Call for equal opportunities for differently-abled persons

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that communities depend on the institutes that integrate Taleem (education) with Tarbiyat (teaching and training) so that society accepts people with challenges and gives them equal opportunities of life and progress.

This the chief executive said on Saturday as he was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Karachi Vocational Training Centre (KVTC) in DHA Phase-IV by Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan.

The CM said that establishing the KVTC was a big milestone in the lives of the differently-abled people all across Pakistan, but particularly those of Sindh.

Shah said that the KVTC has been playing a pivotal role in the training and holistic development of the special people of our society, being the only institute aligning with international standards.

He also said that the training centre was the only place where these special people were trained in order to secure a decent and sustainable living.

The CM said that in a society where once these differently-abled children were considered a burden, the KVTC was supporting them to make them useful members of society. “This is a gigantic task and the KVTC and its team deserve appreciation and our support,” he said.

“I commend the dedicated efforts of the entire KVTC management and teachers, especially Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan, whose vision has taken this institute to successful heights.”

Shah said that the provincial government stands with the KVTC to realise their Vision 2030 of enabling at least 5,000 differently-abled children all over Sindh to earn a decent living.

The CM said that communities depend on such institutes that integrate Taleem with Tarbiyat so that society accepts people with challenges and gives them equal opportunities of living and earning among them. In the end, he pledged to support the KVTC at all levels by becoming a voice for differently abled persons.

Earlier, the CM had cut the ribbon to inaugurate the KVTC branch established in DHA Phase-IV. He visited different workshops at the branch where the differently-abled persons were designing clothes and preparing dresses with new designs.

On Thursday, President Dr Arif Alvi had said there was a need to integrate the differently-abled persons into the national mainstream by imparting them education and skills.

“We need to change the mindset of society regarding the differently-abled people,” he said addressing the “People of Determination International Virtual Exhibition & Conference” at the Sindh Governor House.

The president said all over the world the special children got education along with normal kids in same institutions. It would help normal children to understand how to deal with the differently-abled and the teachers also needed to be trained for the purpose.

He regretted that the people still felt ashamed of having specially-abled children. Such attitude should change; rather, they should be integrated into the society.

The nature of disability might vary, but their mental capacity could not be denied, he added.

Dr Alvi said it was important to have accurate statistics of differently-abled people, and for that purpose a survey was being carried out under the Ehsaas Programme. The president also lauded the efforts of First Lady Begum Samina Arif Alvi for leading the campaign for the rights of women and persons with disabilities.