children aged 5 to 14 in 22 high-risk districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from November 4 to 8. Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) and the Pakistan Deworming Initiative (PDI) jointly hosted a media symposium here on Monday, focusing on the crucial role media played in controlling worm infections in children. This event brought together representatives from health, education, administration, local government and rural