President Arif Alvi honored philanthropist and education activist Shehzad Roy with the Education Excellence Award for his contributions to educational reform and child support.
The prize was presented at the Aiwan-e-Sadar during a conference hosted by the Rawalpindi Chamber Of Commerce And Industry (RCCI).
The president also presented the prize to a few other educators, including Dr. Muhammad Amjad Saqib, the founder of the Akhuwat Foundation.
Roy is a vocalist, the founder, and president of Zindagi Trust, and has been awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-e-Eisaar, and Sitara-e-Imtiaz for his outstanding service to the country.
The National Assembly established a bill criminalizing physical punishment as a result of his tireless efforts; previously, beating children in good faith was permissible.
Aahung and Zindagi Trust’s tireless efforts resulted in the incorporation of Ahung’s curriculum of life skills-based education (LSBE) into Sindh’s school curriculum, potentially protecting millions of children from abuse.
The Sindh government has approved a new teacher performance evaluation format developed by Zindagi Trust for government teachers, and teachers will now be evaluated on factors related to the teaching profession, such as student-centered teaching and active classroom management, rather than the generic metrics of the Annual Confidential Report (ACR) applicable to all civil servants.
Roy is in the process of concluding an online reproductive health course established by the National Committee for Maternal and Neonatal Health as an ambassador for family planning and population for the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination.
The course will be linked with the National Database & Registration Authority (Nadra), which implies that any couple who marries will need to complete this course in order for their nikkah nama to be registered with Nadra.
This will vastly improve couples’ awareness of spacing, contraception, mother and child health, and, ultimately, population growth.
