The Sindh government on 28-March-2025 decided to establish 500 non-formal education centres to enrol 15,000 out of school children. These children are from underprivileged areas and will be helped to complete primary education within 30 months through the non-formal education system. Officials said the government has signed an agreement to establish 500 non-formal education centres under a public-private partnership. Under the directives of Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, the initiative aims to help
Child Rights in Focus
KHYBER: The authorities deported 180 Afghans including women and children via Torkham border here on 27th March. Official sources told Dawn that these Afghans were illegally staying in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar and were deported to Afghanistan under section 14 of Foreigners Act. They said that among the total 180 Afghans, 63 were taken into custody by the police from different localities in Islamabad while another 99 were apprehended from Rawalpindi. In Peshawar too,
The Citizens Foundation (TCF) and Khan Academy Pakistan have announced an innovative AI-powered collaboration to support teachers and enhance classroom learning in selected TCF schools. This pilot initiative aims to empower teachers by enhancing teachers’ lesson delivery, fostering critical thinking, and improving classroom engagement for students in Grades 6-8. Under this collaboration, Khanmigo will be integrated into selected TCF schools to enhance mathematics and science instruction. Unlike traditional AI, Khanmigo acts as an interactive
HYDERABAD: A runaway adolescent was safely traced and reunited with her family by police in Hyderabad. Joli Shankar, according to police, had ran away a few days ago after a fight with her brother Venus Shankar and his wife, with whom she lived in the Latifabad No4 area. Devastated by the child’s folly, Venus said he searched high and low and finally filed a missing report at the Hussainabad police station. Hussainabad police under
BAHAWALNAGAR: A sessions court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment in a case pertaining to the rape of his stepdaughter in Haroonabad. A case was registered against the convict, Khubaib Abid of Qamarpura, on June 21, 2024, under Section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). According to the FIR lodged at Haroonabad city police station by the rape survivor’s mother, after her divorce she contracted second marriage with the convict around 12
LAHORE: Women leaders on 26th March demanded that the government provide water and hygiene facilities for girls in primary, middle and high schools of rural areas of the province because a large number of female students were forced to discontinue education due to lack of these facilities. Potohar Organisation for Development Advocacy (PODA) funded by WaterAid Pakistan jointly organised a consultation workshop on “Advancing gender-responsive, inclusive and climate-resilient approaches in legal and policy frameworks
ISLAMABAD: While consolidated data on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is unavailable, there is a noticeable increase in the number of children being diagnosed with the disease. Health experts claimed this during an event held in connection with World Autism Day at Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad. The day is observed on April 2nd every year. According to experts, ASD is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. ASD begins at the age
HYDERABAD: Hyderabad, the second largest city of the province, continues to struggle to eradicate poliovirus as its environmental sample remained positive for the month of March once again, throwing yet another challenge to health and administration officials. Last year, Hyderabad had reported two polio cases. Sindh has currently four polio cases, out of countrywide six cases in 2025, according to Irshad Sodhar, Provincial Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) Coordinator. Hyderabad District Health Officer Dr Lala
IN the quiet moments between lessons, standing before my students, I am struck by the profound disconnect between what education could be and what it has become in Pakistan. The world is constantly evolving. Today, our survival as a species depends on education systems that prepare minds to tackle the modern world’s complex and interconnected challenges. However, in these times of global competitiveness, we have lagged far behind. The present global crisis has further
The Sindh Local Government Act (SLGA) is going to be amended to make birth registration mandatory, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah announced during a meeting he chaired on 26-March-2025. Shah emphasised the critical role of birth registration in ensuring children’s rights, and their access to vital services such as immunisation, education and health care. He highlighted that earlier steps had been taken to simplify the birth registration process by making the service free of
The Sindh government’s school education department has issued a code of ethics to advise the government schoolteachers about their professional conduct during their duty hours. The code of ethics has advised the government schoolteachers to observe such a dress code which should reflect the values of their profession and culture. The education department has advised the female teachers not to wear heavy make-up and to avoid using high-heel shoes during their stay at the
Water tankers, dumpers and trailers continue to barrel down the city’s roads with little regard for human life. Enraged by yet another preventable tragedy, onlookers pelted the water tanker with stones, broke its windows, and beat the driver before handing him over to the police. This reaction reflects a growing sense of helplessness among Karachi’s citizens, who witness such carnage regularly but see no meaningful action taken. In just 83 days, heavy vehicles have