Aitchison college admission | Students teacher ratio

58 'failed' students get into Aitchison College
Lahore, April 18: Fifty-eight "failed" students made it to the prestigious Aitchison College in 2011, managing admission through the support of influential figures, mostly PPP bigwigs.

Confidential documents reveal gross violation of merit in overall admissions last year as the then principal Principal Fakir Syed Aijazuddin not only accommodated candidates who failed in written examinations for admission, but also let four students in despite no vacant seats. This implies that the former principal robbed at least 58 eligible candidates of their right to ensure a better future in an institution, which had remained a symbol of excellence for over a century now.

According to the documents, 24 admissions were made in K-2, eight in K-3, three in K-4, five in K-5 (out of which two were on merit but there were no seats), nine in E-1 (out of which, one was on merit but there were no seats), four in E-2 , three in M-1, five in M-2 (out of which, one was on merit, but there were no seats) and one in C-1.

The procedure for admission to Classes K-1 to K-5 consists of written examination, interview (boys who reach the qualifying standard and a medical examination to verify age and health condition). The candidates are examined in English, Mathematics, Urdu and Reasoning for which 50 percent are the qualifying marks.

Similarly, procedure of admission to Prep School for Classes E1, E2 and M1 consists of examinations in English, Mathematics, Urdu, Science, a confidential report from the boy's pervious school, and an interview with the applicant accompanied by his parents while qualifying marks for written exams are also 50 percent.

Likewise procedure for admission to Senior School for Classes M2 (Grade-9) and Class C1 (Grade-10) consists of a written examination, a confidential report from the applicant's previous school and interview with the applicant accompanied by his parents.

According to sources, the Punjab government's indifferent attitude towards affairs of the Aitchison College also added a lot to this mess. It is important to mention here that Chief Secretary Punjab, Finance Secretary and Secretary Higher Education are ex-officio members of the Aitchison College's Board of Governors (BoG). The sources said these officials seldom attended the BoG meetings thus providing a good opportunity to other stakeholders to take advantage of their absence.

Meanwhile, sources in the Punjab government confirmed this negligence on the part of the ex-officio members, which, according to them, had harmed the reputation of this historic institution.

Contrary to its admissions policy, Aitchison College admitted even those students who performed extremely poorly in the written examination. There were those who got just 2.8 marks, 3.9 marks and 4.7 marks out of a total 50 marks and were ranked much below others who appeared in the written exam and were admitted.

The students who were admitted to Class K-2 in sheer violation of merit are (full names not being given): Abdullah s/o Jamil (Registration No 07910). He had secured just 3.9 marks in written exam and was ranked 457 (out of 478). Roshan s/o Shahjahan (Registration No. 06975) had secured 19.3 marks and was ranked 394 (out of 478). Ali s/o Ahmed (Registration No. 07420) had secured 36.7 marks and was ranked 321 (out of 478). Hassan s/o Saleem (Registration No. 07849) had 30.7 marks and ranking 348 (out of 478). Ahmed s/o Afzal (Registration No. 07475) had 40.3 marks and ranking 296 (out of 478). Faris s/o Kamran (Registration No. 06968) had 46.6 marks and ranking 243 (out of 478). Mustafa s/o Saif (Registration No. 06940) secured 40.6 marks and ranked 294 (out of 478). Rahmat s/o Suhail (Registration No. 07145) had 42.9 marks and ranking 274 (out of 478). Zohaib s/o Salman (Registration No. 07361) had 38.8 marks and ranking 305 (out of 478). Raayan s/o Waqas (Registration No. 07033) had 24 marks and ranking 376 (out of 478). The student was also assessed as a very slow child. Moeed s/o Asim (Registration No. 07288) had just 12.7 marks ranking 425 (out of 478). Ali s/o Jamal (Registration No. 6990) had 45 marks and ranking 259 (out of 478). Haider s/o Reza (Registration No. 07136) had 34.6 marks and ranking 330 (out of 478). Mustafa s/o Shafiq (Registration No. 06890) had 49.7 marks and ranking 231 (out of 478). Bilal s/o Ali (Registration No. 06832) had 32.9 marks and ranking 341 (out of 478). Kabir s/o Sadiq (Registration No. 07200) had 42.6 marks and ranking 278 (out of 478). Hassan s/o Shakil (Registration No. 07544) had 30.3 marks and ranking 350 (out of 478). Khizar s/o Mohsin (Registration No. 07322) had 30.2 marks and ranking 351 (out of 478). Saif s/o Zulfiqar (Registration No.07720) had just 8.6 marks and ranking 441 (out of 478). Aftab s/o Asif (Registration No. 06661) had 44.3 marks and ranking 263 (out of 478). Abdullah (Registration No. 07052) had 27.7 marks and ranking 360 (out of 478). Ayaan s/o Tariq (Registration No. 07147) had 49.5 marks and ranking 232 (out of 478). Omer (Registration No. 07460) had 11.3 marks and ranking 429 (out of 478) and Afraz s/o Arif had just 4.7 marks and ranked 452 (out of 478)

