Media Tracking Report 27 July - 13 Aug, 2020 Education in Pakistan Beyond the content: Faisal Bari - DAWN There has been much debate on the issue of the Single National Curriculum (SNC). The SNC’s main aim is to reduce and/or remove class distinctions in Pakistan, bringing Madrassah students in the mainstream. To provide equal quality education access to all, the government should also consider the 20 million five- to 16-year-olds who are out of school. A ‘minimum standards curriculum’ may be more useful in this. Household income and home environment, ability-related factors, school environment, quality of teachers and teaching, books, assessments and other factors need to be considered as well. Ministers decide to reopen schools from September 15 - Pakistan Today Educational institutions across the country will reopen from September 15 and action will be taken against those who violate the decision. This was decided in a meeting of all education ministers, chaired by Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood. He said that provinces will be responsible for ensuring SOPs that are followed, cautioning schools to follow the procedures laid out by the government. Punjab government issues SOPs for reopening schools - Pakistan Today The Punjab government has issued guidelines for educational institutions, including schools, to follow as well as safeguards for all of the school administration, staff, and students. Among other SOPs, indoor activities and extracurriculars will be banned, it would be mandatory to wear masks and only 50 percent of the total capacity will be used in the buses and only 30 percent will be used for hostel facilities. Conscious effort being made to promote inclusive education using technology: minister - DAWN Speaking at the launch of the 2020 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report on Inclusion and Education, Minister for Federal Education Shafqat Mahmood said that school closures following the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the education system but “it has allowed us to focus more on digital technologies.” He added that the findings of the report would be beneficial in helping the government formulate an education policy. WB approves $400m to help Pakistan combat locusts, reopen schools - Profit by Pakistan Today A $200 million loan from the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank for the ‘Actions to Strengthen Performance for Inclusive and Responsive Education Programme (ASPIRE)’ will address school disruptions due to Covid-19 by accelerating virtual and distance learning opportunities for students. Senate body recommends increasing education budget to 4 percent of GDP - Business Recorder The Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education, Vocational Training, National History and Literary Heritage recommended that the education budget should be increased to four percent of the GDP for the promotion of education in the country. CPEC in Pakistan CPEC’s strategic ML-1 project gets final nod - Tribune The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Wednesday approved the strategically important Mainline-1 railway project of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) worth $6.8 billion, paving way for loan negotiations with Beijing, which would finance 90% of the cost. The government has found a middle ground to commence work on the project so that the concerns of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) about debt sustainability could be addressed. Pakistan registers 91pc growth in FDI under CPEC - The Nation The overall 91 per cent growth in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Pakistan got major support from an increase in Chinese investment, mainly in power projects under the frame of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The flow of foreign investment in the future depends on the unfolding COVID-19-related events like the second and third waves of infections, controlling the crisis and introducing the much-awaited vaccine. Pakistan, China working for transparency in CPEC: Chairman NAB - The Nation National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal has said that Pakistan and China are working together for transparency in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). IMF and Pakistan IMF programme in limbo as key targets remain unfulfilled - Profit by Pakistan Today The International Monetary Fund (IMF) would review Pakistan’s performance under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF). The IMF team is scheduled to visit Pakistan to review the government’s economic performance during the first quarter of the current fiscal year (FY21), besides reviewing pending issues with regard to power tariff adjustments as well as amendments in National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), mobilization of taxes and autonomy of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). IMF helping Pakistan to extricate from FATF grey list - Business Recorder The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been providing technical assistance to Pakistan with the objective of removing the country from the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The IMF team and Pakistani authorities remain closely engaged in working to bring a second review of the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to a positive conclusion. Moody’s upgrades Pakistan’s outlook from ‘under review for downgrade’ to ‘stable’, maintains B3 rating - Profit by Pakistan Today Moody’s on Saturday confirmed Pakistan’s credit rating at B3 with the outlook at stable after it had initiated a review for downgrade in May earlier this year. “The government’s commitment to its current International Monetary Fund (IMF) Extended Fund Facility (EFF) continues to unlock a large financial envelope that Moody’s expects will cover its external financing needs over the next 12-18 months and provides an anchor for ongoing fiscal reforms. PTI govt restricts budget deficit to Rs3.4tr - Tribune The government has managed to restrict the overall budget deficit to below Rs3.4 trillion or 8.1% of the size of the economy in its second year in power due to steep cuts in expenditures and provincial cash surpluses. The budget deficit of 8.1% of the gross domestic product (GDP) was far better than the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) forecast of Rs3.9 trillion or 9.2% of the GDP and independent assessments of close to 10% due to adverse impacts of the deadly coronavirus on the economy. Civil Service Reforms PM Imran okays new rotation policy for civil servants - Tribune Prime Minister Imran Khan has approved a new rotation policy to ensure that the civil servants belonging to the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) and the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) do not stay in a single province or station for more than a specified number of years. Climate Change in Pakistan Climate Change Is a Security Threat to the Asia-Pacific - The Diplomat This week the ASEAN Joint Task Force on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) will meet via video conference, with the COVID-19 pandemic escalating just as some countries in the disaster-prone Indo-Asia Pacific enter their cyclone, drought, heatwave, or monsoon seasons. The overlaying of the pandemic with existing complex challenges is a timely reminder that planning for HADR capacities – and regional security – needs to be attuned to the increasing likelihood of multiple, overlapping hazards and converging security risks, especially in a future where climate change alters the context in which other disasters and crises take place. Zoo animals’ death: IHC issues show-cause notices to minister, officials - DAWN The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued show-cause notices to Minister for Climate Change Zartaj Gul, prime minister’s special assistant Malik Amin Aslam, the federal secretary of the ministry, inspector general forest and secretaries of the forest and wildlife departments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in contempt proceedings over death of and cruel treatment to animals of Maraghazar Zoo. The IHC chief justice, while hearing the case related to the shifting of the caged animals to their respective sanctuaries, observed that lion and lioness of the zoo died due to negligence of the officials of the Ministry of Climate Change, the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the Municipal Corporation of Islamabad and other departments. CM calls for making NOC mandatory for major projects - DAWN Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani has directed the Envir onment Department for taking steps and suggesting legislation to make obtaining a NOC (no objection certificate) mandatory for major construction projects in private and public sectors. “Climate change poses a serious threat to the environment thus the use of modern technology and reforms in the field of environment is needed to deal effectively with the environmental challenges,” CM Alyani said Need for innovation in agriculture - DAWN Pakistan’s population is forecast to almost double in the next 30 years. That means we will have another 200 million mouths to feed by 2050. On top of rapid population growth, the changing climate or global warming is bringing new challenges to the nation’s food security — a total of 21m people in the country are already estimated to be acutely food insecure at present. Pakistan is also on track to become the most water-stressed nations in the region by 2040. Agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan’s economy and globally, at the cusp of a technology revolution, yet the declining productivity is not adequately addressed..