ISLAMABAD: As the summer vacation has commenced, elementary school students may find momentary respite from the heavy burden of school bags. However, a policy that once promised lasting relief, the `Lighter Bag Brighter Student` initiative, has been practically discontinued, much to the dismay of parents and children alike. Launched in January 2022 by the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, the `Lighter Bag Brighter Student` policy was initially rolled out in model colleges.
Child Rights in Focus
LAHORE: The Lytton Road police arrested a man for allegedly recording an objectionable video of a young girl in the washroom of a hostel where she was staying along with other girls. The victim girl said that she was taking a bath when she suddenly noticed someone was recording her video with his mobile phone through an exhaust fan installed in the bathroom. She said that she immediately raised an alarm and informed the
Peshawar: According to a reported news, KP Police arrest elderly groom and nikah registrar, but the child bride’s father manages to escape. Police in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, thwarted an attempt by a 72-year-old man to marry a 13-year-old girl. According to police sources, in the Tangi area of Peshawar, the elderly man, identified as Habib Jan from Armar, tried to marry the young girl in exchange for Rs500,000, which he agreed to
LAHORE: The Punjab government on 14 June 2024 established the Punjab Education, Curriculum, Training and Assessments Authority (PECTAA) after merger of three departments -Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB), Quaid-i Azam Academy for Educational Development (QAED) and Punjab Examination Commission (PEC) with a view to reform school education. Earlier, the government had constituted a five-member committee to integrate the three departments working on curriculum development, teachers` training and assessment framework into one overarching body,
THE prime minister recently declared an education emergency, a much-needed and welcome call to action. Our education system is in critical condition and experts must now step forward to revive it. International donors and NGOs must be watching keenly to see what happens this time. Academics may be expecting invitations, polishing their PowerPoint presentations, inserting the new slogan `Education Emergency` in large fonts, saving files on colourful USBs, and securing them in shiny leather
ISLAMABAD: The government-run educational institutions in the capital have waived off the requirement of Form-B for admission in schools in a major relief for the undocumented children mostly hailing from underprivileged communities, a requirement which had been disproportionately affecting the enrolment rate. At present, Pakistan has about 26 million children who are out of school despite tallclaims made by the successive government to increase the enrolment rate by incentivising admissions to state-run schools, for
ISL AMABAD: The government on 12 June 2024 announced a Rs3.792 trillion national Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for fiscal year 2024-25, which represents a staggering 58 per cent increase from the Rs2.39tr to be spent under the head by the close of FY24. Of the total, Rs2.095tr has been allocated to provincial PSDP, compared to Rs1.56tr in the outgoing year. Of the remaining, Rs1.4tr will be spent on the federal PSDP, with another
LAHORE: The Punjab government has announced a significant increase of 13 per cent in education budget for the 2024-25 fiscal, allocating a sum of Rs669.74 billion. This includes Rs 65.50 billion for development expenditure and Rs 604.24 billion for current expenses. The government has sanctioned Rs 42.50 billion for development schemes in school education. This budget will be used to renovate dilapidated school buildings and provide other basic facilities. New classrooms will be added,
RAWALPINDI: “There can be no better guardian for a child than his own mother, there is no substitute for the mother.” These were the remarks of a Rawalpindi Additional District and Sessions Judge with which he declared a father’s move to send his 10-year-old child over to a friend during his prison sentence as illegal and reunited the child with his mother. A case of family dispute has been ongoing between the child’s mother
ISLAMABAD:The National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) commemorated the World Day Against Child Labour on June 12, 2024 by launching the State of Children in Pakistan portal and presenting its annual report for 2023-24. This event marks a significant step forward in the fight against child labour and the promotion of children’s rights in Pakistan. In her welcome remarks, Chairperson NCRC Ayesha Raza Farooq emphasized, “As we leave this room today, let
KARACHI: As countries observe World Day Against Child Labour on 12 June 2024, government officials, rights activists, members of civil society and other stakeholders asked the government and employers on 12 June 2024 to take collective measures to eliminate the menace of child labour from the country. At a seminar `Let`s Act on Our Commitments: End Child Labour`, the speakers highlighted the negative impacts of child labour which include health and safety risks, disrupted
RAWALPINDI: The Zahra Beau Welfare Foundation (ZBWF) has launched the first sample collection point for newborn screening at Holy Family Hospital (HFH). Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU) Vice Chancellor, Professor Muhammad Umar, officially inaugurated the free new-born screening, recognising it as a fundamental right for all new-borns, a news release said. Dr Shabina, Assistant Director of Medical Facilities of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination was invited to grace the occasion with