PESHAWAR: Twenty-six drug addicts tested positive for HIV during the health screening conducted by the authorities after their shifting to rehabilitation centres during the ongoing Drug-Free Peshawar campaign. Details shared with Dawn show that since the launch of the programme, authorities have detained over 500 drug addicts from several parts of the city till Sunday. On Monday, 80 more drug addicts were also shifted to the rehabilitation centres, bringing the number close to 600 since the launch of the
Child Rights in Focus
SWAT: The Swat police on 11th November booked several parents for ‘coercing’ their children into begging on the streets. Mingora police station SHO Mujeeb Alam Khan told Dawn that over a dozen children were collected from various parts of Mingora and brought to the police station. “They were provided with food and a safe space to share their experiences,” he said. “Several children disclosed that their parents forced them to beg daily, setting them
PESHAWAR: Paediatricians are pinning hopes on the early formation of the Board of Governors for Khyber Institute of Child Health (KICH) and Children Hospital to make the long-awaited project operational by February next year. They said that the Khyber Institute of Child Health and Children Hospital was approved by the federal government in 2008 and was supposed to become operational in five years but the shortage of funds delay the project. They KICH, the
ISLAMABAD: While World Pneumonia Day is being observed today November 12, the disease claims the lives of over 800,000 children every year. The situation in Pakistan is worsening due to the deteriorating air quality caused by smog. This was stated by Dr Irfan Habib, Medical Director at Child Life Foundation. He said the effects of climate change had made conditions like pneumonia harder to control, especially in urban areas with extreme pollution levels. He said working
RAWALPINDI: The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) intercepted a consignment at the Islamabad International Airport that was to be sent to the United Kingdom (Manchester), and recovered 10.4 kg narcotics. According to airport sources, the ANF intercepted the consignment of 69 cartons, containing clothes at the air freight unit (AFU) of the customs. The sources said packets of heroin of more than one kilogramme each were recovered from one of the cartons after which the ANF
Pakistan’s education system spans multiple levels, including compulsory education for children aged 5-16, covering pre-primary to higher secondary education, with 349,909 institutions serving over 56 million students as of 2022-23. Despite improvements, around 26 million children remain out of school, with girls making up a significant portion. The out-of-school crisis worsened due to COVID-19 and floods. Non-Formal Education (NFE) initiatives like Accelerated Learning Programs (ALPs) have been critical in addressing this gap, especially through
In 2023, Pakistan had approximately 26.2 million out-of-school children (OOSC) aged 5-16, up from 23 million due to the impacts of COVID-19 and severe floods. Non-Formal Education (NFE) has been critical in addressing this crisis through flexible and innovative learning models like Accelerated Learning Programs (ALPs), which focus on primary, middle, and vocational levels. A recent “ZERO OOSC Campaign” in Islamabad, supported by NGOs and international partners, successfully enrolled 75,000 out of 87,000 identified
KARACHI: The Sindh Education Foundation (SEF), Government of Sindh, is successfully operating 35 people’s schools across the province, enrolling over 25,000 students and creating a thriving academic community. These schools are fully equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, providing a conducive environment for learning. The SEF has achieved this milestone in just two years. This progress was discussed by Managing Director SEF Abdul Kabir Kazi at the ‘PSP Annual Conference for Performance Review,’ held at a
LAHORE: Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat has said no school is being privatised. The minister said this while holding a meeting with columnists and analysts in which educational challenges faced by Punjab and possible measures were discussed. The minister talked about the reforms in the education sector and gave a briefing on the up-gradation of schools, TNA test, outsourcing and other issues. Rana Sikandar Hayat clarified that no school was being privatised and
LAHORE: Impact of this year’s smog will have devastating effects, particularly on children and pregnant women, says Unicef chief, reports Geo News. More than 11 million children under the age of five are exposed to toxic air as Punjab, especially Lahore, has been gripped by severe smog for the past few weeks. Unicef Representative in Pakistan Abdullah Fadil expressed concern over the health issues, saying the worse quality of air will affect young children
LAHORE: High blood pressure and diabetes during pregnancy are not only a cause of serious risks for pregnant women but also a threat to the health of babies. Because of these issues, the chance of miscarriage increases and if the blood glucose level exceeds the required limit, other complications may also arise like protein secretion in the urine and swelling of the body. This was stated by Ameeruddin Medical College Principal Prof Dr Muhammad
TOBA TEK SINGH: A nine-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by two youths in Chak 203 RB in Samundri, Faisalabad. The Mureedwala police registered a case under section 375-A of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). According to the FIR, the complainant claimed her daughter was lured by the two suspects to an outhouse belonging to a third accomplice. Police say after the assault, the alleged rape survivor was dropped near her home and the suspect