DCET registration with Pakistan Engineering Council issue

DCET graduates registration applications in doldrums
Karachi, April 24: The 1995-96 batch graduates of the Dawood College of Engineering and Technology (DCET) Karachi on Monday appealed to President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari to help resolve their lingering issue of registration with the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) before next general elections, so that they could get government jobs and save them and their families' future.

A group of DCET graduates said, "Our career is at stake due to reluctance by PEC in granting registration. We could not get government jobs without registration, hence, we appeal to the President of Pakistan to help us by ordering PEC to take up the issue immediately and resolve it on humanitarian basis." The graduates said Pakistan is still a developing country but some so-called rules of PEC are a big problem for engineering students.

"Former president Pervez Musharraf had helped us in granting degree awarding status to the college and we hope honourable President Zardari will also do good in this regard."

The graduates said: "We had already underwent over six-year delays in conduction of their examinations during 1997 to 2008 due to their college's disaffiliation by the NED University of Engineering and Technology and are still in trouble due to refusal by PEC in granting registration." They said PEC was delaying their registration case since two years despite being aware that their age limit for jobs was running out. The graduates said: "We have lost hundreds of job opportunities over the last two years due to non-provision of registration as we could not apply for jobs without it." They said DCET was granted a degree-awarding status through a Presidential Ordinance, while the National Assembly and Senate also approved its degree awarding status. The graduates said the college administration had requested PEC to consider the registration case as special but there was no outcome yet. They said: "We passed our examinations with good marks but could not get job due to non-registration." They asked the President to help and resolve the issue on humanitarian basis.

A DCET official said on the condition of anonymity that they had filed registration case with PEC and were waiting for the approval.

Post your comments

Dawood College to get university status soon: principal
KARACHI: Sindh Madressatul Islam University (SMIU) Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ali Shaikh, who is also the acting principal of Dawood College of Engineering and Technology (DCET) Karachi, has said that the DCET would get university status soon, adding that its summary is with the Sindh chief minister for formal approval and subsequently it would be presented in the Sindh Assembly for the passage of Act.

Speaking at the orientation day ceremony held at the auditorium of DCET on Monday, Dr Shaikh said that in the present day world professional education is vital for personal success in the society while it is a national service too. "More than 400 students who have been enrolled in the DCET in various technologies this year, have to take their education seriously over here as it is laying a foundation of their lives," Dr Muhammad Ali Shaikh said and added that the DCET students have to become good engineers, which is a need of the country.

He pledged that as the DCET is completing 50 years of its foundation this year and it will be converted into top quality educational institution of the country with the help of staff members and students. He further said that after devolution of the federal education ministry under the 18th Amendment, the DCET came under the administrative control of Sindh government last year. This is why the seats for urban areas of Sindh were increased from 114 to 173 and for rural areas from 66 to 173. While the 100 seats have been reserved for self-financing scheme. Now the students, hailing from different parts of Sindh and other provinces, who have been succeeded in getting admission in the college, have to seriously engage themselves in learning process at the college. Dr Naseem Ahmed and other chairmen of different departments also spoke on the occasion. Daily times

Post your comments

BIEK not to accept more exam forms
Karachi: The Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) said on Monday that it would not receive any further examination form pertaining to its first phase of examinations commencing on May 7.

According to BIEK chairman Anwar Ahmad Zai, the candidates of pre-engineering, pre-medical, commerce (regular), home economics and general science (computer) groups' examinations of the Higher Secondary School Certificate were given a last chance and in all 6,732 examination forms were received till April 23 - the last day for acceptance of the forms.

Admit cards of all such candidates would be sent to their respective colleges by April 27.

The BIEK, in the meantime, have already sent the admit cards and date sheets of other candidates who had submitted their examination forms earlier to the colleges and higher secondary schools concerned.

The candidates have been advised to collect their admit cards from their educational institutions.

The board has also intimated private candidates to contact the board for admit cards on May 2, if they did not get the admit cards at their residential addresses latest by April 30, said a BIEK communication. Dawn

Post your comments

Steps afoot to improve academic standard at FUUAST
Karachi: Steps have been taken to improve academic standard and spur research at the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST). A spokesperson of the institution said here on Monday that Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Qaiser has also undertaken administrative measures for the betterment of the academic environment. The wall chalking and flags of the students organisations have been removed. A new campus officer at the FUUAST has also been appointed, it was further stated. app

Post your comments

Dr Magsi slams KU admission policy
Hyderabad: The Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party chairman Dr Qadir Magsi has criticised the admission policy of Karachi University under which 170 seats have been reserved for Fata and other areas of the country and only 30 seats have been kept for Sindhi students domiciled in other parts of the province.

