LOWER DIR: Speakers at a ceremony on Thursday said that around 25.1 million children were currently out of school across the country, stressing that it was the responsibility of all stakeholders to ensure their enrolment.

They were speaking at the ceremony held at the District Assembly Hall in Balambat.

The event was organised jointly by the Elementary and Secondary Education Foundation (ESEF) and the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) as part of the ongoing school enrollment campaign.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Wajid Ali Khan attended as chief guest.

Over 25m children out of school countrywide

District Education Officer (Female) Nizakat Tabassum, sub-divisional education officers Nasim Begum, Yasmin Begum, school heads, female teachers and students from various girls’ schools were also present. Several students were enrolled on the spot to boost the drive.

Wajid Ali Khan, Nizakat Tabassum, NCHD assistant director Asad Khan and others underlined the need for enrolling out of school children to boost literacy rate.

They said that an aggressive enrollment campaign was underway in Lower Dir to meet the target of 100 per cent literacy particularly among girls.

Underlining the importance of educating girls, they said the country could only progress if equal opportunities were provided to daughters of the nation.

Certificates of appreciation were awarded to female SDEOs and school heads for their outstanding performance.

During the ceremony, schoolgirls presented national songs, tableaus and speeches, earning applause from the audience.

Prizes were also distributed among high-achieving students.

At the end, an awareness walk was held to highlight the importance of education.

The participants of the walk carried banners and placards.

EARTH DAY: The Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek the other day organised various activities in schools across the Lower Dir district to mark the Earth Day.

The activities were aimed at raising awareness among students and teachers about climate change and environmental protection.

Teachers and students from Khanpur, Shorshing, Ouch, Asbanr and Shagai participated in the events, which featured awareness sessions, tree plantation drives and poster-making activities.

During the sessions, participants were encouraged to recognise environmental protection as a shared responsibility and the vital role of trees in sustaining life.

Teachers explained that climate change was not merely a natural process but was closely linked to human activities, particularly large-scale industrial development and exploitation of natural resources.

Speakers said that major industrial powers contributed to global carbon emissions due to their reliance on fossil fuels.

They added that large-scale extraction of oil, gas and minerals by multinational corporations placed immense pressure on ecosystems, particularly in developing countries.

Meanwhile, teachers in Lower Dir arranged tree plantation activities in an effort to encourage students to understand environmental challenges in the context of global economic systems.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2026