The prevalence of child marriages in certain parts of Pakistan, as exemplified by the recent reports of 45 underage girls being married off in Khan Muhammad Mallah village of Dadu in Sindh province, is utterly unacceptable. The directive issued by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to launch a thorough investigation into these incidents is a commendable move, but it’s crucial for the authorities to take decisive action to address this deeply troubling issue. The
Child Rights in Focus
LAHORE: The Punjab School Education Department on Saturday announced the ‘Back to School Campaign’, aiming at enrolling 500,000 children under the ‘Parho or Jagmagao’ slogan. Punjab Minister for School Education Rana Sikandar Hayat chaired a review meeting on the campaign. He emphasised the need to execute the campaign with full vigour, saying that dropout rate after the holidays should be minimised, ideally reduced to zero. The minister directed that the community be engaged through
ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on Friday stressed the need for modern educational facilities in the rural areas of the federal capital. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training at a meeting chaired by Dr Azimuddin Zahid Lakhvi discussed various agenda items, including the ongoing face-lifting and overhauling projects of schools and colleges. “The committee members also noted that the schools in peripheral areas of Islamabad are deprived of the facilities
The Sindh government, in a move to strengthen the education system in the province, has set a target of 0.8 million new students in government schools. Moreover, Minister for Education and Mines & Minerals Development Syed Sardar Ali Shah has stated that the monitoring system regarding teacher attendance in Sindh is being made more effective. He warned that strict action will be taken against teachers who are absent and do not teach students. The
Deploring that 27 percent of people refused to get their children vaccinated against polio on the first day of a special fractional Inactivated Polio Vaccine (fIPV) drive in Karachi on 15 August 2024, Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) officials vowed on 16-August-2024 that they would manage to convince parents and vaccinate over 90 percent of the children with the injectable vaccine for which the latest jet injector technology was being used. “Despite our best efforts,
DADU: As monsoon rains loomed over Pakistan, 14-year-old Shamila and her 13-year-old sister Amina were married off in exchange for money—a decision their parents made to help the family survive the impending threat of floods. “I was happy to hear I was getting married… I thought my life would become easier,” Shamila said after her wedding to a man twice her age, hoping for a more prosperous life. “But I have nothing more. And
‘Under the Blaze’ presents a compelling tale of a child forced to trade his future for perilous conditions Rawalpindi. A child extends his skinny arms to place a warm, rust-coloured brick in a long line of freshly baked blocks laid out to dry under the blistering sun that glares upon the kiln he has been slaving away at since the morning. With six hours already gone by, there are eight more to go and
Rawalpindi. Two suspects who allegedly raped three children in Kallar Syedan area of Rawalpindi police station and his accomplice have been arrested. The accused were charged with rape while filming the indecent act and uploading the videos online. While registering the case the parents of the victim said that the accused named Sikandar had allegedly raped three children and his accomplice Owais, made a video that he caused to go viral by uploading them
The bright future of any society is always associated with its upcoming generation. Children are the future prosperity of any nation as they are productive workers of tomorrow. The main objective of this study is to estimate the opportunities available for children under the age of 5 years and their mothers for different regions of Pakistan and Bangladesh. The core idea of this study is to access and compare Pakistan with Bangladesh as it
Heavy monsoon rains have left many campuses underwater, turning them into ponds RAWALPINDI: After a two-and-a-half-month summer vacation, all public and private educational institutions in Rawalpindi will reopen on 15 August. However, heavy monsoon rains over the past week have turned many schools, colleges, and universities across the city into virtual ponds. The prolonged rainfall has led to moss growth while standing water has accumulated in school grounds. Additionally, wild herbs and grass have
PESHAWAR: Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah on 14 August 2024 inaugurated the country’s first 24/7 Vaccination Centres at Maulvi Ameer Shah Memorial Hospital in Peshawar and the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Mardan. A handout said the inauguration ceremony was attended by Medical Superintendent Dr Akram Shah, District Health Officer Dr Idrees, UNICEF representatives, and other relevant officials in Peshawar. In Mardan, the minister, accompanied by local MPAs and DHQ Hospital Medical Superintendent
RAWALPINDI: The All-Pakistan Private Schools Management Association has raised serious concerns about the country’s state of education, calling for the removal of taxes on private schools. They emphasised that 60 percent of children who are receiving an education are enrolled in private schools. The association urged all political parties to collaborate and develop a 20-year national education policy, rather than treating the education sector as an experimental laboratory. These concerns were voiced by various