KARACHI, June 10: Sindh government’s plan to educate children involved in paper picking and garbage collection under informal education scheme of Bait-ul-Mall could not be initiated, despite the initial preparations by the provincial education and labour ministries, it is learnt.

The provincial labour ministry had chalked out a detailed plan in last year, according to which, paper picking and stray children would have to be engaged at non-formal schools in order to training them so that they could be able to earn their livelihood in a respectable manner.

Officials in the ministry informed that the ministers had decided to seek financial and technical help from the UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO) and implement the plan.

They informed that the plan had been prepared in the light of a survey on the garbage collecting children, conducted in the country to evaluate its effects on society. According to the survey 27 per cent of such children wished to acquire education; 33 per cent expressed their interest in vocational education. The provincial labour and manpower department was supposed to provide vocational education and training to these children, officials added.

There were plans to ask solid waste management wings of different cities to make arrangement for the collection of garbage from houses, streets and roads. It was planned to depute an official as in charge of the filth depots restricting these children from garbage collection.

Launching of a campaign was envisaged through electronic and print media about the hazardous effects of open garbage on environment and health.

Officials said that if revitalized, the commission for child welfare and development would be given the responsibility to rehabilitate the children.

It was informed that 479 children collecting garbage, were interviewed out of which 63 per cent were from Punjab, 23 per cent from NWFP, two per cent from Sindh and one per cent from Balochistan, while 11 per cent of them were Afghans.

All the children belonged to nomadic families, 85 per cent of them lived in katchi abadis and slum areas.

Of the total children surveyed, 67 per cent belonged to age group between 10 and 15 years while 22 per cent were below 10 years.

The family size of 53 per cent children was below five members and 96 per cent were illiterate. Most of them worked for five to 10 hours a day and used to earn Rs80 a day after collecting around 50kg garbage, the survey concluded.—PPI