Nawabshah: Renowned disability rights activist and President of the National Disability & Development Forum (NDF) Pakistan, Mr. Abid Lashari, delivered an insightful lecture on Inclusive Education at the Provincial Institute of Teacher Education (PITE) Sindh, Nawabshah.
Earlier, Mr. Shuhab Uddin Mallah, Director General PITE Sindh, warmly welcomed Mr. Abid Lashari and introduced him to the participants. He described Mr. Lashari as “the pride of Nawabshah and Sindh,” acknowledging his dedicated services in the disability sector. He also highlighted that Mr. Lashari’s remarkable contributions have been recognized by the Government of Pakistan through the conferment of the prestigious Tamgha-i-Imtiaz civil award.
During his lecture, Mr. Abid Lashari emphasized that inclusive education is the need of the hour. He stated that education with inclusive approaches fosters socialization and equality among children with disabilities. He appreciated the Government of Sindh for its progressive initiatives, particularly the establishment of the Directorate of Inclusive Education under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPD) in collaboration with the Education & Literacy Department.
“This initiative will help produce trained teachers in inclusive education and benefit thousands of children with disabilities by ensuring their participation in mainstream schools,” Mr. Lashari noted. He further stressed the importance of making all educational institutions accessible, ensuring reasonable accommodation, and providing an enabling environment through inclusive infrastructure and curriculum design.
Mr. Lashari concluded by saying that “a child with a disability needs empathy rather than sympathy.” He urged the Sindh Government to continue taking bold steps to strengthen inclusive education across the province, ensuring education for all in its truest sense.
