40-beggar children given admission for non-formal education in NCPC

Islamabad
As part of an effort to curb child beggary, 40 children belonging to area around Zia Masjid, located along Islamabad Expressway, has been given admission for non-formal education in the National Child Protection Centre (NCPC).
These children will first attend classes of non-formal education at the centre, working under Federal Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights, which will be followed by their enrolment in schools after they come at par with the formal education system.
"Area around Zia Masjid is famous for child beggary. It has also been observed that some people promote child beggary in the said area," said National Child Protection Centre (NCPC) Director Muhammad Yousaf Shah.
He said the record of NCPC shows that most of the child beggars picked by police from roads and markets of Islamabad belonged to the same area. "The NCPC field staff held meetings with the families of those children. After continuous awareness session and effective mobilisation, the parents agreed to send their children in NCPC for non formal education," he said.
The director highlighted the fact that there are hundreds of such children in that area. "We hope that the number will increase with passage of time."
Established in the year 2006, the NCPC provides temporary shelter and rehabilitation to homeless, street and runaway children and provide counselling and referral services to abused and exploited children.
At NCPC, dedicated teachers from a nongovernmental organisations Out of School Children's School (OSCS) conduct classes six days a week to bring children from slums and poverty ridden areas at par with the formal school system. After that, the willing children are enrolled in schools. During school hours at the centre, children are provided with free food, pick and drop services, uniform and books.
One of the main services being provided at National Child Protection Centre is Non-Formal Education. During the first quarter January 2015, 67 children were enrolled in non-formal education and 39 children were mainstreamed at Government Model School for Girls, I-10/4 for formal education. Another 100 children were bought in NCPC but due to their shifting from illegal kachi abadis, the NCPC decided to work in legal abadis in coordination with the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
"At this stage, 76 children are enrolled in the non-formal education section. Among them, 30 new admissions are from different communities of legally authorised slum area and 40 children are from Zia Masjid area," said the director.
He said that National Child Protection Centre is striving to strengthen its service delivery. "We have developed a coordination mechanism with NGOs like Rozan and OSCS along with other NGOs and government departments."