KHYBER: Educationists and representatives of teacher associations in Khyber have expressed reservations over simultaneous conducting of school-based assessment (SBA), semester and internal midterm examinations from primary to middle levels. They said that though SBA was beneficial in ascertaining and then removing flaws in educational system, it was implemented in a haphazard manner with miscalculated timings and high cost of stationery in the face of acute shortage of funds for primary schools. The elementary and
Child Rights in Focus
KARACHI: The chief secretary of Sindh was informed on December 21 that out of the Rs265 million allocated this year for mass dog vaccination and sterilisation, only Rs66.255m was released so far and only one centre was operational outside Karachi. The CS, Asif Hyder Shah, held a meeting on rabies prevention against the backdrop of media reports highlighting sharp increase in dog-bite cases and mortalities in Sindh. The meeting was attended by all divisional commissioners, officials
ISLAMABAD: The government is considering launching a new project aimed at making educational boards of the country equipped with modern technology on the pattern of the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE). Since 2015-18, the federal government has upgraded FBISE through a Rs50 million project, “Modernisation and Standardisation of Examination System.” The project was a brainchild of Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal. According to documents, the project was completed in three years
BAHAWALPUR: A mother allegedly killed her teenage daughter for stopping her from smoking in Basti Sokar in the City Yazman Police station area in Bahawalpur district on Sunday. According to the police, accused Nabila’s daughter Aisha (16) disliked her smoking and used to stop her. Police claimed that when her daughter objected to her smoking on Saturday night, she got infuriated. She allegedly overpowered her daughter and strangled her to death in a fit
35-year-old Gul Rukh Bibi still remembers the silence that followed the birth of her eighth child: there were no congratulations, no whispered prayers, no relatives arriving with sweets. Only the quiet certainty that her life was about to change. Her husband had warned her months earlier that another daughter would cost her a marriage. “When the midwife said it was a girl, I closed my eyes,” Gul Rukh recalled, sitting on a woven charpoy
On the global stage, human statues are performance artists who usually stand motionless at city centres for purposes of arts and entertainment. But this trend, cloaked under the guise of street performance, has been exported to Pakistan and particularly Karachi in borderline abusive conditions. At various junctions across the city, you can spot children acting as statues donned in silver or golden paint in hopes of receiving alms by passing onlookers. These children are
Pakistan has experienced rapid growth in internet access, smartphone usage, and engagement on digital platforms. While this expansion has created new opportunities for communication, employment, and civic participation, it has also been accompanied by a marked rise in online threats, harassment, and technology-facilitated offences. The increasing number of complaints submitted to national authorities reflects a growing public concern about safety in digital spaces, particularly for women and children. As online interactions become more deeply
LODHRAN: A sessions court has awarded the death penalty, life imprisonment and a fine of Rs2.5 million to the accused, Iqbal Arain, in the case of the abduction and rape of a seven-year-old girl, Aliza. The accused had abducted the minor while she was playing outside her home Saddar Police Station, Dunyapur area. A case was registered in 2024 under sections 364, 377 and 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of
RAWALPINDI: Due to an acute shortage of government funds, the Government Institute for Slow Learners in Rawalpindi is facing serious difficulties, threatening the education of 120 young girls and boys enrolled at the school. The institute does not have its own government building and operates from rented premises. However, rent payments are not made on time and are paid in instalments, causing repeated disputes with building owners who eventually force the school to vacate.
LAHORE: Punjab’s education sector is set to conclude 2025 as a year marked by ambitious claims, notable gaps and unresolved challenges. While the provincial government repeatedly highlighted reforms, digital initiatives and infrastructure plans, teachers, education experts and parents continued to question the impact on ground and sustainability of the measures. One of the most striking realities of 2025 was the absence of expansion of public school infrastructure, particularly in Lahore, the largest city. Despite
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on December 19 directed that the Autism Centre of Excellence being established in the federal capital be completed within one year instead of two and reaffirmed the government’s resolve to provide world-class education, therapy and vocational facilities to children with special needs. Addressing the foundation-laying ceremony, the prime minister said special children were the children of the nation and that it was the state’s collective responsibility to equip them
RABIES has consistently emerged as a lethal yet overlooked health concern. Reportedly, the scourge took 22 lives in Sindh this year. Figures from three tertiary care hospitals in Karachi reveal an alarming spike in dog-bite incidents, taking the year’s reported tally to over 42,000 cases. The Indus Hospital recorded over 16,000 dog attack cases, while JPMC and CHK saw 12,000 and 13,000 respectively. Every year an estimated 2,000 to 5,000 people succumb to this