2018-02-08
Earlier this year, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Aahung and Balochistan Education Department to integrate the LSBE into the provincial curriculum/ file photo
QUETTA: The Government of Balochistan took a critical step for protecting its children through the introduction of Life Skills Based Education (LSBE) into the provincial school curriculum.
The official launch held in Quetta on Sunday was led by the provincial government leadership including interim Chief Minister Allahuddin Mari, Secretary of Secondary Education Noor-ul-Haq Baloch, Focal Person PPIU Jahangeer Kakar, Founder and President of Zindagi Trust Shehzad Roy and Program Manager of the host NGO Aahung, Aisha Ijaz.
All the key stakeholders from the Balochistan Education Department, who will be key players in the integration of the LSBE into the curriculum, expressed views on the initiative.
They highlighted the urgency of integrating LSBE into the provincial curriculum in order to empower children and adolescents with the skills they need to manage their health and safety in everyday life.
Both the Chief Minister and the Secretary Secondary Education thanked Mr Roy for taking the initiative to bring the LSBE to Balochistan after its successful implementation in the government schools in Sindh.
They pledged their commitment to support Aahung and Zindagi Trust in this initiative and gave their full endorsement to ensuring the smooth integration of LSBE into the provincial curriculum of Balochistan.
Roy shared his positive experience of implementing LSBE in the two government schools managed by the Zindagi Trust in Sindh, saying the impact it had made on the lives of the students and the school environment was transformative.
He appreciated the Balochistan government's ownership and urged upon other provinces to show leadership to protect Pakistan's children.
"When this year started, we all said we don't want another child like Zainab to suffer - Sindh and now Balochistan have shown leadership on this issue but what are the other provinces waiting for?" asked the singer-cum-activist.
Earlier this year, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Aahung and Balochistan Education Department to integrate the LSBE into the provincial curriculum.
A Project Coordination Committee (PCC) and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) have been set up to ensure the ownership of the said initiative.
The TAC will also be responsible for reviewing Aahung's LSBE modules and integrating relevant content into existing textbooks for classes six to nine.
Simultaneously, a pilot LSBE intervention will be carried out in 10 schools of Quetta, to gather evidence and measure the impact of the LSBE.
