The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) launched a four-day “Training of Trainers” (TOT) program for officers from PTA, UNICEF, Telenor Pakistan, the National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC), and the NCERT. This initiative is part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with UNICEF Pakistan and reflects PTA’s commitment to Child Online Protection. The program aims to raise awareness about the online risks children face and equip officers with the tools to help
Child Rights in Focus
District Education Performance Index (DEPIx) Report 2023
September 20, 2024
DEPIx is a comprehensive tool that measures the performance of education systems at the district level, focusing on key outcomes such as access, learning, and equity, processes such as governance, and inputs like public financing and infrastructure. The DEPIx is structured across five domains: Infrastructure & Access, Learning, Inclusion (Equity & Technology), Governance & Management, and Public Financing. It covers 134 districts across Pakistan, including Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab, Sindh, and the Islamabad
School Principal, Hostel Warden Held For Molesting Children
September 20, 2024
QUETTA: Police on 18 September 2024 arrested a private school principal and a warden allegedly involved in child molestation. Police told The Express Tribune that the accused had subjected five children to sexual abuse in the Dera Allah Yar town of Balochistan. Moreover, the local authorities have sealed both the school and the hostel following a formal complaint lodged by parents and students. The incident was exposed when five students from Shaheen Force Residential
Medical Officers Suspended Following Unborn Child’s Death
September 20, 2024
GUJAR KHAN: District Health Authority Rawalpindi has suspended three medical officers posted in Tehsil Headquarters Hospital (THQ) Gujar Khan over ‘misconduct’ after the baby of an admitted pregnant woman reportedly died before delivery on 18th October 2024. According to local sources, Ayesha Ali was admitted to the gynae ward of the THQ Hospital in Gujar Khan on September 16 for childbirth, and was referred to another hospital in Rawalpindi on Wednesday morning by on-duty
Minor Rape Victim Dies At Hospital
September 18, 2024
BAHAWALPUR: A seven-year-old maid, who had allegedly been subjected to rape three weeks ago in Shah Rukn-i-Alam police precincts (Multan), succumbed to her wounds on September, 16. Complainant ‘S’ had alleged that her daughter was sexually assaulted at her workplace due to which she fell ill. At this police had registered a rape case and shifted the girl from children’s hospital, Multan, to Nishtar Hospital where she remained under treatment for three weeks and
Cyclists Rally To Raise Childhood Cancer Awareness
September 17, 2024
KARACHI: The annual cycling event titled “Ride. Bike. Save Lives. 2024” organised by the Indus Hospital and Health Network (IHHN) on 15th September 2024 attracted a large number of enthusiasts from across the city. The event was held in collaboration with Critical Mass Karachi (CMK) and Port Grand. This year’s ride was dedicated to raising awareness for Childhood Cancer. “This cause is very close to IHHN’s mission of providing free-of-cost, quality healthcare to the
Experts Call For ROP Screening To Save Newborns From Blindness
September 17, 2024
KARACHI: Born this year in March, Musa spent several days in a hospital incubator, fighting multiple health complications, before he got reunited with his mother. Over a month later, he gradually developed an eye illness that doctors described as ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity), a vision-threatening disease and one of the most common causes of childhood blindness in Pakistan. “Being a premature baby, Musa was too weak. At the time of discharge from the hospital,
Public Schools Lack Technological Facilities
September 17, 2024
LAHORE: Anticipating the abrupt shift of the global economy towards complete digitalization, several developing countries in the Global South started heavily investing in the Information Technology (IT) sector several years ago, in the hopes of directing billions of dollars towards their economies in the future. From cities across the region, often referred to as the Silicon Valleys of their respective countries, a large number of IT professionals were encouraged towards contributing to the development
Parents Urged Not To Boycott Polio Drives For Petty Demands
September 17, 2024
KOHAT: Kohat division commissioner Syed Motasim Billah Shah has urged the people not to link polio vaccination of their children with common demands like electricity and gas supply and construction of roads because such an attitude compromised the health of their children and their future. Emphasising the importance of polio drops for children, he said the society as a whole must protect children from lifelong disability. He made the appeal while addressing an awareness
Child Beggary
September 16, 2024
CHILD begging, the ugliest form of child labour, is a curse on society. Ravaged by disease, crime, exploitation and drug abuse, hundreds of poor children populate Karachi’s intersections and street corners. The Sindh Child Protection Authority informed the Sindh Assembly recently that it was, in coordination with the provincial police, planning an anti-child beggary drive to rescue these children. The social welfare minister stated that as organised beggary was a multimillion-rupee racket, it was
EDUCATION: THE STATE OF SCHOOLING IN PAKISTAN
September 16, 2024
With nearly 67 percent of its population below the age of 30, Pakistan stands as one of the youngest nations in the world. This vast youth bulge presents us with a golden opportunity to capitalise on a potential “demographic dividend,” while also presenting the challenge of providing adequate services, jobs and engagement opportunities for our youth. While the country has reached middle-income status and made some progress in developing its human capital, the pace
Gaps Highlighted In Pakistan’s Education System
September 16, 2024
KARACHI: Highlighting the stark challenges Pakistan face in the education sector, speakers at a book launch said teachers had a central role in the quality of learning outcomes and their participation in decision-making was crucial to elevate the status of teaching profession. Titled Baatein Kitab Ki, the launch was organised by the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) for the book Teaching and Teacher Education in Pakistan: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives authored