Shaheer Ahmed
Salman Sufi, the head of the Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms, revealed that an animal welfare-specific course is being created and would be added to the curricula of schools in Islamabad.
A special course is being prepared on Animal welfare that will be introduced in schools of ICT region.
Children will be introduced with compassion and humane approach towards animals so they can be better citizens. #AnimalAbuse
Image courtesy Pawtocol pic.twitter.com/hHI2TX7oAO
— Salman Sufi (Get New Covid Booster Today) (@SalmanSufi7) September 17, 2022
The groundbreaking move follows a recent and ongoing wave of animal rights awareness and welfare activity in Pakistan, which also includes a number of extremely helpful and concerned suggestions from PETA and a historic package of animal welfare reforms for the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) that were announced by Sufi himself in June.
Sufi elaborated that the course would not just be included in the curriculum but will also have co-curricular sessions. “Animal rights activists will visit schools and teach children about keeping pets. They will tell kids that pets cannot just be kept for fun, and make them realise that animals are a responsibility.“ And with every class, the depth of the course will increase,” he added.
Apart from pets students will also be taught about stray animals. And not just dogs or cats, but also donkeys and horses. Furthermore, the course will entail the dangers of keeping exotic animals at home.
Hailing the development, Pakistan Animal Welfare Society co-founder and animal activist Mahera Omar said that it was important to teach children kindness towards animals. She said the news that children in Islamabad would now be able to learn about animal welfare was a “great first step” and hoped that it would soon be taught across schools in the country.
