Violence against women remains among the most pervasive and least prosecuted human rights violations in the world. For decades, this violence occurred mainly in homes, workplaces, streets or institutions. Today, it has expanded into a new and far more complex frontier: the digital realm. As the country and the world mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25 and launch the 16 days of activism campaign, it is
Child Rights in Focus
Clinics on Wheels and the Rural Ambulance Service 1034, being operated by the Punjab Health Department in Jhelum, Gujar Khan, Kalar Syedan and Kahuta, as well as other districts of Punjab, are drawing public attention. The reason is that they deliver services in rural areas, making healthcare accessible. According to residents, it is remarkable that a team of doctors in a dedicated van, equipped with medicines and an ultrasound machine, arrives in a village
PESHAWAR: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has informed Peshawar High Court that 504 persons including 338 men, 76 women and 90 children lost lives during this year devastating monsoon flooding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The authority provided the information in its comments submitted to the high court in a petition filed for developing and implementing a comprehensive disaster management plan and providing adequate compensation and relief to victims of this year natural disasters in
KARACHI: Experts have warned that leaving children “at the mercy of Artificial Intelligence (AI)” could prove dangerous, urging parents and schools to prioritise AI literacy as technology becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life. The warning came during the 10th Adab Festival, which concluded on November 23 and featured its first-ever dedicated session on AI – a highlight of the two-day literary event. The AI-focused session included Sadaf Bhatti, Vice Principal of Happy Palace School,
RAWALPINDI: The Department of Education has resolved to commence the third phase of the privatisation of government schools in December this year. Under this phase, 4,500 primary, middle, and high schools are to be handed over to the private sector. To date, the privatisation of 12,500 schools has already been completed. Across the province, all schools — primary, middle, and high — with an enrolment of 100 students or fewer will be privatised without delay. Lists
RAWALPINDI: The Department of Education has granted final approval for the revised admissions policy for the 2026 academic year, together with the new school calendar and the schedule for annual examinations. It has also sanctioned the replacement of 29 textbooks for Classes 6 to 10. The newly proposed syllabus has been endorsed with only minor amendments, and the updated textbooks are set to go to print in December. The Department has confirmed that the
LAHORE: Evolving as a local alternative to the United States ‘Amber Alert’ system to trace missing kids, Punjab government’s Mera Pyara initiative is reuniting at least 200 children per day with their families across the province, according to official data. Since its launch on July 26 last year, the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has processed 100,000 cases involving lost, missing, abandoned and vulnerable children, of which 91,641 have been successfully resolved, said PSCA
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly witnessed a noisy session over the issue of 14 schools in Lower Dir having no teachers for 14 years. Member of the Provincial Assembly, Ubaidur Rahman stated, schools have not been made functional since long, depriving students, particurly the female students, of education. Law Minister Aftab Alam Afridi said, “The appointment of teachers is done through the Public Service Commission. A committee has been formed to appoint teachers. Work in this
Private education has over the years steadily morphed into a profit-maximising business, overshadowing its core mission of learning and development. This shift has taken such precedence that many schools today consider themselves brands first and educational institutions second — complete with branded uniforms and study packs. It is this unchecked commercialisation that has now forced the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) to intervene and issue show-cause notices to seventeen major private schools. Parents were
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on November 22 urged madressahs to incorporate science and skills into their curriculum, emphasising that this would enable students to excel in the modern world. Addressing the annual convention of Jamia Tur Rasheed, he said that madressahs should teach students how to strengthen the relationship with the Creator and how to treat His creations with kindness. “By doing so, we can achieve peace, brotherhood, and progress in
TAXILA: The local administration and education department have failed to retrieve 10 kanals of Government Girls Elementary School Marri in tehsil Jand of Attock from the encroachment mafia. According to reports, the school was originally established on 15 kanals, but due to encroachment by influential individuals, its area has now shrunk to around five kanals. Although the local court issued a verdict in June 2024, supporting the school administration’s claim to the occupied land,
THE rising abuse of an anticonvulsant medication in the market is destroying the lives of the country’s youth. The drug, whose generic name is pregabalin and which is available under different brand names, decreases the number of pain signals that are sent out by damaged nerves in the body. Young individuals, even including teenagers, across the country are using it mixed with so-called energy drinks or soft drinks. They buy it over-the-counter (OTC) without