KARACHI, Sept 3: The Sindh government has planned to educate children involved in paper picking and garbage collection under the Baitul Mall’s non-formal education scheme.

Labour ministry officials said on Tuesday, that a plan was chalked out to engage these children at non-formal schools and impart skills training to them so that they could become useful members of society.

They said that to implement the plan, financial and technical help from UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO) would be sought.

They said that the plan had been prepared in light of a survey on children that worked as garbage collectors, conducted to evaluate its effects on society.

According to the survey, 27 per cent of the children wished to acquire an education, while 33 per cent expressed their interest in acquiring vocational education.

The provincial labour and manpower department would be asked to provide vocational education and skills training to these children, officials added.

Officials maintained that the PBM was already running non-formal centres for working children. NGOs, working in the field of education, would be involved in the plan, they said.

Solid waste management wings of different cities will also be asked to make arrangement for the collection of garbage from houses, streets and roads. An official will be deputed in charge of filth depots to restrict these children from garbage collection.

A campaign would be launched through the electronic and print media to educate people about the hazardous effects of open garbage on the environment and on children’s health.

It said that the commission for child welfare and development would be given the responsibility to rehabilitate the children.

About 479 children who collected garbage were interviewed, out of which 63 per cent were from Punjab, 23 per cent from the NWFP, two per cent from Sindh and one per cent from Balochistan. Eleven per cent of them were Afghans.—PPI