The students who were admitted to Class K-3 are: Moazzam s/o Tariq (Registration No. 06669) had 20.2 marks and ranking 95 (out of 130). Amaan s/o Ali (Registration No. 07443) had 32.1 marks and ranking 60 (out of 130). Mustafa s/o Zulqarnain (Registration No. 06960) had 36 marks and ranking 48 (out of 130). Anas s/o Azhar (Registration No. 07074) had 23 marks ranking 87 (out of 130). Ali s/o Babar (Registration No. 07458) had 26.5 marks and ranking 75 (out of 130). Hamza s/o Nauman (Registration No. 07737) had 23.7 marks and ranking 85 (out of 130). Raheemullah s/o Ashfaq (Registration No. 07038) had 39.4 marks ranking 36 (out of 130). Abdullah s/o Ahmad (Registration No. 07251) had 42.3 marks and ranking 28 (out of 130).

The students who were admitted to Class K-4 are: Ibrahim s/o Kamran (Registration No. 07411) had only 2.8 marking and ranking 84 (out of 86). Shahzeb s/o Salman (Registration No. 06682) had 48.5 marks and ranking 13 (out of 86). Daniyal s/o Farooq (Registration No. 06822) had 42.2 marks and ranking 21 (out of 86).

The students who were admitted to Class K-5 include Hassan s/o Farooq (Registration No. 07510) had 22.4 marks and ranking 83 (out of 100). Haris s/o Yasin (Registration No. 07205) had 41 marks and ranking 36 (out of 100). Ahmed s/o Altaf (Registration No. 068237) had just 12.3 marks ranking 96 (out of 100).

The students who were admitted to Class E-1 are: Asadullah s/o Ijaz (Registration No. 6907) had 33.8 marks and ranking 56 (out of 103). Irzam s/o Asif (Registration No. 6835) had 48.9 marks and ranking 19 (out of 103). Husnain s/o Khurram (Registration No. 6708) had 41 marks and ranking 36 (out of 103) and Araib s/o Kashif (Registration No. 6921) had 24.3 marks and ranking 80 (out of 103). Ammar s/o Alam (Registration No. 7439) had 30.4 marks and ranking 68 (out of 103). Murtaza s/o Asif (Registration No. 6941) had 49.6 marks and ranking 18 (out of 103) and Izn s/o Tariq (Registration No. 7697) had 27.5 marks and ranking 74 (out of 103). Hamza s/o Tahir (Registration No. 7558) had 35 marks and ranking 21 (out of 103).

The students who were admitted to Class E-2 include Mubeen s/o Zamrak had just 18.5 marks and ranking 64 (out of 76). Hunain s/o Ibrahim (Registration No. 7093) had 28 marks and ranking 41 (out of 76). Raffay s/o Akhtar (Registration No. 7429) had 41 marks and ranking 18 (out of 76). Hamza s/o Bakhtiar (Registration No. 7853) had only 19.6 marks and ranking 58 (out of 76).

