Moalims

KARACHI: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan launched the ‘School Safety Programme’ – a project of Pakistan Red Crescent (PRC) with the support of Norwegian Red Cross at Governor House on Friday.

Expressing his views, the Sindh governor said, “Safety and security of our children is the safety of our next generation. This is very unfortunate that our educational institutions are under threat.” He said the programme is one of the exemplary initiatives taken by the Red Crescent in Sindh. “The Red Crescent has enormous experience in the field of emergency response and disaster management all over the world. I am confident that the Sindh Red Crescent is fully capable for providing knowledge and support to the educational institutions for making them well-prepared for any calamity”, he added.

He urged parents and management of the schools to come forward and extend their full support to the Red Crescent. He requested philanthropists to donate generously for this noble cause and join hands with Red Crescent for achieving the task. He asked Red Crescent to gradually extend the scope of work to other important sectors like universities, public places and government institutions. Appreciating the role of Rangers, police and law enforcers, the governor said, “We will launch 1122 service soon in Sindh with the support of Red Crescent.” Speaking on the occasion, Education Minister Sindh Nisar Khuhro said, “Our schools, madrassas, mosques, imambarghas and other religious places are being targeted by terrorists but we have faced it and will respond to it in future as well.” He request Red Crescent to conduct a survey of all schools building and let Education Department know about security requirements. The Sindh government will do the needful and it will also complement safety trainings outcome. “We want to give secure today to our children,” he said, requesting Red Crescent to provide a brochure containing security guidelines to respond to any eventuality.

Earlier, delivering her welcome address, PRC-Sindh Chairperson Farzhana Naek said ‘School Safety Programme’ does not focus around security only, but it is aimed at providing students and teachers the requisite skills to respond to effectively and appropriately when a crisis does occur. This programme works towards engaging the community in increasing their resilience to any natural or man-made disaster through school-based risk reduction. “Our aim is to create a culture of safety in the educational community,” she said.

Farzhana said that till date Red Crescent has already imparted necessary knowledge and skills in 23 schools of the provincial capital to keep their children safe. “We request the Sindh Education department and governor to support us in making this a compulsory minimum safety requirement of every school in Sindh,” she added.

PRC Secretary General Dr Rizwan Naseer announced that Pakistan Red Crescent is extending this programme countrywide in all corners of Pakistan. Regional Head of Norwegian Red Cross Astride Sletten read out the message of Norwegian Ambassador Tore Nedreb. He said, “Indeed, the safety of schoolchildren is a priority of Norwegian government and the best way of reducing the risk to vulnerable communities is to invest in risk reduction activities in order to ensure that students, teachers and others are prepared for disasters. I commend the PRC for their tireless efforts in the humanitarian field and I reaffirm the Norwegian government’s interest in supporting these initiatives.”

Later, PRC Vice President Sardar Yaseen Malik thanked governor, Norwegian envoy, media persons, celebrities, government officials and others for their presence.

News Reference