Islamabad: Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal on 25-September-2024 complained about a ‘decline in literacy rates’ in the country since the decentralisation of education in 2010, and advocated for educational reforms. “The 18th Constitutional Amendment, which transferred educational authority to the provinces, has had negative effects, contributing to lower literacy rates in the country. Education reforms are necessary, but they will not be effective until teacher training is improved,” the minister told the first
Child Rights in Focus
CHINIOT: The Punjab government has launched the Public Schools Reorganisation Programme (PSRP), through which around 5,000 schools across the province have been handed over to private sector management. In Chiniot district, 86 schools were included in this initiative, with 70 handed over to the NGO Akhuwat, 10 to educated youths, and six to a group of entrepreneurs. One such school — Government Primary School Riazwala in Bhowana — was assigned to Ali Waqas under
ISLAMABAD: The first meeting of the Education Task Force on 25th September 2024 termed the state of affairs in the education sector alarming and called for immediate steps to improve the situation. The meeting was chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal and attended by State Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja, chief secretaries from all provinces, and representatives from the Ministry of Education, Unicef, UNDP, FCDO, Unesco,
RAWALPINDI: Government school teachers across Rawalpindi district held a complete strike on 24 September 2024 in response to the Grand Teachers Alliance’s call for protest against the privatisation of schools and changes to pension and leave encashment policies. The strike, which closed all government schools, highlighted the teachers’ firm opposition to the sale and privatisation of 450 schools in Punjab. The protesters voiced their demand that instead of privatising these schools, the Punjab government
TOBA TEK SINGH: Up to 250,000 people lose their lives every year due to drug addiction in the country and the growing trend of drug addiction among the youth is pushing society towards darkness. To combat this issue, there is a need to create awareness and work towards eliminating this curse. Speakers said this at an anti-narcotics awareness seminar organised by the UAF’s Department of Rural Sociology, in collaboration with the Anti-Narcotics Force and
When the girl child is viewed as a lesser mortal and children are violated with alarming frequency, it is time to concede that the rot in society runs deep. While incidents of child abuse, rape and murder mount across the country, the nation refuses to rise in anger. Recently, a teenage girl was gang-raped by robbers in the presence of her family near Pakpattan; four armed men on motorcycles intercepted the victim’s car, snatched
RAWALPINDI: Teachers from Rawalpindi Division, under the platform of Grand Teachers Alliance, on 24th September 2024 staged a protest against the privatisation of government schools and seeking resolution of other problems. A large number of male and female teachers from Rawalpindi, Murree, Attock, Chakwal and Jhelum districts took part in the protest in front the press club in Rawalpindi. Most schools were locked in Rawalpindi and Murree districts on Tuesday. The teachers carried banners
LAHORE: Pakistan Railways Police rescued and reunited around 626 children and women with their heirs in the last eight months over the period of 1st Jan to 31st Aug 2024. Around 2,000 lost luggage of passengers valued at Rs19.2m were retrieved and returned safely to the passengers. Additionally, around 13,360 handicapped, injured, and elderly passengers were provided with first aid, wheelchair, and stretcher facility. According to the figures, Rawalpindi division reunited over 146, Lahore
A model court has acquitted a man in a case pertaining to the murders of his wife, and three minor daughters after their legal heirs pardoned him in the name of Almighty Allah. Muhammad Fawad had been booked for brutally killing his wife Huma, and three daughters – Maryam, Fatima and Samra – and attempting suicide in his house in Shamsi Society within the remit of the Al-Falah police station in November 2022. The
ISLAMABAD: A sub-inspector (SI) of the capital police was suspended and put behind bars after he was found involved in detaining two minor children illegally for two days and physically abusing them, police said on 23rd September 2024. The action against the SI was taken in response to a complaint lodged by relatives of the children with Inspector General of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi. The complaints stated that the policeman picked up the
SAHIWAL: A teenage girl was gang-raped allegedly by robbers during a road robbery in the presence of her relative family near village Malik Rahmoo in Pakpattan between the nights of Sunday and Monday, 22nd and 23rd September 2024. A resident of Bahawalnagar was on a visit to family friends in Pakpattan along with his wife, a son and a minor daughter, a sister and a 17-year-old niece when the incident happened. The family left
KARACHI: Experts at a seminar on 23rd September 2024 underscored the need for changing the narrative around suicide — from one of shame and silence to empathy and action — and improving access to mental healthcare services. The seminar titled “Changing the Narrative: Starting the Conversation on Suicide Prevention” was organised by the Jinnah Sindh Medical University’s CME department in collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical