Punjab Education Minister Joins Special Children at Friendship Circle on World Disability Day

By Farzana Chaudhry, Lahore, Pakistan

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Education Rana Sikandar Hayat participated in a Friendship Circle organized by the Ghazali Education Foundation at Liberty Chowk in observance of World Disability Day.

The Minister spent time interacting with special children enrolled in Ghazali Schools, distributing flowers and gifts, and listening to their concerns. He also met other differently-abled individuals present at the event and encouraged their efforts.

Praising the foundation’s work, Minister Hayat said such institutions act as partners of the government in promoting the welfare and development of differently-abled children. He reaffirmed that the Punjab government remains committed to supporting organizations like the Ghazali Education Foundation.

Highlighting government initiatives, he noted that Special Education Centers across Punjab are being upgraded, and Centers of Excellence for Special Students are being established in every district. He also mentioned the introduction of the Himmat Card for special students by the Chief Minister of Punjab.

Minister Hayat further emphasized that the Chief Minister has launched Pakistan’s first state-of-the-art Autism School under the Special Education Programme, which includes both education and dedicated nutrition programmes for enrolled children.

He added that the Punjab government is implementing an Inclusive Education Model in public schools to integrate special children into mainstream learning environments, taking serious measures to ensure their mental and physical development.