The students who were admitted to Class M-1 include Fateh s/o Asim (Registration No. 7672) had 21.9 marks and ranking 57 (out of 75). The candidate had also weak result in previous school. Zohaib s/o Tahir (Registration No. 7339) had 34.4 marks and ranking 31 (out of 75). Aziz s/o Mahboob (Registration No. 06755) had 49.1 marks and ranking 13 (out of 75).

The students who were admitted to Class M-2 include Hayat s/o Asim (Registration No. 07670) had just 17 marks. Huzaim s/o Ibrahim (Registration No. 07094) had 45 marks. Saifullah s/o Shujah (Registration No.07589) had 38 marks. Daud s/o Tahir (Registration No. 07459) had 33 marks.

The student who were admitted to Class C-1 include Umer s/o Asad (Registration No. 07487) had 45 marks.

The students who met the merit didn't stand a chance as there were no vacancies, included Muhammad Ali Bhoon s/o Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon (Registration No. 06686) had 56.2 marks and ranking 10 (out of 100) and Arij Javaid s/o Rana Javaid Umar (Registration No. 07659) had also 58.8 marks and ranking 8 (out of 100) in K-5.

In E-1 Syed Nadir Hussain (Registration No. 07822) had 53 marks and ranking 14 (out of 103) while in M-2 Abdullah Qaiser Warriach s/o Qaiser Shabbir Warriach (Registration No. 07816) had 52 marks.

Most interesting is the manner in which these admissions were carried out. That is, the people involved in this social crime didn't bother a bit about the bad exposure in the event these cases leaked out. The supporters of these students made requests through letters, phone-calls and even SMS. The Governor House also got involved in these admissions openly, with a good number "added by the governor."

The influentials whose names have been attributed to the admissions in the record are: President of Pakistan, Prime Minister, sister and brother-in-law of the President, Nawab Muhammad Aslam Khan Raisani Chief Minister Balochistan, Ch Ahmad Mukhtar Federal Minister for Defence, Raja Pervez Ashraf, MNA, NA-51, Rawalpindi (PPP)/ Federal Minister for Water & Power, Mir Changez Khan Jamali Federal Minister for S&T, Ch Imtiaz Safdar Warraich President PPP Punjab/ MNA NA-98, Gujranwala, Malik Nawab Sher Waseer, MNA, NA-76, Faisalabad (PPP), political secretary to President Zardari Ms Rukhsana Bangash, Muhammad Ijaz Virk (PPPP) MNA NA-83, Faisalabad, Khalid Ahmed Khan Kharal (PPP), MNA Ghulam Farid Kathia NA-161 Sahiwal, Rana Muhammad Farooq Saeed Khan MNA, NA-79, Faisalabad (PPP), Tanvir Ashraf Kaira MPA PP-112, Gujrat (PPP)/ Ex-Minister Finance Punjab, Rai Muhammad Shahjahan Khan (PPPP), MPA PP-54, Faisalabad, Syed Abrar Hussain Shah, MPA PP-173, Nankana Sahib, PP-172, Mohammad Jamil Shah MPA PP-218, Khanewal (PPP), Ms Ruqia Khanam Soomro, MPA, PSW-136, Sindh/ President, PPP Sindh (Women Wing), Mehr Irshad Ahmad Khan Sial, MPA, PPP Muzaffargarh PP-254/ Chairman Standing Committee on Culture & Youth Affairs, Muhammad Shujah Khan, Minister for Food, KP, Malik Mohammad Ahmed Khan ex-MPA/ Old Aitchisonian, Hashaam Riaz Sheikh, member BoG of Aitchison College, Fazal Palejo, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, Irfan Alvi Media Consultant to Governor, Naurez Shakoor ex-MNA, Mr Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry, former Chief Justice of LHC, Tanvir Butt, Political Advisor to Governor, Corps Headquarters, Mian Misbah ur Rehman, Sheikh Khadim, Arslan Sheikh, Syed Ahmad Saeed Kirmani, Shaikh Allauddin MPA, Mr Waqar, friend of ex-Governor, Tariq Bashir Cheema, Qazi Humayun Fareed, Dean, Consular Corps Punjab Lahore, Ahsan Bhoon, advocate, former Judge Lahore High Court, Ms Zill-e-Huma, D.G Rangers, Mian Muhammad Ahmad Sethi, Director, Naimatullah Steel Works, Lahore, Mian Ghulam Muhammad Ahmed Khan Maneka ex-Federal Minister, Justice (r) Faqir Muhammad Khokhar former Judge Supreme Court of Pakistan, Chairman WAPDA, Riaz Malik, Advocate Ahwar Tufail Warriach, President PLF Gujranwala, Engineer Malik Bilal Ahmad, MPA, D.G Forest, Begum Governor Punjab, Khurram Latif Khosa, Shahbaz Khosa, Ms Zareen Khosa, Balakh Sher Khosa, Barrister Sehr Khosa, Balakh Sher Khosa, and Mrs Javeria with reference of Ms Governor and others.

