ISLAMABAD: Amid concerns that schools in rural areas are lagging behind schools in urban areas in terms of infrastructure and availability of teachers, the education ministry and the Federal Directorate of Education swung into action and visited some schools in rural areas on Sunday, vowing to take steps for their improvement. Recently, a subcommittee of parliament visited six schools in Bhara Kahu and pointed out many deficiencies. The committee members, including Islamabad MNAs Raja
Child Rights in Focus
This report provides a focused analysis of girls’ education in Pakistan for the academic year 2022-23, drawing on data from the Pakistan Education Stascs (PES) report(s). It highlights key trends and developments in education indicators. While significant progress has been made in improving facilities and maintaining enrollment levels, the growth rate of girls’ education has stagnated, raising concerns about the sustainability of past gains. Below is a list of the main findings that this
MALNUTRITION has been a primary factor in Pakistan’s disease burden for many years. Recently, the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, along with representatives from Unicef and Fafen, observed that malnutrition costs Pakistan approximately 3pc of its GDP and highlighted the country’s status as the second highest in diabetic patients, laying significant emphasis on the need for “targeted intervention” with child- and family-related laws and gender-specific social issues to propel impactful policy amendments. At present, four out
PESHAWAR: It was a hot sunny day last June, when six year-old Rabia (not her actual name), went out to play with her friends in the streets on the outskirts of Peshawar. Little did she know that her neighbour, a 14-year-old boy, who had just the other day offered her chocolates, would entice her and take her to an abandoned house for a sexual assault. A sobbing Rabia returned to tell her trauma to
ISLAMABAD: The number of out-of-school children remains at approximately 25 million, which is over one-third of the population of children that belong to the school-going ages (5-16 years). This was revealed in a report released by the Pak Alliance for Math and Science (Pams) titled ‘The Missing Third of Pakistan’. It said this new data, based on the Population Census of 2023, is the first out-of-school children report in Pakistan that provides a tehsil-level
In our society, the cycle of violence often starts early for a child. The initial exposure to violence frequently comes from teachers who, in the belief that physical punishment will be a lasting lesson, use corporal punishment on the child. A few days ago, a seven-year-old boy was beaten by a seminary teacher with a thorny stick for not memorizing his lessons. The minor received injuries on different parts of his body and serious
A sessions court on 27 August 2024 awarded life imprisonment to a man for raping a 13-year-old girl. Umar Farooq was found guilty of assaulting his wife’s niece multiple times at his house in Baldia Town last year. Additional Sessions Judge (West) Irshad Hussain observed that the prosecution established its case against the accused beyond reasonable doubt. “The victim clearly implicated the above-named accused and assigned the role that he committed her rape multiple
Rawalpindi: The growing incidence of retinal abnormalities among premature infants in Pakistan calls for urgent attention and every premature infant deserves the constant attention of an ophthalmologist because premature infants are at increased risk for eye misalignment, amblyopia, and the need for glasses to develop normal vision. Through timely intervention, Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital has prevented sixteen thousand premature babies from developing irreparable damage to their eyes over the past eleven years. In Pakistan,
Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori went to the Chhipa Foundation’s morgue on 26-August-2024 deliver the body of 12-year-old Ganga, found in the Lucky Star garbage dump in the Saddar area, to her family. During his visit, he met with Ganga’s grieving parents, expressed his condolences, and assured them of his full support. The governor described the incident as extremely tragic and conveyed his deep sympathy to the bereaved family. He emphasized that no effort
A sessions court has awarded a collective sentence of 13 years in prison to a man in a rape case. Najeeb Ahmed, alias Bobi, was found guilty of sexually abusing an 18-year-old girl multiple times through blackmail and criminal intimidation within the jurisdiction of the Madina Colony police station last year. Additional Sessions Judge (West) Irshad Hussain pronounced his order after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides. He observed that the prosecution
TOBA TEK SINGH: Following strong protest and refusal by the parents of two deceased babies to receive their bodies until strong action is taken against two lady doctors of Gojra THQ hospital, Toba Tek Singh Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Naeem Sindhu ordered an inquiry into the incident. The district administration formed a three-member inquiry committee consisting of Gojra Assistant Commissioner Noman Ali Dogar (head), district health officer Dr Kashif Nadeem, and DHQ hospital consultant gynecologist
Pakistan’s child protection system must evolve with mandatory reporting, audits, and comprehensive case management. The fact that we know of only 4,213 cases of child abuse in 2023 is an insult to common sense and arithmetic. About 26 million children are not attending schools; 3.3 million are involved in child labour; 1.2 million are engaged in begging on the streets; and one in every four households employs children as domestic workers. These are brutally