Federal Urdu University Convocation 2010

500 students get degrees
Islamabad, Apr 27: As many as 500 students were awarded degrees at the Second Convocation of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology here on Monday.

The degrees were awarded in the disciplines of BSc Electrical Engineering (Electronics), BS-MSc Computer Science, BS-MSc Applied Physics, BBA, MBA, MSc Economics, MA Urdu, MS Electronics, MS Computer Science and PhD Economics.

The students who were awarded gold medals for securing first position in their respective disciplines included Adeel Bashir, Nayyab Bushra, Hassan Khalid, Moona Mazhar, Zia-ur-Rehman, Shehbaz Akhtar, Tauseef Shahid, Saqib Rafique Bajwa, Samiullah Abrar, Khawar Mansoor, Adnan Khan, Syed Alam Ali, Mohammad Ali, Tahir Mahmood, Wasi-ur-Rehman, Rana Mohammad Adil, Sumaira Liaquat, Mina Ashraf and Saira Bano.

Speaking on the occasion, Vice Chancellor Dr. Mohammad Qaisar said that the university is facing financial constraints as it has been established in a rented building of Wapda at an annual rent of Rs2.5 million.

"It is quite difficult for any educational institution to achieve its set targets if it does not have any permanent building and this is the situation that we are facing at the moment," he said. He said the university administration has purchased land from its own resources but it is still an uphill task to construct hostels, laboratories, examination hall, auditorium, gymnasium and conference hall to adjust growing number of students.

Dr. Qaisar said students are facing problems, as there are only two buses for their transportation, so there is also a need to buy more buses to provide them with better transportation system.

He said there are 2,330 students studying in Islamabad Campus and 195 scholars are doing their M.Phil and PhDs while 104 faculty members have been imparting education in four faculties and six disciplines.

Dr. Ashfaq Ahmad, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission and adviser to the prime minister on science and technology, said the issues which have been highlighted would be considered and every effort would be made to resolve these issues on priority basis.

He said that one must get education even if he or she does not have any goal in life as education itself is a goal. He said that education not only plays a pivotal role in the personal grooming of a person but it is also crucial for economic development of the country.

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No end to corporal punishment in public schools
Rawalpindi: 'Mar Nahein Pyar', the slogan of the Punjab education department, seems ineffective as the corporal punishment is still in practice in the public sector schools.

The education department had issued strict orders to the teachers to teach children with love and do not use any stick or any other method to punish the students. But many of the teachers in government schools and colleges are still using different methods to punish the children justifying that corporal punishment produces better results.

Government Boys High School Dera Khalsa is one of those schools where teachers still punish their students for producing good results. The school is running without headmaster since February 2004. Many of the teachers are missing from the school while those present in the school are using different methods of corporal punishment.

A total of 525 students are studying in the school including 87 students of arts group and 57 of science group in grade nine and ten. One of the teachers of the Government Boys High School Dera Khalsa on condition of anonymity said that some of the teachers are still using the old method of corporal punishment including use of stick and other ways of punishment to teach children.

He stated that teachers for middle and higher secondary level have not been available in the school for the last six years adding those who are teaching students of upper grades are not well educated that's why they are using old methods of punishment to produce good results. "Many parents even ask us to punish their children if they are not good in studies," he added.

A student of grade ten on condition of anonymity said that teachers in the school are using sticks and slap if some one fails in tests. He said that not only in middle and higher level but teachers also use to punish the student of primary level. And some of the teachers bitterly beat the innocent children in the classroom.

When Executive District Officer (Education) Muhammad Ashraf Malik contacted he said that education department has given orders to the management of schools not to use stick or any other method to punish the students. "We used to educate teachers to teach children with love and not punish them. There are some schools, which are still using the old method of teaching," he added.

Muhammad Ashraf said that the principal or headmaster of the school is responsible to implement the new methods of teaching in his or her school and they also conduct inquiry if they found any teacher involved in corporal punishment. "We also conduct inquiry if we receive any complaint of corporal punishment in any school. But normally the heads of the institutions concerned conduct inquiry in such cases," he said.

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Schoolteachers demand increase in salaries
Rawalpindi: The educators from Punjab public sector schools have expressed serious concern over non-increase in their salaries despite repeated assurances given by the provincial government. Sharing views with PPI, schoolteachers said that the current salaries are meagre to meet both ends following the skyrocketing price-hike during last two years.

Sagheer Alam, president of Punjab Teachers Union (Rawalpindi District) said that the representatives of higher officials held several meeting with us in this regard despite their assurance no practical steps had taken yet.

"We can't even afford fares of public transport. There is no option for us apart from launching a protest movement to draw the attention of the government towards the financial crisis being faced by our community, he questioned .

Another schoolteacher Usman Ahmed was of the view that how is it possible for a teacher to meet his expense with the salary of only 8,000 per month adding that government has increased charges of basic necessary items including electricity, gas, petroleum prices and other expense in daily life.

They urged Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif to take practical steps for the betterment of the teachers and increase their salaries otherwise we have no option to launch protest. The news

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HEC scholar wins IIW Award
Islamabad: Higher Education Commission (HEC) scholar Saleemullah Khosa, who is pursuing his PhD studies at the Institute of Materials Science and Welding, Graz University of Technology, Austria, has been declared joint winner of the 2010 Henry Granjon Prize (Category B) by the International Institute of Welding (IIW).

