Earth day at educational institutions in Pakistan

Earth Day marked with poster show
Islamabad, Apr 23: Pakistan Youth Climate Network (PYCN) of Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in collaboration with US Embassy and Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) organised a poster exhibition and prize distribution ceremony on Thursday to celebrate the Earth Day.

Fatima Rasheed from PYCN said they had received 200 entries on different environmental topics including recycling, pollution, global warming and peace.

She said the work of the young artists underlined the desire for change and expressed the hope that the youth could achieve that change.

In the category of 17 to 25 years of age, Ayesha Hasan and Amna Saeed of National College of Arts and Malik Ammar Khawar from Roots won the first, second and third prizes respectively.

In the category of 12 to 16 years of age, Fasih Ahmad (Roots), Shaaref Munir (Lahore Grammar School) and Ahmad Karim (Schola Nova) bagged first, second and third prizes respectively.

PNCA Director-General Tauqeer Nasir and US Embassy Assistant Cultural Attaché Julia Fendrick distributed certificates and awards among the participants and winners of the exhibition.

Shafqat Kakakhel, former Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme and SDPI Board of Governors member appreciated the SDPI role in sensitising the youth to climate change, global warming and environmental problems.

Fendrick said the Earth Day stressed the need for finding solutions to environmental problems. "It asks us to preserve, conserve and protect the environment for the sake of posterity, she said. Daily times

Beaconhouse celebrates Earth Day
Islamabad: The Beaconhouse Margalla campus celebrated the Earth Day to create awareness among the students about the importance of a clean, green and healthy environment.

A programme in this connection was held in which students from the Institution of Special Education H-8 were invited to make a team called "Friendship through nature" by planting saplings, says a press release issued here on Thursday.

The programme was aimed to create awareness regarding the serious challenges our planet earth is facing.

They had made badges and posters reiterating the importance of clean and pollution free environment.

Ayesha Butt, a student, in her speech highlighted a few serious threats earth was facing and the ways to address them.

Feroza Anwar, Arooj-i-Zafar and Shah Bano Kaiser presented a mime show depicting innocent humanity getting corrupted and destroying the earth to unimaginable limits. Zupash Anam presented a song on global warming. Dawn

Earth Day at Grammar School
Rawalpindi: The Grammar School Rawalpindi marked the Earth Day at its Chaklala Branch, says a press release.

The students of GSR Chaklala Branch impressed the audience by reading out a speech and a poem written by themselves, while the students of Lalazar Branch gave a presentation on greenhouse gases that conveyed the information as to how previously, these gases kept the balance on earth, but how due to their excess, multiple problems have occurred. Solutions were also put forward.

A student explained the Chatter Books Project of British Council that GSR is involved in. The project focuses on not only improving the reading skills and habits of children, but the content consist largely of Global Climate Change.

Saima Dogar from PELI, the guest speaker on the occasion, while talking on global climate change explained to the students the effect of our activities on the environment and the solutions that could be undertaken to prevent it. It was followed by a question answer session.

Shahid Waseem, Outreach Coordinator Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy, lauded GSR for the work being done and suggested sharing it with other schools, especially public sector schools.

Earlier, Director GSR Nasreen Iqbal, in her opening remarks, briefed the audience about GSR's involvement, since its inception, in exposing the students of the school and those of many others in activities to benefit the environment.

Rootsians pledge to save Mother Earth
Rawalpindi: Students of all campuses of the Roots School System nationwide celebrated Earth Day on the theme of 'Earth Day is Every Day'.

Students wore headgears and held placards and banners with different slogans written on them such as 'Save Our Mother Earth', 'Keep Our Surroundings Clean and Green' and 'Keeping the Environment Green will Help Us to Live Healthy'.

They pledged to stop air and water pollution, turn off lights after leaving the room to save electricity, recycle by reusing recycled things, and not litter or pollute the earth.

Students also participated in a painting competition in connection with Earth Day in which they showed their feelings towards keeping a healthy environment by showing kids putting litter in bins, planting saplings and properly disposing of waste. They had a quiz on the related theme as well.

Earth Day is a special day to learn about our planet and how to take care of it, and offer schoolteachers with an opportunity to focus the attention of students on the environment and stimulate their creativity and imagination, so that they can act persuasively to help solve environmental problems.

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Bookbinders business in full swing
Islamabad: As the new academic session has been started, the business of bookbinders is also on the rise in twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Bookbinding is a traditional way to cover and make books in a beautiful structure, which give safe and decent look to the kids books.

Bookbinders in different areas of twin cities markets are now a days busy in binding and covering the school books as well as copies.

Masters of the craft create new bindings that run the gamut from historical book structures made with traditional materials to modern structures made with 21st century materials, and from basic cloth-case binding to valuable full-leather fine binding. Publishing children's books at first choice provides a great sense of pride. Working with talented illustrators and graphic artists help us to provide a variety of titles in different styles of bindings affordable at reasonable prices, a shopkeeper said.

