CM vows to end child labour
LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that child labour at brick kilns is a grave injustice and he will put an end to this cruelty.
He was addressing a meeting of steering committee set up for the elimination of child labour from brick kilns through video link at Civil Secretariat.
He said that these children will be provided education. He said that no negligence or laxity will be tolerated in the elimination of child labour from brick kilns and stern action will be taken over any complaint in this regard.
He said that no excuse will be accepted with regard to implementation of the law for elimination of child labour. The Chief Minister said that the steering committee should monitor the steps for curbing child labour at brick kilns on regular basis and the law in this regard should be strictly implemented. He directed that brick kiln owners against whom cases have been registered for violation of the law regarding child labour should be arrested within 48 hours.
Secretary Labour while giving briefing on the measures taken for the elimination of child labour said that inspection of 760 brick kilns has been undertaken in the province and 128 cases have been registered on the violation of the law against child labour and 103 brick kiln owners and managers have been arrested.
The chief minister while addressing the meeting said that child labour will be eliminated from brick kilns at any cost and these children will be enrolled in schools.
He said that keeping in view this noble cause, Punjab government has given revolutionary package to provide free education to children who were working at brick kilns and a monthly stipend of Rs1000, free textbooks, stationery and shoes will be given to every school going child. He said that a sum of 2000 rupees will also be given to the parents of these children.
Education plan: In line with the directions of the Punjab government, the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) has launched the project of free education of brick-kiln workers’ children in 36 district of the province. Under this program, brick-kiln workers’ children will be provided free school education in the partner schools so that they may improve the quality of life through education and emerge as useful citizens of the society.
According to spokesman of the Punjab Education Foundation, school partners are directed to identify such students and provide their lists on a prescribed performa to the PEF at the earliest, so that they may be rehabilitated through quality schooling. For this purpose, performa is uploaded at PEF official website and partners are asked to send their details at pef.brick@pef.edu.pk for processing of the case.
PEF will verify this data through concerned EDOs or DOs (labor) for ensuring transparency. The partner schools in the districts of Lahore, Mandi Bahauddin, Kasur, Layyah, Khushab, Bahawalnagar, Hafizabad, Khanewal and Vehari are asked to send their data within 24 hours in view of high number of affected children there.
The spokesman said that the schools partnering Punjab Education Foundation shall also provide one set of school uniform, one pair of shoes, one school bag, notebooks and stationery items including carbon pencils, eraser scale and student’s dairy to children of brick-kilns workers who will be enrolled in such institutions. Similarly, Punjab Education Foundation will also make arrangements for the free education of brick-kiln workers’ children in private schools under its Education Voucher Scheme (EVS) where they will enjoy similar benefits.
The spokesman further said that this project will greatly help the brick-kiln workers to educate their children without being burdened.