Children’s art festival kicks off at Governor’s House Sindh

Two-day event aims at educating students about their moral responsibility towards the environment

KARACHI: The two-day art festival kicked off in Karachi at the Governor House on Saturday with an emphasis on educating students about their moral responsibility towards the environment. Titled 'Shehr-e-Fun,' and organised by Pursukoon Karachi, a non-governmental organisation, the festival focused on unfolding the creativity of the youth along with educating them on concepts of recycling and using sustainable resources. A large number of students from various institutes participated in the event.

"The whole idea behind this initiative is to address the children since they are the future of this city. It is important to inculcate in them the knowledge of right and wrong and highlight their moral responsibility towards the environment," said organiser and Pursukoon Karachi President Arshad Faruqui.

"We have students from diverse age groups, different backgrounds who have participated in this campaign and we want to educate them about the importance of trees, ecosystems and nature's cycle."

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Activities included yoga classes, clay modelling, building objects from recycled material, theatre plays and awareness sessions on mangroves, glaciers and deforestation.

"The event is free of charge to incorporate as many students and children from all parts of Karachi. Through this platform we are entertaining and educating our youth and also highlighting the diversity of the city," said Sadia Saleem of Pursukoon Pakistan.

"Our activities educate participants on the importance of recycling and stress upon reducing plastic consumption. Various climate challenges are discussed along with their preventive measures," she added.

Addressing the students and visitors, Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani hailed the efforts of the organisers and acknowledged that children such activities were beneficial for children.

"Our youth should take the lead and participate in these initiatives. Cleanliness and hygiene must be emphasised," he said. "I encourage all the youngsters to implement what they have learned, make use of recycling."

Speaking to The Express Tribune, teachers lamented that there aren't enough platforms in the city for students to socially interact or learn by participating in extracurricular activities.

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"There should be more student-centric events in the city as they serve as the best learning spots for these young minds. Students should be given more such opportunities," said Hina, an instructor at Dawood Public School.

At the inauguration of the festival, President Dr Arif Alvi said that the event was educating children on how to improve the environment. "The nation will improve when the children are educated," he said.

Speaking on Karachi's issues, the president said that the Sindh government would have to work along with the Centre and the municipal bodies to resolve Karachi's problems.

"All citizens should play their part in maintaining cleanliness in Karachi. It is everyone's job to prevent the garbage from accumulating and to dump it at the reserved sites," he said while adding that the situation in Karachi is the consequence of the past 25 years. "Sindh government, Centre and Karachi mayor can make things right while working together," said the president.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2019.