In a press statement issued here on Monday, Dr Magsi said the policy spoke volumes for the university authorities' narrow-mindedness and anti education attitude.

He said the university administration had no right to differentiate between seats of Karachi and Sindh because they could be kept on the basis of rural and urban
areas also.

Karachi, he said, is part of Sindh and its students have right to seek education wherever they like in the province. The policy smacked of conspiracy to keep Sindhi students away from Karachi's educational institutions.

He said that silence of PPP and MQM on the issue indicated the decision had been taken as part of a larger agenda. If the university did not change the admission policy then the STP would hold province-wide protests.

Post your comments

'There used to be a book shop beside every paan shop'
Karachi: During an informal discussion at the University of Karachi on Monday, the good old times in the city were reminisced when there used to be book shop beside every paan shop.

The event, which was organised to celebrate National Book Day, brought together the faculty of the university and writers on a panel, moderated beautifully by Professor Mahmood Ghaznavi.

"Hitler would have been successful, had he read Napolean's story," said Shaha Jamshed, educationist and playwright, emphasising the importance of reading history. "It helps you learn from your mistakes."

However, she was critical of Pakistani textbooks. "It is as if we have decided that we will not include anything interesting in our syllabus books," she said, while stressing on the point that reading habits would improve in society if writers wrote for children from their perspective. "Our children need to sing rhymes other than 'London bridge is falling down'. Give them songs which talk about the Clifton bridge."

Rizwan Zaidi, from FM 105, read out an excerpt from Farooq Qaiser's travelogue on Islamabad, which had the audience rolling with laughter. "Islamabad has three sectors, E for the white elephants, F for the foreigners and G for the Jee Huzoors," he read.

"One of the reasons why talented people like Moeen Akhtar are not born any more is because this generation has stopped reading. The cheap sitcoms one sees on television nowadays proves the fact," said Zaidi.

Jalaluddin, a former cricketer and coach who also works in the Customs Department, shared that titles which are anti-religion or anti-nationalist in nature are not allowed in the country. "So custom officials prevent knowledge from entering the country," quipped Dr Ghaznavi, and the audience chortled. Jalaluddin shared that in order to excel, it was imperative for individuals to study literature in their own specific fields.

Post your comments

1,000 flood-hit students set to return to school
Karachi: Some 1,000 children from the flood-affected area of Naobad in the Sanghar district will once again be attending school as a result of the joint efforts of two non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The Research and Development Foundation (RDF) and the Kinder Not Hilfe (KNH) will be reopening 10 schools in Naobad. This initiative has been welcomed by residents, a majority of whom lost their homes and all sources of livelihood during the 2011 floods.

Some 3113 villages in the Sanghar district were affected in the floods. Out of the 42 government schools in Union Council Naobad, eight were completely destroyed while another 32 were partially damaged. A majority of the district's schools are still closed because of the incapability of school management committees (SMCs). The few schools that weren't affected by the floods were converted into shelters for those who had lost their homes in the floods.

Masood Mahesar, Executive Director Research and Development Foundation, believes that education in Naoabad is already in an alarming condition, and that focus should be on resuming educational activities in the affected areas.

"Children in these areas have not had access to schools as the floods have destroyed the entire infrastructure. We are currently supporting about 1,000 children in 10 government primary schools. Aside from providing them with education, we distribute school bags, drawing books, copies and small water coolers, repair and renovate school buildings and provide water and sanitation facilities. A majority of these children belong to the marginalized families of farmers and herders," he said.

Ashfaq Soomro, Program Coordinator Climate Change & Disaster Risk Reduction from the RDF, said: "After assessing the situation, we have determined that despite active involvement from the community, we could not achieve our desired targets. Hence, we have decided to motivate community elders to reorganize SMCs, which will ensure enrollment and teacher attendance. Government officials have also been providing assistance for rehabilitation of these institutes."

"Children are willingly coming to continue their education. We want to bridge the gap between the community and the education department officials and motivate children to attend school," he said.

It was also reported that some schools were already closed before the floods hit the area. For example, the Government Primary School Mohammed Siddiq Mangrio had been non-functional for several years before the floods, as the school's teachers had allegedly stopped attending their classes. Though the school remained open on government records, teachers were no longer attending but were still drawing their salaries. The school was never reopened as neither the community nor the SMCs took any action against the teachers.

Khair Mohammad Wasan, Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Education of Jam Nawaz Ali, said "We are looking for such non-governmental organisations to support the government in running the damaged schools."

"I believe that strengthening SMCs will improve the system. This initiative will help establish child-friendly schools; schools in which a combination of educational and social activities will produce exceptional children." The news

Post your comments