The Department of Social Work at the University of Sindh organized an event titled “Eradicating Poverty: The First Goal of Sustainable Development” to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The event was presided over by Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Fateh Muhammad Marri (TI), while Jamshoro Deputy Commissioner Ghazanfar Ali Qadri attended as the chief guest.

Held at the Sheikh Ayaz Auditorium in the Arts Faculty Building in collaboration with the Bureau of STAGS, the event was also attended by renowned social activist Noor Muhammad Bajeer and Deputy Director of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Taufique Channa, as guests of honour.

Addressing the participants, Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Fateh Muhammad Marri said that eradicating poverty was essential for building a prosperous, peaceful and developed society. He said the government, educational institutions, social organisations and citizens could play their respective roles through collective efforts to achieve this objective.

He said that eradicating poverty was the first of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set by the United Nations. He emphasised the important role of higher education in poverty alleviation, noting that 85 per cent of young people were unable to reach universities due to various factors, including poverty, a lack of awareness and inadequate guidance. Only 15 per cent of young people had access to university education, while the proportion of female students was less than three per cent.

The Vice Chancellor stressed that collective efforts were needed to increase the literacy rate and provide more educational opportunities, particularly for girls.

He said the government had launched several programmes to eradicate poverty and improve the literacy rate, including the Income Support Programme and numerous scholarship opportunities. However, due to a lack of proper awareness and guidance, people were not benefiting from these initiatives to the extent required. He emphasised the need to raise public awareness and said that events of this nature played an important role in achieving that objective.

Addressing the students, he said they were among the fortunate 15 per cent of young people who had the opportunity to attend university. Despite poverty and financial difficulties, their parents had sent them to university with the hope that they would work hard and build a better future. He urged the students to remain focused on their studies and fulfil their parents’ expectations.

He said the four years spent at university were extremely valuable and encouraged students to make the most of this important period of their lives. The Vice Chancellor also congratulated the chairman of the Department of Social Work and his team for organising an event on such an important subject.

Earlier, Chairman of the Department of Social Work Dr. Syed Faisal Haider Shah welcomed the participants and highlighted the objectives of the programme in his opening remarks.

Addressing the event, Jamshoro Deputy Commissioner Ghazanfar Ali Qadri said that poverty had multiple causes, including rapid population growth, a lack of education and technical skills, inflation, limited employment opportunities and people's reluctance to work hard.

He observed that education was still largely viewed as a means of securing a government job, leading young people to waste valuable time waiting for such opportunities. However, he said, perceptions had changed across the world, where people increasingly relied on their skills to benefit from diverse employment and economic opportunities rather than depending solely on government jobs.

He urged young people to acquire practical skills alongside their academic degrees so that they could contribute to their own prosperity, support their families and promote the development of society. He added that universities had a vital role to play in global efforts to eradicate poverty.

Speaking on the occasion, renowned social activist Noor Muhammad Bajeer said that multifaceted efforts were being made worldwide to eradicate poverty, with social organisations also playing an active role. He stressed that peace and development were possible only through the eradication of poverty.

Deputy Director of the Benazir Income Support Programme Taufique Channa highlighted the assistance provided to people affected by poverty through the programme and its positive outcomes.

Registrar of the University of Sindh Sajid Qayoom Memon and Ajved Ahmad Bhatti also shared their views on the occasion.

At the conclusion of the event, Dean of the Faculty of Arts Prof. Dr. Nanik Ram thanked all the participants and expressed his views on the theme of the programme.