ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday marked World Children’s Day by reaffirming the government’s commitment to strengthen child protection measures and expand access to education across the country.
This year’s World Children’s Day is being observed under the theme “My Day, My Rights,” highlighting the fulfillment of children’s rights and development needs. The annual commemoration marks the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, underscoring global responsibility toward child welfare.
“The future of any state, country and humanity as a whole is linked to the bright future of its children as the new generation,” the PM Office quoted Sharif as saying. “Therefore, international cooperation among countries for the welfare and prosperity of children is essential.”
Sharif said children’s rights to mental and physical development, protection, education, and upbringing were of “critical importance,” adding that the government was taking all possible measures to provide educational facilities for children nationwide, though more “effective strategies” were still required to meet the scale of the challenge.
He added that a peaceful future depended on providing children with quality education and training aligned with modern needs and advanced technology.
“Educational stipends, health care facilities and skills-development centers are essential components of the basic needs of children in any society,” the PM Office quoted Sharif as saying.
Sharif said Pakistan was working with provincial governments and international organizations to provide children with better opportunities.
The government last year declared an education emergency to ensure the enrollment of out-of-school children. According to Pakistan Education Statistics 2023-24 released by the education ministry, over 25 million children in the country remain out of school. The impoverished Balochistan province in the southwest is the worst affected at 58 percent, compared to 47 percent in Sindh.
