KARACHI: A critical global conversation on safeguarding and shaping the future of the next generation began as the 13th International Conference on ‘Raising Children in Our Times,’ hosted by the Aga Khan University’s Institute for Educational Development (IED), opened in Karachi.
Chief Guest Syed Sardar Ali Shah, Minister for Education and Culture, Sindh, who declared the proper raising of children to be the "fundamental challenge of our era". He asserted that the future is built not in parliaments or factories, but in the "nurturing, protected, and enlightened spaces we create for our children today".
This urgency was echoed by Dr Farid Panjwani, Dean of IED, who noted that “we often put the onus of raising kids solely on parents, as if it was a private and individualistic responsibility.
Keynote speaker Dr Lynne Wolbert, Associate Professor, Vrije University Amsterdam, captured this ethical dilemma by questioning how humans, having contributed to so many of the world’s problems, can justifiably aim to raise flourishing individuals.
A thought-provoking panel discussion on “Raising Resilient Learners in a Digital and Divided World” brought together experts like Haroon Yasin, CEO of Taleemabad, and Bronwen McGrath, Global Programme Manager at the Aga Khan Foundation, to explore concrete ways education systems and families can nurture resilience, empathy, and critical thinking.
Following this, the panel “Beyond Survival: Shaping Safe and Supportive Spaces for the Modern Child” addressed disability inclusion and supportive environments, featuring panellists including Omair Ahmed, CEO of NOWPDP, and renowned educationist Dr Mehmood Mughal, Dr Nargis Asad, Interim Chair Department of Psychiatry and Dr Fozia Parveen, Environmental Scientist at AKU.
Looking ahead, the conference will shift focus from the philosophical ‘why’ to the practical ‘how’, dedicated to developing "tangible pathways" and a blueprint for action.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025