It is pertinent to mention here that during the tenure of Fakir Syed Aijazuddin who joined Aitchison College as principal on December 29, 2008, a substantial increase in overall strength of students was witnessed in the college and the hockey ground of the college was used for construction of new classrooms to "accommodate" the ever-growing number of admissions.

An alarming trend was witnessed in student intake in K-2 and K-3 over the past two years. As many as 144 admissions were made in K-2 in 2009 while 225 in 2010. Similarly 07 admissions were made in 2009 in K-3 and 93 in 2010. K-2 now has around 16 sections.

The process of promotion of these extra students in K-2 and K-3 would lead to another problem of generating more rooms for each class every next year. This would require huge funds for the construction apart from the acquisition of land for the purpose. This extra land could only be acquired from the available grounds on the premises. In such an eventuality the college management will have to make serious compromises vis-a-vis activities of sports for which the college is know all over the country.

When contacted, Fakir Syed Aijazuddin said he had nothing to do with the admissions. When reminded that he was the principal at the time the admissions were made he said "You should contact the incumbent principal as he has all the record now." Without saying anything further he disconnected the call.

However, when contacted over his cell phone, Prof Dr Muhammad Hafeez, who joined Aitchison College as principal in March 2012, did not comment on the 2011 admissions, saying one should have a futuristic approach instead of indulging in the past. He, however, confirmed it was mandatory to qualify in the written exam.

Answering a question as to how many admissions in total would be made this year, Dr Hafeez expressed his ignorance saying he had recently joined the college and was still in the learning process.

Since the principal is custodian of the college's record this correspondent tried to meet Prof Dr Muhammad Hafeez in his office to show him the documents available with The News to seek his point of view in detail but to no avail.

A detailed letter as well an email mentioning gross violation in admissions, with an example, was also sent to him to respond which too went unanswered. Afterwards the principal neither received phone calls nor replied to the SMS's of this reporter.

The News provided a fair opportunity to the administration of the college to share its point of view but to no avail.

Senator Muhammad Mohsin Khan Leghari, a distinguished Aitchisonian, also a member of the Aitchison College's Board of Governors, said the former principal never discussed admission matters with the board members. He said the former principal had focused on revenue generation for the college owing to which he was all for maximum admissions.

Leghari further said that he personally believed that the character of the Aitchison College had changed. "Its boarding school used to provide a good opportunity to students from across the country to interact and develop a close relationship", he said adding, "But, unfortunately, the once premier institution has become an ordinary school now."

He also expressed displeasure over using the college's hockey ground for construction of new block saying sports and games were as important in development of a student's character and personality as grades.

Secretary Higher Education Punjab, ex-officio member of the BoG, said he did not know about his predecessors but ever since he joined the department some months ago he attended almost four or five board meetings. He also expressed his ignorance over out-of-merit admissions.

Spokesperson of the Governor House said that the governor has got no role in the admission process. He said that as President of the BoG, the governor does have an advisory role and shares input wherever required but, primarily, it is the principal's job to oversee the admission process and ensure transparency.

He said that despite being head of the BoG the governor is in no position to influence the process of admission in such a prestigious institution in the presence of other noted and respected members of the BoG. He added the decisions of the college were made by the BoG and not just the BoG's president alone.

