Child labour elimination project aims to send children to school: minister

LAHORE

Punjab Minister for Labour and Human Resource Raja Ashfaq Sarwer has said that the initiative of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to eliminate child labour from different sectors will help promote education in the vulnerable section of society. 

He said this during his visit to the office of Project Management Unit (PMU)  for Integrated Project for Elimination of Child Labour and Promotion of Decent Work at Johar Town on Sunday.

The minister said the project worth Rs.5 billion would help eliminate child labour from auto-workshops, filling stations, service stations, hotels, restaurants and brick kilns. He added that the project would also ensure enrollment of the children in the non-formal basic education (NFBE) centres and skill training centres. Labour Secretary Sohail Shehzad, Labour Welfare DG Muhammad Saleem Hussain, Project Director Dr Saeed Ahmed Wattoo and other officers were also present. The project director briefed the minister on the functions of different sections of the PMU. Sohail Shehzad informed the minister that after successful campaign for elimination of child labour under the age of 14 years from brick kilns, more than 70,000 children had been enrolled in collaboration with well-reputed NGOs in different NFBE centres, partner schools of PEF and School Education Department.

He said adolescents aged from 15  to 18 years had been enrolled to vocational training institutes of Punjab Vocational Training Council (PVTC) and Tevta.