- Minister at EFA forum stresses need for improving educational status of special children
- PWD enjoy a good day at DGSE’s funfair at F-9 Park in the capital
Ministry of Education, Trainings and Standards in Higher Education Secretary Muhammad Ahsan Raja has said working together with United Nations and other donor agencies, the educational status of children with disabilities can be improved.
At a national forum on Education for All (EFA), he said that the children with disabilities were important part of the society and it was the national obligation for all to take care of them by mainstreaming them through inclusive education.
The EFA forum was organised by UNESCO in collaboration with UNICEF with an aim of stimulating a debate on Article 25-A of the Constitution and education sector financing in Pakistan. He said the teachers were playing an important role for building a knowledge society and commended UNESCO and UNICEF for their efforts on EFA with focus on disability.
On the occasion, Islamabad UNESCO Director Dr Kozue Kay Nagata said an estimated 1.4 million persons with disabilities in Pakistan were the children of school going age, most of whom do not have access to either inclusive or special schools due to limited capacity in existing facilities. She emphasized the realization of education for all particularly for persons with disabilities.
UNICEF’s education specialist John Ekaju said UNICEF acknowledged the role of civil society organisations for advancing the agenda of education for all and it is fully committed to promoting equity in education for all especially the most vulnerable children to advance the education agenda.
FUNFAIR:
The Directorate General of Special Education (DGSE) organized a funfair for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) here on Thursday and arranged special recreational programmes for them.
Different stalls of music, handicrafts, face painting, literature and games were set up at the funfair for the entertainment of children.
An official of DGSE said the directorate is an attached department of the Capital Administration and Development Division, which is dealing with education, training and rehabilitation of special persons and they have arranged this festival to give some relaxation to these persons with disabilities which are an important part of our society. He said co-curricular activities and recreational programmes play healthy and pivotal role in personality development and behaviour modification of children with disabilities.
“Their involvement in such activities may improve their learning abilities and exhaust their aggression”, he stated.
The funfair started at 9.00 am in the morning and continued till 3.00 pm in which a large number of people from different walks of life, philanthropist, civil society representatives, special persons, children and their parents participated and took part in different activities.
Tableaus, skits, songs and dramas were also performed in the funfair focussing on the issues of the persons with disabilities to bring into limelight their problems and capture the attention of people as well as concerned authorities to take steps for addressing their grievances.
Children showed keen interest in different activities and expressed their pleasure for holding such event for them.
