Nine more environmental samples, collected from all the four provinces, have been found to be positive for Type-1 wild poliovirus (WPV1), taking the tally of positive tests for the current year to 83. Besides, Badin has been included in the list of 30 districts whose sewage water carries the virus of the crippling disease. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad, has confirmed the detection of WPV1
Child Rights in Focus
LAYYAH: A 9-year-old mentally challenged was sexually assaulted in the district headquarters hospital within the limits of City Police Station. A police spokesperson said 15-year-old Abrar raped the minor girl who came to visit her grandmother in the surgical ward. The accused, who worked at a nearby General Bus Station as a porter, lured the victim to a deserted area of the hospital by offering her candies. A CCTV footage of the incident was
NO, the article is not about the ‘boys’ often referred to in Pakistan. It is actually about schooling and the need to think about the support that boys also need in schools. We still have a significant gender gap in enrolments in schools in Pakistan, and it persists across the primary, middle, secondary and higher-secondary levels. According to the Pakistan Education Statistics 2021-22 report released by the Pakistan Institute of Education recently, gross enrolment
KARACHI: A father, whose son fell into an open manhole last year, filed a lawsuit on Thursday in court, seeking more than Rs60 million in damages against the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB) and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) over their negligence. Last year in May, six-year-old Abyan Uddin, student of class KG-H, was playing cricket with his 10-year-old brother Arib Uddin, and their friends when he slipped and fell into an open
ON assuming power after his landslide victory in West Pakistan in the 1970 elections, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto introduced five labour welfare laws and brought in amendments in other laws applicable to industrial and commercial establishments. These laws pertained to the education of workers’ children, the constitution of a workers’ welfare fund, cost of living relief, rules on workers’ participation in company profits, and old-age pension for retired employees. In 1972, an amendment to the
Punjab Minister for School Education Rana Sikandar Hayat paid a surprise visit to two schools at Kot Radha Kishan and expressed concern over a lack of basic facilities. The minister has started surprise visits to monitor the government educational institutions and the facilities provided to students. During his visit to the government girls and boys high schools at Kot Radha Kishan, Mr Hayat visited their various sections, besides the ongoing examination process. He expressed
Providing valuable insights into education of students aged between five and 16 years in Sindh, an annual report raises concern over a persistent dip in children’s ‘learning levels’ despite a ‘remarkable’ increase in enrolment rates in 2023. At the launch of the Annual Status of Education Report (Aser) here on 27 March 2024, the participants were informed that learning losses remained persistent from Covid-19 and the 2022 floods as learning levels remained very low and
HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in monetary discontent and absence of opportunities, are forced into scenarios that put their safety in peril. The recent horror show of trafficking saw smugglers cash in on Pakistani immigrants, desperate to reach Europe via Iran, with an extra layer of cruelty kidnapping for ransom. Some 10 citizens were abducted and brutalized, one was released after
Urban children often engage in tuition or schoolwork, while rural children spend more time with family Imagine a perfect world, where every child can enjoy boundless playtime after school. What if children everywhere could freely engage in their favourite activities? What if they all had access to fun and educational programmes? Studies show that post-school hours are crucial for a child’s growth and well-being. The time after school offers a spectrum of children’s activities,
The chief justice of Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court has summoned the Gilgit SSP and Danyore SHO on 27 March 2024 in a case relating to alleged abduction of an underage girl and her forced marriage. A legal team of the GB High Court Bar representing the father of 13-year-old Falak Noor filed a petition in the GB Chief Court on Tuesday, citing five accused and Eve police officials as respondents in the case. The petition
Protest demonstrations were held in Hunza and Islamabad on 24 March 2024 against alleged abduction and forced marriage of an underage girl belonging to Gilgit. The 13-year-old went missing from Sultanabad village in Gilgit four days ago. In Hunza, the protest was held at Karakoram Highway in Aliabad. A large number of activists from various political parties participated in the demonstration. The protesters were holding placards inscribed with demands for the recovery of the
KARACHI: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Friday said that the donor agency would work with the Sindh government to chalk out a plan for the reconstruction of flood-affected school buildings in the province. A press statement issued from the CM House said that Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in his meeting with United States Consul General Conrad Tribble and USAID Pakistan Mission Director Kate Somvongsiri discussed expanding the scope