ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have launched the second cohort of a master-trainer program in special education in Karachi, according to a statement by COMSTECH, the OIC’s ministerial committee on science and technology.

The three-month residential program, jointly run with Ida Rieu Schools, a Karachi-based special education institution, aims to build a pool of trainers across OIC member states in modern tools for teaching children who are blind or deaf.

This year’s cohort includes participants from Nigeria, Uganda, Gambia and Kenya, with the initiative reflecting a push toward inclusive education that reduces social barriers so physical impairments do not become disabilities in classrooms or workplaces.

“The second cohort will reside at the Ida Rieu Campus for three months, where participants will undergo extensive hands-on training in modern tools and techniques of special education, particularly for the education and care of blind and deaf children,” the statement said.

COMSTECH Coordinator General Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary welcomed the trainees, praised Ida Rieu President Nadira Panjwani’s leadership and philanthropy, cited positive feedback from the first batch, and proposed establishing an OIC Training Center in Special Education at Ida Rieu as a legacy institution for all 57 member states.

Panjwani said participants were selected through a rigorous process and welcomed the collaboration with COMSTECH, while the ceremony featured a performance by Ida Rieu’s blind and deaf students.