Pakistan

‘Pakistan has most out-of-school children in the world’

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

ISLAMABAD: Minister of Federal Education and Professional Training Rana Tanveer Hussain said Friday that Pakistan has the “most out-of-school children (OOSC)” globally.

In response to a question in the National Assembly about children not going to school in Pakistan, the education minister said that 23 million children in Pakistan do receive school education.

The minister informed the house that the government had set an ambitious target to bring all 70,000 out-of-school children in the Islamabad Capital Territory to zero by June 30.

The minister said currently, around 70,000 children were out of school in Islamabad and all-out efforts were being made to enrol them in schools by June 30.

Tanveer said the government had also launched the Schools on Wheels initiative in Islamabad to provide education to the children of rural areas. For this purpose, buses were converted into mobile schools having state-of-the-art facilities, including toilets.

He said on the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the ministry was also planning to provide such mobile buses facility to the children of flood-affected areas of Balochistan and Sindh.

Even the World Bank (WB) had also appreciated the government’s initiative, besides assuring the provision of 30 buses for the noble cause, he added.

He said the WB also intended to introduce such a system in Africa. The ministry was ready to assist other provinces if the provincial governments provided buses, he said.

He said the government had also started the tele school system, besides focusing on distance learning. It had also undertaken an accelerated learning programme with the cooperation of the United Kingdom to enhance the literacy rate in the country, he added.

To another question, he said 0.8% was recorded in the literacy rate in the last nine months.

In its data, UNICEF said that an estimated 22.8 million children aged 5-16 are not attending school, representing 44% of the total population in this age group.

In the 5-9 age group, five million children are not enrolled in schools and after primary-school age, the number of OOSC doubles, with 11.4 million adolescents between the ages of 10-14 not receiving formal education.

Disparities based on gender, socio-economic status, and geography are significant; in Sindh, 52% of the poorest children (58% girls) are out of school, and in Balochistan, 78% of girls are out of school.

Nearly 10.7 million boys and 8.6 million girls are enrolled at the primary level and this drops to 3.6 million boys and 2.8 million girls at the lower secondary level.

Latest News

Saad Rafiq: Ali Amin Gandapur’s threat to storm Islamabad is a major issue.

Published

3 days ago

Farwa

Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has threatened to storm Islamabad, according to Khawaja Saad Rafique, a former minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). This is a very serious situation.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration has reportedly launched attacks on the federal capital in the past in an attempt to seize Islamabad, according to Saad Rafiq on the social media platform X (previously Twitter).

“However, PTI got nothing and it resulted in creating chaos, hatred and economic destruction,” he continued.

He added, “If the anarchists attack Islamabad to occupy it this time too, it will become impossible for them to return as rulers.”

According to the leader of the PML-N, fascist behavior will no longer be accepted, and the dirty politics of violence, fire, and ransacking will no longer be effective.

The PTI, he said, has to act rationally and refrain from inciting another May 9.

Latest News

IHC will consider a case today challenging the election of the Senate chairman and deputy

Published

3 days ago

Farwa

Today is the scheduled hearing for the suit seeking action against the chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate election violations before the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The case against the violation of the custodians of the Senate election will be heard by Justice Aamer Farooq of IHC.

The April 9th Senate election, which was held in violation of Article 60 of the Constitution, was highlighted in the petition.

According to the plea, it was alarming that the poll Commission had decided to postpone the Senate poll till after the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

On the grounds of constitutional violations, a petition was filed to declare the April 9 Senate election, which included the chairman and deputy chairman, illegal.

Relevantly, Ishba Kamran, a resident of Sargodha, has also filed a motion in court to initiate Article 6 proceedings.

Latest News

The first Air Ambulance Service training session in Pakistan begins.

Published

3 days ago

Farwa

The first training session for the Air Ambulance Service of Pakistan has commenced.

A unique meeting was conducted to assess the service’s advancement, overseen by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

Aside from the Punjab chief secretary, secretary of finance, and director general of rescue services, other officials in attendance included provincial information minister Azma Bukhari.

The announcement that the first Air Ambulance Service training session had begun was made at the briefing.

CM Maryam Nawaz announced her resolve to grow the service’s operations while highlighting the initiative’s importance.

Her commitment to utilizing all provincial resources for the welfare and improvement of the public was reaffirmed as she emphasized its vital role in responding to crises and accidents in remote places.

The air ambulance service will be deployed in emergency situations and made available to other provinces as needed, she said, emphasizing the importance of protecting human life.