Our Correspondent
Karachi: The advisory committee meeting of the Children Parliament Sindh ‘Right to Education’ stressed that the Thar Education Alliance (TEA) is fostering connections between young advocates and policymakers to drive meaningful change in their communities.
Representatives from JICA, Sindh Education Foundation (SEF), Reform Support Unit (RSU), UNICEF, and TEA participated in the meeting, held at the Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) Office to address critical issues related to children’s right to education in the province. The session was chaired by SHRC Chairperson Iqbal Detho on Wednesday.
Qurat Mudasar, Project Lead, presented a progress report on the Children Parliament – Right to Education project. He highlighted the successful district council session in Tharparkar, which featured active participation from the Children Parliament representatives. Additionally, he outlined plans for upcoming district council sessions in Hyderabad and Sukkur this January. These sessions aim to provide children with a realistic parliamentary experience and tackle the pressing issue of out-of-school children in Sindh.
The committee proposed several strategic measures, including organizing a dedicated session in the Provincial Assembly of Sindh with key policymakers, linking the Children Parliament to the Child Rights Protection Committee, and activating School Management Committees (SMCs) to foster grassroots engagement.
Advisory committee members emphasized the importance of involving children in advocacy initiatives to build leadership skills and empower them to address educational challenges in Sindh.
Speaking to the committee members, Detho expressed that the Children Parliament serves as a beacon of hope, demonstrating that young voices can be powerful catalysts for change.
He further added that it is a shared responsibility to support these children and ensure that their concerns are not only heard but acted upon by key stakeholders. This initiative underscores the potential of youth-led advocacy in shaping policies that can make education accessible to every child in Sindh.
Partab Shivani, Chief Executive Officer of TEA, shared that he recently held a meeting with the Speaker of the Sindh Assembly, Awais Qadir Shah. The Speaker was pleased to learn about the Children’s Parliament initiative on the right to education and extended an invitation for them to hold a session at the assembly. He also expressed his willingness to welcome young advocates during provincial assembly sessions for guidance and counseling—an encouraging step forward.
Additionally, Asif Abrar, Mujeeb Khatri, and Prem Sagar noted that during the advisory committee meeting, it was recommended that every member make a commitment to contribute at least one actionable step in alignment with the organization’s strategic plan.