Another source said noted personalities including public office holders often face pressure from relations or constituents for admissions, and they refer the same to the authority concerned as a routine. Adherence to merit and policy was the responsibility of the authority.

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Riphah tops HEC 'W' category
Islamabad: Riphah International University, Islamabad, has secured first position among 'W' category of private sector universities of the country for its quality enhancement programmes. The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC), after evaluating the performance of the Quality Enhancement Cells (QECs) of the universities through a score card has placed Riphah International University on the top of the merit list prepared in this regard. A function was held at the main campus of Riphah International University in Sector I-14 in Islamabad on Tuesday to celebrate the achievement.

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Students-per-teacher ratio lowest in Islamabad
Islamabad: A study of Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) shows lowest number of students-per-teacher (21) in government girls' primary schools of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) whereas in Fata the number was highest (53) - higher than the government-set limit for primary schools which is 40 students-per-teacher.

The report released on Sunday says that as much as 92 per cent of the 154 government girls' primary schools monitored in 84 districts in February were without cleaners while about three-fifths did not have peons and security guards.

The report mentions that information was withheld on the appointments of support staff by the administration of 57 schools. However, in schools that did share information, an average 10 per cent vacancy rate was observed. As for the teaching positions, the average vacancy rate was 9 per cent in 142 schools that shared information. The average teacher-student ratio of 1:34 in the monitored schools appeared to be satisfactory.

More than half of the schools were without playgrounds while 51 had no arrangements for clean drinking water. Furthermore, 50 schools did not have proper seating for students while three-fourths of the monitored schools did not have staffrooms for teachers. On the other had, 43 schools lacked electricity connections and classrooms of 56 schools had no fans. The news

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24th Annual Cultural Week begins at IIUI
Islamabad: The 24th Annual Cultural Week started at the International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI) on Tuesday with Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Javaid Laghari in the chair.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sardar Yaqoob Ahmad Khan was the guest of honour on the occasion. IIUI Vice President Dr Sahibzada Sajidur Rehman was also prominent on the stage.

The ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates and Somalia participated in the opening ceremony. China, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Kenya, Bangladesh, Iran and other countries set up their stalls to highlight their culture.

The most attractive stalls were set up by students of Afghanistan featuring different aspects of Afghan life, food and literature.

At stalls of other countries, students showcased their cultural symbols and dresses of different cultures.

Similarly, students from all the four provinces of the country set up their stalls to highlight culture of their areas. There was a special focus differentiating the culture of rural from urban areas.

All departments of the university also set up their stalls offering insights into subjects like international relations, Islamic art and architecture, Shariah and law, psychology, sociology, mass communication, etc.

Addressing the opening ceremony, IIUI President Dr Mumtaz Ahmad said 9/11 was a watershed because after this event the world started looking at Islam as a religion of violence.

In 1980s, some forces preached only jihad in Muslim countries, but after 9/11 the same forces changed their direction and emphasised that Islam is a religion of peace. He stated it was true that Islam is a religion of peace but at the same time jihad is part of it.

Dr Javaid Laghari said he was impressed to see comity of different cultures at the campus. He said the students should work together to tell the world that Muslim youths were peaceful and productive part of it. He urged students to pay attention to research and acquisition of modern knowledge and called upon students and teachers to embrace new technology. He said World Bank had placed focus on higher education, skilled knowledge, technology, innovation and research and universities should tap into this interest of the international monetary institution.

He said the HEC would encourage all innovative ideas so that those seeking employment start creating employment. He reiterated that the Muslim youths should pull together in the filed of research and higher education.

UAE Ambassador Essa Abdullah said students were the real assets for the future of Ummah. He said his country was contributing in the improvement of falling economies of Muslim countries. Thousands of Pakistanis are working in the UAE, which they take as their second home, he said, adding that the UAE had established 22 universities in 40 years and now students from all over the world come to the country for studies.

He said the UAE was running a project for development of infrastructure, healthcare and education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

IIUI Rector Prof Fateh Muhammad Malik urged Muslims not to forget their duties and the facts that Islam was a religion of peace and harmony.

