A glaring injustice of this sector is the persistent and disproportionate increase in tuition fees. Education, the cornerstone of progress and national prosperity, is an inherent right of every individual. However, the private education sector has transformed into a ruthless commercial enterprise, prioritising financial gains over intellectual nourishment. Often referred to as the Private Education Mafia, this industry operates with unchecked autonomy, levying exorbitant fees, evading regulation and reducing education to a mere commodity
Child Rights in Focus
Studies show that children with a parent in prison are often at greater risk of discrimination. The judicial system of Pakistan leaves behind a sorry trail of distress for families of convicts, including financial strain, emotional turmoil and increased hardships for children. With little to no social or governmental support available, families of incarcerated persons find it challenging to provide for their children’s education and welfare. In a bid to actionably address this issue,
LAHORE: Around 10 million children in Punjab are out of school, a fact sheet issued by a nonprofit organisation has revealed, urging the provincial government to create educational opportunities for them. The report released by Population Council cited shortage of facilities, infrastructure, inflation and unemployment as the major reasons of a high dropout ratio of children from schools. It pointed out that 19,000 more schools were required in the province by 2040 to cater
Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal has expressed serious concern over vaccine refusals, stating that nearly 43,000 parents in Sindh — 42,000 of them in Karachi alone —have refused polio vaccination for their children, posing a major obstacle to the eradication efforts. He made these remarks while visiting the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre for Polio (EOC) in Sindh to assess the ongoing eradication efforts. He emphasised that polio could not be eliminated unless every
The Sindh government will fully support the proposal of handing over its school buildings to genuine and committed charities to ensure quality schooling to children from deprived families in the province, said Syed Nasir Hussain Shah. The planning & development and energy minister was speaking at a ceremony held at the Quaid-e-Azam House Museum on Fatima Jinnah Road to celebrate 13 years of uninterrupted service by the non-profit Al-Furqan Welfare Organisation (AFWO) in the
It’s a common scenario. A parent wants to do some chores or wants some free time for his or her self and the child may be causing disruptions or being clingy. Finding no other way to distract the child, the parent gives his/her smartphone to the child to keep them busy. The child’s attention is diverted, glued to the screen for hours, and the parent gets time to do his/her work. It’s also habitual
PAKISTAN’S children in prison have often been treated like adult criminals. The Sindh government’s programme to educate 4,684 children of convicted prisoners in the province is a glimmer of light in a dark space. The scheme — an initiative of the education and prisons departments and Paigham-i-Pakistan — offers complete educational support in private and government institutions to children born in jails. But the government has to be mindful of the fact that its
LALAMUSA: Rehmania police recovered a seven-year-old child, who was kidnapped for ransom, and arrested two kidnappers. On March 12, during Iftar, the police received an emergency call reporting the abduction of seven-year-old Burhan Akhtar from New Model Town. Upon reviewing CCTV footage, the police discovered that two unidentified motorcyclists had taken the child. The footage of the abduction soon went viral on social media, further intensifying public concern. Later that night, the victim’s family
Islamabad: The Senate’s Anti-Rape Special Committee on 14-March-2025 agreed to strengthen the police’s role in enforcing the sex offenders register initiative and broaden the legal framework to better manage and monitor sex offenders in the country. The committee members, including chairperson Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq, who met at the law and justice ministry here, believed that the expansion of the police’s role would involve utilising the capabilities of various agencies, based on thorough risk
BAHAWALNAGAR: Additional District and Sessions Judge Sarfraz Ahmad sentenced a resident of Koryan Wali village to double life imprisonment on 14th March for raping his daughters. A case was registered against him on Feb 2, 2024. According to the FIR lodged at Saddar police station by the rape survivors’ mother, the couple had four daughters and two sons. The FIR stated that their 15-year-old and 13-year-old daughters had been visibly anxious for a long
CHINIOT: Two rapists of minor children were awarded life term on 14th March in separate cases in the district. Additional and District Sessions Judge Javed Iqbal has awarded life imprisonment to one Iftikhar Ilyas Mahnga and imposed Rs100,000 fine on him for kidnapping and raping a minor girl about a year ago. City police had registered the case. In Bhowana, Additional and District Session Judge Samina Ijaz Cheema awarded life imprisonment and Rs300,000 fine
LOWER DIR: The elders of Nagri Bala village of Talash on 13th March said that the local primary school for girls was short of teachers. Talking to journalists in Timergara, the elders including Shakirullah, Ghaniur Rehman, Iqbal Hussain and Shah Khalid urged provincial minister for education, director of education depart and deputy commissioner of Lower Dir to take notice of the issue of teachers’ shortage at Nagri Bala primary school for girls and resolve