THE federal government has embarked upon the welcome initiative to enrol 25,000 out-of-school children in Islamabad within three months. With Pakistan home to roughly 26m out-of-school children, a serious effort to get them into classrooms is essential and long overdue. The campaign’s structure suggests that the authorities recognise the scale of the challenge. Door-to-door surveys, the mobilisation of university volunteers, collaboration with NGOs and the creation of community schools near identified hotspots are all
Child Rights in Focus
QUETTA: The Balochistan government on Mar 16 decided to upgrade nearly 1,000 schools and launch a five-year programme to bring out-of-school children into the formal education system. The decisions were taken at a provincial government meeting convened to discuss preparations for the upcoming budget. Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan briefed participants of the meeting on key features of the next fiscal year’s budget, with particular focus on improving the education sector and expanding access
How can sports shape stronger minds and healthier futures? In this episode of #LetsTalkEducation, Major Sajid Hussain, Founder & Coach of Shaheen Archery Islamabad, dives deep into the power of physical education, from building discipline to nurturing confidence and teamwork among students.
A meaningful discussion conducted by Dr. Erum Nabeel Rehman — Creator, Psychotherapist, and Public Speaker — designed to help viewers navigate mental health, relationships, motherhood, faith, and personal growth. Rooted in real-life experiences, this conversation encourages self-reflection, emotional awareness, and a deeper understanding of modern challenges.
There is something deeply wrong with how easily Pakistan has learned to absorb horrific news. Sahil, an organisation working towards developing an environment free from child abuse and neglect, has recently released figures revealing that 3,630 cases of child abuse were reported in 2025, which is an 8 percent rise from the year before. This travesty has somehow landed in the news cycle with barely a ripple, highlighting how disturbingly normal such violence has
A total of 3,630 child abuse cases were reported across Pakistan in 2025, according to new figures released by Sahil, which monitors violence against children and women. In a statement issued on Monday, the organisation said the cases had been reported in 81 different newspapers from across the four provinces, as well as Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Sahil said the total represented an 8% increase, or 266 more cases,
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training on Sunday set the target of enrolling 25,000 out-of-school children (OOSC) in Islamabad in the next three months as part of its campaign. “Ministry of Education has set a target to enroll 25,000 out-of-school children (OOSC) in Islamabad Capital Territory within the next three months as part of 3 year rolling plan to enroll all out of school children,” said a statement issued by the
MANSEHRA: The district administration and the education department have launched a drive to enroll out-of-school children in Torghar. “Our district stands much behind in literacy rate as compared to other districts, and we would put all our energies into enrolling children in schools,” deputy commissioner Anwar Zeb told a meeting held at his office on Sunday. According to press release, officials of education and other relevant departments attended the meeting and set their targets
RAWALPINDI: Under the Punjab Schools Reorganisation Programme, interest from NGOs, private schools and education experts in acquiring government schools in the third phase of privatisation has significantly declined. Very few applications were received for acquiring government schools, prompting the education department to extend the deadline for submission of applications in phase three until April 7. According to a circular issued in this regard, educated youth, NGOs, private school owners and education experts can now
Parliament has done something this week that once seemed nearly impossible in Pakistan’s legislative culture. It passed a bill mandating reproductive health education in schools. The Federal Supervision of Curricula Amendment Bill, cleared by both houses and awaiting presidential assent, requires that students aged 14 and above in Islamabad’s educational institutions receive structured instruction on reproductive health. It is modest and carefully worded — parental consent is required, the scope is limited to the
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A six-year-old boy was found dead in Parova tehsil after remaining missing for over a month, with police saying they were investigating the possibility of assault before the killing. A police Official said the incident occurred in the Jhoke Masukhel village. The child had gone missing on Feb 13 after leaving home to buy an item from a nearby shop but did not return. His father, Mohammad Ismail, said the family
KARACHI: In a landmark shift aimed at strengthening school management, the government of Sindh has handed financial authority directly to public school heads, empowering them to manage funds for facilities and institutional improvements. Acting on the directives of Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, the School Education and Literacy Department has designated heads of 31,633 government schools as Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) under the School Specific Budget initiative for the financial year 2025-26,