Dr Sajidur Rehman prayed for the troops still unaccounted for at Siachen. Student Adviser Dr Safeer Awan also addressed the ceremony and thanked the guests. Iranian ambassador will open the ceremony on female campus today (Wednesday). The event will continue until April 2. Daily times

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Grammar School celebrates global award
Islamabad: The International School Award for Connecting Classrooms Project of the British Council was won by the Grammar School, Rawalpindi, says a press release.

The GSR held an event to celebrate the achievement and appreciate the efforts of heads and teachers involved in related activities.

The Connecting Classrooms Project requires that clusters of specified schools share activities with each other with the objective of learning from best practices. The GSR's efforts towards this were considered outstanding enough among three hundred schools worldwide to enable it to receive the award.

GSR Director Nasreen Iqbal congratulated the faculty and appreciated the dedication, vision and purposefulness that led them to create and conduct activities for the project. She went on to say that the Connecting Classrooms Project was essential in that it helped young people to connect with each other through the projects and while doing the research they were able to discover more about their own country and culture. This kind of project, she said, would go a long way in creating understanding in today's troubled world.

She said that earlier in the last decade, the GSR won Unesco's Peace Pillar Award for its Peace Education Programme and it was also given recognition as one of the Nine Best Practicing Institutions in the Asia-Pacific Region by the Korean National Commission for Unesco in Education for Sustainable Development. Moreover she said, a Heritage Project prepared by the GSR based on four Unesco World Heritage Sites is being taught at the GSR and is also being shared nationally and internationally.

Syed Fahd Hussain was the chief guest on the occasion. He congratulated the school for this singular achievement and said that the school had obviously reached a level so as to enable it to earn this award. He went on to laud the work done by teachers and students.

Fahd Hussain said that he represented the media, whose balance sheet demanded that more focus be laid on education. He said he would be doing a series of programmes focusing on the contents of Article 25-A of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution which demands free education for all Pakistani children between five and sixteen years of age.

Shields commemorating the Grammar School Rawalpindi's achievement of getting the International School Award were given away by the chief guest to heads of all branches of the school.

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Students given training in latest GIS tools
Islamabad: Students were taught to employ latest tools of geographic information system (GIS) in a workshop held at the Foundation University Institute of Engineering and Management Sciences (FUIEMS).

Over 100 participants from different universities including FAST, NUST, UET, and IQRA as well as participants from within FUIEMS took part in the daylong workshop mainly organised by the students of software engineering (6th semester) and Professor Foundation University Dr M Ramzan.

Rector Foundation University, Dr Bilal A. Khan was the chief guest. Others who spoke included Director FUIEMS Dr Aftab Ahmed, President FUIEMS Continuous Professional Development (CPD) workshop Dr Muhammad Ramzan, Chief Resource Person from FAST National University Islamabad Naveed Iqbal, ArcGIS trainer from NUST Sahar Murad and Google Maps trainer Usman Younas from FAST National University.

A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analysing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. The GIS allows viewing and understanding data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts.

"The GIS is a location based information system useful for almost all fields of life. It enhances the capability of informed decision making in day to day life. For example, by analysing the location of RWP with most traffic flow through GIS or indicating the change in the trends of property dealing over time through this system can make things much easier for common public," said Dr Naveed Iqbal, a GIS specialist from FAST.

The participants were taught how to use Google maps and how it can be altered according to our requirements by some simple programming. The participants were keen to learn. This session was followed by a lecture on ArcGIS by Sahar Murad from NUST. The ArcGIS is software used to design maps in an efficient way.

The students who organised the event included Rida Arooj and Yafra Khan as event managers, Sidra Iftikhar, Rimsha Gishkori and Muhammad Ali Shahzad as web developers, Muhammad Hadi Raza, Muhammad Suleman and Mohsin Tanveer as graphic designers, Rashid Nadeem as photographer, Saeed Niazi as one of the leading event managers, and Sohail Ahmed, Nida Tasneem and Aneeba Anwar as other main event organizers.

In the end, the participants were awarded with certificates. In his concluding remarks, Dr Naveed Iqbal appreciated the efforts of teachers and students for organizing the event. The news

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