KHAIRPUR: Young people from different areas of Khairpur district brought the lack of quality education and poor water access in the rural talukas of the district into discussion on Tuesday at a seminar.

Coming from Khairpur city, Saitharja, Thari Mirwah and Naro desert, they shared that educational status of Naro taluka was very poor.

Children did not go for further education after completing primary schooling because of distant middle schools, they said, adding that due to this adolescent girls were also deprived of further education.

They said a strong education system was required in order to cater to the needs of young people of the rural areas of the district.

The young participants shared their views and suggestions at the seminar on ‘Sustainable Development and Youth Engagement’ held by the Sindh Commu­nity Foundation and Insan Dost Social Organisation in cooperation with the UNDP Pakistan here.

The discussion highlighted the issues and problems related with social and economic development of Khairpur district.

The seminar was aimed at prioritising the development interventions to set the local targets wherein the participants pointed out that poor health facilities and clean drinking water were also challenges for the population living in the far-flung areas.

They demanded that in order to solve the issues of the people, there was a need to make public institutions more responsive in addressing the needs of young people in the whole development planning debate.

They also demanded water supply schemes in the areas where safe drinking water was difficult to access.

Speakers called upon the youth to play active role in addressing local development issues.

Civil society activists Javed Soz of the Sindh Com­mu­nity Foundation and Pun­hal Sario of the Sindh Hari Porhyat Council and Jabbar Islami of the Insan Dost Social Organisation were among the participants besides Abdul Rah­man Soomro, Ahsanullah Narejo, Umer Shah of the Khairpur Youth Council, Ghulam Hyder Khaskheli, Shabana Soomro and Fozia Islami.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2017