ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training on 19 July 2024 notified curriculum for Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), which will be taught from grades 1 to 5 in all public and private primary schools of the capital. According to the education ministry, this curriculum will enable students to develop a strong foundation in IT and AI. It will also help them stay ahead of the curve in a
Child Rights in Focus
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on 19 July 2024 heard a petition of an Indian Muslim woman seeking custody of her two minor sons from the alleged illegal custody of their Pakistani father. Petitioner Farzana Begum appeared before the court along with her lawyer Bushra Qamar. The lawyer told the court that the petitioner contracted marriage with Yousaf Elahi Mirza of Lahore in 2015 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). From this marriage, she
LAHORE: A man stabbed to death his wife and teenage daughter in the Defence locality on 19 July 2024. Mohabat Khan reportedly was annoyed at a domestic dispute and killed his 18-year-old daughter Samiya and 45-year-old wife Shahnaz with a knife. Noticing the screams, locals of Alfalah Town alerted police and a Dolphin Squad team reached the spot and arrested the accused with the weapon. Published in News Daily on 20 July 2024.
LAHORE: Population Welfare Department Director General Saman Rai has said that the launch of the ‘Khushi Ki Baat’ app is a very significant step for the government to improve results related to the health of mothers and children across the province. According to a handout, issued here on 19 July 2024, she said that the app was aimed at reducing the mortality ratio of mother and child in the province and making access to
Two children died after falling into an uncovered manhole in District Malir’s Memon Goth on 17 July 2024, while three others were rescued in an unconscious state. The children had set up a Sabeel in the Khosa Goth area of Memon Goth for Ashura. The manhole’s cover was already fragile, so it broke and caused the children to fall in. A large number of locals gathered at the scene and retrieved the bodies of
A few days ago, some newspapers carried a news item that has not created a lot of waves yet. In its 49th meeting, the Governing Body of the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), the national regulator for engineering programmes, decided to allow pre-medical students to be considered for admission to engineering programmes. This decision was disseminated via a letter dated July 11 to vice-chancellors, rectors, and heads of all higher education institutions in Pakistan. The
Islamabad: Two missing children were safely recovered upon their arrival at Islamabad Airport from Bishkek, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said. This marks the first successful case under the newly integrated Interpol system with the Integrated Border Management Information System (IBMIS), led by FIA Director General Ahmad Ishaque Jahangir. The children, Muhammad Huzaifa and Ahmed Umair Abid, had been reported missing by the Punjab Police at Police Station Barki, Lahore in 2022. In response,
ABBOTTABAD: A mentally challenged woman allegedly slit the throats of her three children, killing one of them, before cutting her own throat with a sharp knife in Musazai Colony in the limits of Nawan Shehr police station, here on 18 July 2024. According to details, accused Hajra Bibi, wife of Wajid, came to her parent’s home in the afternoon in Musazai Colony, where she allegedly took the extreme action of cutting the throats of
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to start free meal programme in public sector primary schools. Free meals would be provided to children in primary schools in urban areas of all the divisional headquarters across the province. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur. Provincial minister for primary and secondary education Faisal Khan Tarakai, adviser to chief minister on finance, Muzamil Aslam, additional chief secretary
ISLAMABAD: To mark World Youth Skills Day, celebrated annually on July 15, the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) has launched a comprehensive social media campaign to raise awareness about the value and importance of skill education. Recognising the impact of mainstream media in spreading this vital message, NAVTTC Chairperson Gulmina Bilal Ahmad appeared on PTV News` morning show `Subh-i-Pakistan`. During her appearance, she discussed NAVTTC`s courses, enrollment procedures and emphasised the importance
The rocky years of adolescence are rarely a smooth sail for budding adults, with sudden physical, emotional, and psychological changes taking a huge toll on their overall wellbeing. While an awkward pimple or emotional breakdown might exhaust an average teenager coping with the upsetting effects of puberty, for minor girls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) yoked forcefully into marriage way before their legal age, the changes associated with adolescence would be nothing in comparison to
ISLAMABAD: Thirteen-year-old Asim* was quieter than usual when he returned to his home in Jhelum from a motorcycle mechanic’s workshop after completing his first day as a chotu – a term widely used for apprentices. His father, a rickshaw driver, noticed but casually asked about his day at his new workplace while having dinner. “I will never go back to that shop again,” said Asim, an eighth-grade dropout, in a voice barely above a whisper.