Khosa who proceeded aboard under HEC's scheme "PhD Scholarships for Study of Science, Engineering and Technology, Austria" will attend the formal prize giving during the opening ceremony of the 63rd IIW Annual Assembly on July 11, 2010 in Istanbul, Turkey.

He has also been invited to participate in the work of the 25 Technical Commissions and Working Groups during the IIW Annual Assembly to be held from July 12-14, 2010 and the International Conference from July 15-16, 2010.

On the occasion, he will also make an oral presentation of his paper entitled "development of physical-based model for Friction Stir Spot Welding (FSSW) process". Dialy times

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IIU to implement five-day week schedule
Islamabad: The International Islamic University (IIU) has decided to implement five-day week schedule as per instructions of the Federal Government with immediate effect. According to the university decision its offices shall remain open on Monday to Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (with half an hour lunch/prayer break at 1:00 p.m.) and on Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (with lunch/Friday prayer break from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.). This decision was taken in a high level meeting presided over by Parveen Qadir Agha, vice president of the university. Heads of all faculties and institutes attended the meeting. The news

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AU sports week concludes
Islamabad: A five day colourful sports and cultural week of Air University (AU) concluded here on Monday.

The festival included a number of cultural activities like hockey, cricket, football, and badminton matches.

Speaking on the occasion, chief guest Dr Ijaz Malik, vice chancellor Air University (AU), said that these kinds of extra curricular activities play a vital role in developing students mind as well as physical fitness.

VC later presented shields and winning trophies among the winners and runners-up.

Department of Business Administration clinched the first position with the maximum points while Mechatronics Department bagged the runner up trophy. Daily times

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Session on academic research and writing held
Islamabad: Dr Muhammad Ahsan, a UK-based research consultant, conducted a session with local scholars and PhD students on 'Academic research and writing', organised by Islamabad Policy Research Institute here on Monday.

He covered various aspects of academic research and writing in Pakistan. The main points highlighted in the session included provision of specific research skills, preparation of a qualitative research proposal, adequately structuring a research report/PhD thesis, tackling linguistic and technical aspects of a piece of research, citation and comparative overview of relevant literature.

He also laid emphasis on various systems of referencing, exploring the ways and means to publish the research (national and international sources), possibility of conversion of a PhD thesis into a book or a research report, and prospects of publishing PhD thesis in the form of research paper(s).

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Fake degree case
Peshawar: An election tribunal of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday served show-cause notice on the National Assembly member from Bajaur Agency, Syed Akhunzada Chittan, in a fake degree case, according to the lawyer of the petitioner.

Reporters had no access to the proceeding of the case as it was held at the chamber of the judge. The petitioner's counsel, Qazi Muhammad Anwar said that the court observed that why not he (Chittan) be refrained from performing the duties as National Assembly member and denied perks and privileges extended to the lawmaker after the administration of the University of Peshawar (UoP) did not own a graduation degree that he had attached with his nomination papers submitted before the Election Commission to contest general election in February 2008.

As per the rules in 2008 elections, having a valid graduation degree was a sine qua none to contest the election. Recording his statement before the election tribunal, presided over by Justice Dost Muhammad Khan, UoP Controller of Examination Dr Shafi produced the varsity record before the tribunal, stating that the parliamentarian could not qualify the Bachelor's examination despite four attempts in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1994.

The Controller of Examination, according to Qazi Muhammad Anwar, informed the court the UoP never issued any degree to Chittan. Pakistan People's Party-(PPP) candidate Chittan carried the day in February 18, 2008 general election on National Assembly seat, NA-44 Bajaur, by defeating Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q)-backed former MNA, Shahabuddin Khan. He had polled 6,257 ballots. Shahabuddin moved the election tribunal, challenging the authenticity of the graduation degree of Chittan.

The respondent's counsel, Kamran Murtaza, sought adjournment in the case, which the tribunal refused observing that Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had amended the People's Representation Act, 1979, strictly banning deferment of the election petitions.

"Amendment in the People's Representation Act has empowered the tribunals to even refrain legislators from attending respective assemblies' sessions if the latter appear to be impeding the process of disposal of election petitions on one pretext or the other," Justice Dost Muhammad remarked. The tribunal adjourned the case for 30th the instant for final arguments.

In another case filed by Ehtisham Javed Akbar Khan, a losing candidate on PF-68 (Dera Ismail Khan-V), the tribunal put the returning officer, presiding officers and other respondents on notice to explain their position in the case on next hearing. Ehtisham levelled rigging charges against the winning candidate, MPA Makhdoomzada Syed Murid Kazim Shah, and sought his disqualification as assembly member.

Also, the same tribunal recorded statements in another election petition filed by Jamaat-i-Islami's former speaker of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Bakht Jehan Khan, against the winning candidate from NA-28 (Buner), Istiqbal Khan, who belongs to the Awami National Party (ANP).

The petitioner accused the returning officer of having changed the results of a few polling stations, "thus maneuvering the triumph of the ANP ticket-holder Istiqbal Khan." The same tribunal transferred another election petition filed by a losing candidate on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly seat, PF-14 (Nowshera-III), Aftab Ahmad Khan, to the tribunal headed by Justice Syed Sajjad Hussain Shah, following the instructions of the ECP.

The winning candidate who is respondent in the petition, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Excise and Taxation Liaquat Ali Shabab, had requested the ECP to shift his case to another tribunal. Shabab had won the general election on the seat by securing 111,94 votes on the PPP ticket. The news

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