Child and Adolescent Protection Project (CAPP) officials have urged the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) to assist them in securing the educational future of marginalised children in Sialkot.
“The Sialkot business community and UNICEF have done a lot for this purpose during the past few years but we need an official mechanism to ensure the registration of all children in school,” said CAPP representative Muhammad Arif Khan. “The PEF needs to take the initiative and start door-to-door registration of children in public school. Now that the schooling is free there is no reason for any child not to be in school,” he added. “There have been experimental registration drives in this regard in certain smaller districts like Vehari and certain areas of Jhang but we need a mass initiative. The children who are not registered should be registered with the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB)”, he added.
“All these agencies need to work together if we are going to change the future of children in this country. The education board, the child protection services and other NGOs need to pool in their resources and combine their efforts,” said NGO worker Musarrat Hameed.
In Sialkot, a total of 1,247 children are presently not enrolled in school, according to a recent UNICEF report. “The Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) and the Punjab government need to take serious steps to rectify the situation. Now that education is free we need to make sure that everyone has access to it,” said CAPP volunteer Arifa Saeed.
The CAPP project funded by UNICEF will end in March 2012 and joint efforts are underway with the help of the business community in Sialkot to continue this initiative with the help of local NGOs. At present, these children are getting a formal/non-formal education free-of-cost from class 1 to 8 in 18 Talimul Amal Centres (TACs) established by Child and Social Development Organisation (CSDO ).
“UNICEF funded this project in Sialkot but their financial commitment for continuing the centres expires this March. We need to have an alternative that will take up the cause,” said a UNICEF volunteer. “Due to age factors and learning ability issues working or dropped out children cannot get an education in regular schools. These centres were set up by CSDO to provide them a fast track phonetic-based education with the key objective to reintroduce them into the regular education system,” said Arifa Saeed.
So far, a large number of students studying at these centres recently passed 5th and 8th grade board exams.
“Another inspiring achievement of the project is that a large number of children charged with the task of collecting trash from the streets have been inducted into these schools after being recovered by the CPWB,” said Khan.
Now, the project is being abolished due to lack of funds and CAPP officials have requested that the Punjab Education Foundation step in to fill the gap. “The local and provincial governments can go one step further. We can ensure these children are registered in school by conducting mass registration drives in coordination with the CPWB with regards to street children as well as children whose parents are reluctant to send them to school,” he said.
President CSDO Sialkot Muhammad Younas Ratra told reporters that the Punjab government should make arrangement or provide funds to sustain and replicate this project being implemented by CSDO. Younas Ratra revealed that health and education were the key responsibility of the state.
“The provincial government needs to look into the matter seriously and develop a mechanism that ensures basic education for everyone,” Ratra said.
CSDO project manager Ejaz Ahmed appealed to philanthropists in this regard. “People with means should contribute to putting children in school. They can buy uniforms for needy children or pay the nominal registration charges,” he added.
Naeem Anwar Qureshi President Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) said that there could be a partnership between CSDO and Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) in this regard.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 26th, 2012.
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