'6.5 million children do not go to school'

Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister Sharmila Farooqui Wednesday said that 6.5 million children in Pakistan do not go to school.

KARACHI: Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister Sharmila Farooqui on Wednesday said that 6.5 million children in Pakistan do not go to school, while 72 per cent out of all school going children leave school at class five and 28 per cent even before that.

Speaking at the 25th anniversary programme of the Muslim Aid Serving Humanity, Farooqui said education is the basic requirement for cultural, social and economic development.

She said over 1.8 million people are involved in bonded labour in the country, out of which 72 per cent belong to Sindh.

"The 50 percent of the boys working in brick kilns have age range of 10 to 14 years, while in these brick kilns, the boys and women are not registered in the labourers list, as a result they remain deprived of their timely and due wages payment," she added. "They also face torture threats there," Farooqui said.

She said the United Nations has termed the PPP's Benazir Income Support Programme a Role Model because this programme has provided financial support to needy women.

The advisor said the government is working on various long-term projects to provide higher education, skills training, clean drinking water and other facilities of life to the people.