GUJRAT: A drug addict allegedly shot his brother and niece dead on 27th October after being admonished for using narcotics at Badoki Gosiyan village in Gujranwala Cantonment police precincts. As per police, the suspect, Sharafat, a drug addict was scolded by his brother Shafqat at their home. This infuriated Sharafat, who opened fire, leaving his brother and niece Saba dead on the spot. The suspect then fled the scene. On being informed of the
Child Rights in Focus
ISLAMABAD: With the third nationwide polio vaccination campaign of the year scheduled to begin from 28th October, poliovirus has been detected in environmental samples collected from 16 districts. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in sewage samples from 16 districts. The samples were again collected from Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, three districts of Karachi, Chaman, Shaheed Benazirabad, Badin,
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Federal Education in collaboration with provinces has prepared an initial draft for the National Education Policy Framework to replace the policy in vogue since 2009. Education ministry officials told Dawn that the ministry could not formulate a national policy in light of the 18th Amendment that had devolved education to provinces; however, the ministry in collaboration with provinces was preparing a national policy framework. “Once this document is finalised, major
Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi chaired a meeting regarding the polio eradication held at his office on 26-October-2024, and emphasized ensuring all children received polio drops. He was also briefed on children of government employees as well as employees of private organisations are avoiding polio vaccinations—a total of 6,148 children from private and government sectors have been identified Officials said that the meeting was attended among others by Deputy Commissioner Shehzad Abbasi (East), Ahmed
LAHORE: Punjab teachers completely boycotted the Training Need Assessment (TNA) test held in the province on 27th October to assess the training needs of teachers in the School Education Department (SED). The government had designed the TNA App, developed by PMIU-PESRP, to assess the training needs of teachers in the department. It would enable efficient online testing through an MCQ-based assessment, evaluating essential teaching competencies. The app is designed to ensure seamless navigation and
This video features Valerie Khan, an expert in Gender Equality, Social Inclusion (GESI), and Child Protection. The discussion covers key issues like child marriage, juvenile justice, and gender-based violence (GBV). Valerie emphasizes the critical need for prevention, explaining how investing in the protection of women and girls drives meaningful, lasting societal change.
In this talk, Zeeba Hashmi, a prominent education advocate, addresses the critical need for the democratization of education in Pakistan. She explores the challenges of unequal access to quality education, highlighting disparities across socio-economic, gender, and regional lines. She emphasizes the importance of making education accessible to all, promoting inclusive policies, and fostering an environment where every child, regardless of background, can thrive academically. Zeeba Hashmi is an opinion writer and a researcher exploring
PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court has issued notices to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and some of its officials, ordering them to respond to a petition for the effective introduction of the updated nikahnama and the enforcement of a law on premarital screening for thalaessaemia and hepatitis C. The order was issued by a bench consisting of Justice Syed Mohammad Attique Shah and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah after preliminary hearing into the petition jointly filed by Nida
AT the launching ceremony of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) project to be implemented in Sindh a couple of years ago, I asked the then leader of the initiative whether they had conducted any assessment of teachers’ needs. His response was typical: “We know their needs.” This has been a major issue with the reform initiatives in education in Pakistan. The interventions usually disregard contextual realities and the needs of teachers, and thus fail
LAHORE: The Punjab Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has announced that the province will digitalise the data of missed children so that they are followed up and vaccinated in every campaign. Punjab EOC Coordinator Adeel Tasawwar announced this while presiding over a meeting held here on October 25 to review the readiness of districts for the upcoming polio eradication campaign starting from October 28 all over Punjab. In big districts like Lahore, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad,
ISLAMABAD: Just a day after World Polio Day, Pakistan reported another polio case on 25th October, taking this year’s tally to 41. The new case was reported from Loralai district of Balochistan. Health officials said the patient, a 42-month-old girl, had onset of paralysis on Oct 8. She did not receive any dose during routine immunisation campaigns. Notably, this was the first case reported from Loralai this year. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in
MANSEHRA: A government primary school in the Sohni area of Kaghan Valley has been reconstructed almost 19 years after its destruction by an earthquake. During the opening ceremony on Friday, district education officer Sarfaraz Ahmad said the school building was resistant to earthquakes and could fulfil heating and other needs of students during the harsh weather conditions. “This is one of hundreds of quake-hit schools and colleges in the province but the government’s funding