Some of the hand bookbinding techniques that are common today is included on Saddle Stitch, Yotsume Toji, Perfect Binding, Hardcover Binding and Coptic Binding.

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HEC scholar wins 'PhD Student Award' in China
Islamabad: Zeeshan Nawaz, a Higher Education Commission's PhD scholarship holder, has been awarded the 'Excellent PhD Student 2009 Award' by Tsinghua University, Beijing.

Zeeshan is an HEC scholar under the 90 per cent Overseas Scholarship for MS/MPhil leading to PhD in Selected Fields (Phase - II) at the Department of Chemical Engineering (FLOTU), Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, say a press release.

This year, this prestigious award - sponsored by esteemed multinational Taiwan based company ETERNAL Chemical Co Ltd - has been awarded to only three PhD students on the basis of innovative and meritorious achievements in their respective field of research. Among them, Zeeshan Nawaz is the first ever and only Pakistani to have won the award. He has published more than 20 research papers in the world's leading research journals and registered four patents in the last two years.

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18 GB students elated at admission after prolonged wait
Islamabad: The long wait for 18 young people hailing from the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region is finally over, as they feel relieved to have ultimately got admission in Quaid-i-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur.

The students, including eight girls, say they have been granted the sought-after admission following the clearance needed by the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) for an increase in the college's seats, though the issuance of roll numbers to them is still awaited.

The students had been reeling under nervous strain that came with the refusal of this government-run medical college to enrol them for the ongoing academic session a few months ago despite Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif's announcement to double the quota of local GB students in the medical and engineering colleges of Punjab. With the announcement, the number of seats for GB students in Punjab's medical colleges increased from 32 to 64. There followed the issuance of a list of 64 students (32 under previous quota and 32 under new one) by the GB's education department, and all selected students began attending classes at their respective colleges earlier this year.

But, within days, there surfaced an issue. The GB education department, on learning that the Punjab chief minister announced the increase in medical college seats without securing PMDC's prior mandatory consent, blocked the issuance of the students' nomination letters to the federal and Punjab governments, bring these GB students' education to a grinding halt.

Under the rules, medical and dental colleges can't increase the number of seats for an academic session on their own but require the mandatory consent of PMDC before doing so. PMDC allows the increase in seats after finding available facilities and faculties, good enough to cater to the students to be admitted to the medical or dental college. The students then came to Islamabad on January 28 to apprise GB CM Mehdi Shah of their misery but the promises stayed unfulfilled in the days ahead.

In distress, the youngsters got in contact with top PMDC officials, who called them for a meeting at the Council's main offices in Islamabad on February 8. During the meeting, the Council agreed to enhance the number of Punjab medical college seats to the relief of the students, under which King Edward Medical College of Lahore was to admit five more students from GB, Allama Iqbal Medical College of Lahore five, Nishtar Medical College of Multan four, and Quaid-i-Azam Medical College of Bahawalpur was to admit 18 students.

Following the PMDC's announcement, the students named by the GB's education department got admission in their respective educational institutions except for Quaid-i-Azam Medical College. The college's principal, a retired military officer, insisted that he could accommodate seven and not 18 students in line with the PMDC's official communication. However, the intervention by PMDC and provincial government led to the admission of all 18 students to the medical college on April 16 that include the names of Mehmoodur Rehman, Syeda Sanam Zahra, Kaneez Fatima, Sarwat Batool, Abida Khatoon, Minhaj Ahmed, Zaheeruddin, Sumaira Mansoor, Shabana Mehr, Muhammad Amjad, Quratulain, Shahnawaz Sharif, Muhammad Ali Shah, Rafiq Hussain, Ashraf Hussain, Naila Batool, Khadim Hussain and Rafiuddin. However, roll numbers to these students are yet to be issued, it was learned.

The students thanked the Punjab government and PMDC for ensuring their early admission to Quaid-i-Azam Medical College.

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Annual day held at Beaconhouse
Wah Cantonment: The effective relationship amongst students, teachers and parents complements the life at school. To implement this idea, Beaconhouse School System, Wah Cantonment, organised an annual day at the Ordnance Club.

Vice Chancellor University of Wah Dr Maqbool Ahmad graced the occasion as the chief guest whereas Head of the Physics Department Dr Uzma Ghazanfar was the guest of honour at the event attended by a large number of parents.

The stage was beautifully decorated in blue and white theme with flowers, buntings and flowing fabric. The children's colourful dresses added an aesthetic flavour to the visual beauty.

The recitation of holy verses from Surah Rehman and the translation marked the beginning of the event that was followed by the energetic show of talent depicted by every item presented on the stage. Students from Pre-nursery to Class V participated in dance and drama performances. It was an occasion of immense joy and pride for the parents when they saw their children dressed up as different characters performing confidently on the stage.

At the end, teachers were awarded with appreciation certificates in recognition of their professional excellence and diligence. The chief guest, in his speech, appreciated the students and teachers, and advised the parents to help their children in developing reading skills. He also talked about the importance of teacher-child relationship in the academic life of students. The news

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