PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary, Shahab Ali Shah, chaired a meeting to review the proposed School Meal Program aimed at improving enrollment and retention in primary schools across the province. The meeting was attended by the Secretaries of Elementary and Secondary Education and Finance. A detailed presentation, supported by data from the Allah Walay Trust, highlighted the program’s benefits for children’s education and health. The initiative envisions preparing meals in a central kitchen and distributing
Child Rights in Focus
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Unknown assailants on October 24 blew up an under-construction girls primary school with explosives in the suburban village of Gara Budha in Tank district. A police official said that the building, which was in its final stages of completion, sustained severe damage after explosive material, planted under its boundary wall and several classrooms, went off. According to police officials, the bomb disposal unit inspected the site and collected preliminary evidence. Authorities
LAHORE: Participants in a seminar on the importance of breastfeeding termed mother’s milk highly beneficial for the mental and physical health of infants and called for raising awareness about its importance. Punjab University’s Department of Public Health in collaboration with Unicef held an awareness seminar on breastfeeding on October 24. Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ali Shah, Department of Public Health In-charge Dr Nauman Ali, Prof Dr Rubina Zakir, Bahauddin Zakariya University
• 65pc forced to work in agri sector, 12.4pc in manufacturing and 10.8pc in wholesale/retail trade • Sindh Child Labour Survey 2023-24 launched KARACHI: As many as 1.3 million children aged between five and 17 are trapped in child labour in Sindh, with 65 percent of them forced to work in the agriculture sector, said the Sindh Child Labour Survey 2023-24. The survey was officially launched on October 24 by the Labor Department in
KARACHI: Seven policemen were suspended after a “teenage boy” died under controversial circumstances in the custody of the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of police, it emerged on Friday. While the police claimed that Muhammad Irfan died of heart attack, his relatives alleged that he was tortured to death. Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn that the body of a man, identified as Irfan, was brought to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for a post-mortem
Islamabad: The European Union on Occtober 23 reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Pakistan’s efforts to safeguard children’s rights and well-being. During a meeting here, newly-appointed Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan Raimundas Karoblis and chairperson of the National Commission on the Rights of Child Ayesha Raza Farooq discussed ongoing cooperation to strengthen child protection mechanisms in the country. Ambassador Karoblis commended NCRC’s extensive work and noted the EU’s continued support through UNDP under
SHEHLA completed her Master’s degree in economics last year and started teaching at a private school in her neighbourhood. She feels she will not be staying in the job for long. Her salary is only Rs20,000 per month. She thinks she will be married soon and might not work afterwards. Or if she has to work, she will look for a job that pays better. Low- to medium-fee private schools, which constitute the overwhelming
The Board of Secondary Education Karachi is facing criticism for its “outdated and unprofessional practices” following the release of Class IX results for the Science and General groups. Over 175,000 students are left in a state of confusion and distress, as BSEK has failed to provide detailed mark sheets, leaving them unaware of their actual scores. The results, announced last week, only indicated whether students passed or failed in individual subjects, without providing subject-wise or
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is preparing to launch its first-ever National Vaccine Policy to kickstart local vaccine manufacturing and reduce its 95 percent reliance on imported vaccines. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan announced this while chairing a high-level meeting on October 23. The meeting of the Prime Minister’s Committee on Incentivizing Local Manufacturing of Vaccines, held at the Ministry of National Health Services, discussed policy formulation, existing hurdles,
Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Asif Haider Shah on October 23 chaired an emergency meeting at his office to review the province’s dengue situation and directed concerned departments to take immediate preventive and control measures against the rising number of cases. Officials said the meeting was attended by the commissioner Karachi, secretary local government, director general health services, all divisional commissioners, and senior health officials. According to a briefing presented by the directorate general health
KARACHI: Sindh Health and Population Welfare Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho chaired the first provincial steering committee meeting to review the arrangements for an upcoming measles-rubella vaccination campaign starting next month. The province-wide drive, targeting over 8.2 million children, is scheduled to run from Nov 17 to 29. A total of 6,000 teams are expected to take part in the campaign, during which children in selected districts will also receive oral polio drops. During
FOR more than three decades, Pakistan has fought poliovirus with collective determination, reducing cases by 99.6 per cent. Despite concerted efforts, poliovirus has survived in two countries, posing persistent risk to the health and lives of vulnerable children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. As we commemorate World Polio Day 2025, Pakistan stands at the threshold of history, with a pivotal opportunity to eradicate it completely. Through the coordinated hard work of the government, partners, and