Dow Medical College entry test 2010

Dow Medical College entry test
Karachi, Aug 24: Students standing in queue outside a bank near the Dow Medical College (DMC) to submit their entry forms, got into a scuffle with the staff as many of them were turned away for not having Computerised National Identity Cards (CNIC).

Yasir Masood, a fourth year student who is also a member of a student organisation, said that if the CNIC was the case then the management should have made it clear beforehand and it would not have caused the fracas. "The students were justified as they already had to wait for their mark sheets, which were delayed as a result of frequent clashes in the city, and now this. Most of the students did not know which alternate documents were required in place of CNIC cards."

As a result of violent clashes in the city, a majority of students could not submit their forms because of which the date for submission of entry forms was postponed from August 13 to August 23. At the same time, the college administration also postponed the date of entry tests from September 19 to October 17.

"If they can postpone the date of entry tests why not postpone the date of submission forms as well?" an irritated student asked.

The DMC administration had set up booths in five branches of the United Bank Limited for students to submit their forms. These included branches in North Nazimabad, Drigg Road, Rashid Minhas Road, Korangi and a branch near the DMC. As the last date of submission of forms neared, a huge number of students panicked and came to the UBL branch near DMC, pushing and shoving each other.

Dr Rana Masood, admission coordinator at the DMC, said that no student was turned away as the college had very clear instructions on what to bring. "In case the students did not have a CNIC, they were asked to bring their father's card. And as for the clashes in the city, the students were given 10 days to submit forms in any of the five branches. It is a clear disregard for instructions and the college management cannot be blamed for it." The news

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Educational future of thousands of flood-displaced children uncertain
Karachi: The unprecedented floods have not only wrecked havoc to the civic infrastructure, but also dealt a severe blow to the education system in Sindh, as a large number of school buildings, particularly in the Katcha area have collapsed or damaged beyond repair after submerging in floodwater.

Though the official figures of affected educational institutions are yet to come, it is feared that hundreds of schools in the flood-hit towns and villages have been affected.

According to the education department's statistics, prior to floods over 26,900 private and public schools had been operating in 23 districts of the province, with 14,805 of them in Karachi, 1,821 in Hyderabad and 5,444 in other parts of the province.

The Sindh government had taken precautionary measures following the flood threat including the closure of schools in the Katcha (riverside) area, which was declared as the most threatened area. The furniture and equipments of these schools was shifted to safer places in vulnerable districts.

The Sindh government education and literacy department had directed the parents of students to send their children to nearby schools in safer areas so that they could continue their education and in this regard, headmasters of these schools were ordered to accept the students of Katcha area and give them education, temporarily.

However, the majority of population belonging to the poor class has migrated to the relief camps in order to save their lives, where there were no adequate arrangements of education for their children.

Meanwhile, the majority of schools in the Pacca areas have been handed over to district administrations for setting up relief camps for the flood-affected people, while EDOs Education of Kandhkot-Kashmore, Ghotki, Sukkur, Shikarpur, Khairpur, Naushehro Feroze and Dadu asked to set up control rooms in their respective district headquarters.

According to Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) assessment, the flood has directly affected about 20 districts of the province and 2.5 to 2.6 million people, out of which some 700,000 people have been affected in the underdeveloped areas only.

Abdullah, a flood-affected student staying at the flood relief camp set up in Government College of Technology in SITE, said he and his friends knew nothing about their academic future, adding that they along their families were living in miserable conditions at the camp. "All of us want to get education. We miss our school and teachers but it seems impossible that we will be able to continue our studies as our villages and schools are inundated," he said.

Some teenage students, hailing from Jacobabad district, at the relief camp said they left their schools and houses unwillingly under the threat of the flood.

Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA) General Secretary Prof Iftikhar Aazmi said that all educational institutes of the province except that of Karachi and Hyderabad have been disturbed due to the floods. Many colleges in Sukkur and other regions have been converted into relief camps while the connection with many colleges including Government Degree College Phul has been lost.

"The SPLA will soon meet Sindh Education Secretary to discuss measures for the resettlement of the affected educational institutions and student," he added.

All Private Schools Management Association Sindh President Khalid Ali Shah said the restoration of the educational system would take at least two years. There is a threat that thousands of students in the province, whose families have lost everything, would not continue their education.

"Fortunately, the majority of private secondary schools have remained safe as floods hit a greater part of the countryside having hardly any private schools," Shah said

Sources in the office of Co-coordinator to the Sindh Reform Support Unit Chief said that there was no data on the damages sustained by the education sector in Sindh. Assessment has not started yet, they said, adding that a Crises Cell has been formed to access the losses and for floating recommendations to restore the education process for flood-affected students.

Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq, who was on a visit to interior Sindh, could not be reached for comments. ppi

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Temporary primary school established for IDPs
Karachi: More than 400 displaced children have been registered at a temporary three-room primary school established within the premises of Labour Colony, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Gadap Town. Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister Sharmila Farooqui inaugurated the primary school on Monday. She said the school has been established due to efforts and support of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education Research (PILER), adding that children aged five and above have been registered for Class 1 to V, while the registration figure would rise to 2,000 for Classes 1 to 10.

Farooqui urged all segments of society to come forward in helping the flood-stricken people, as millions of people have been forced to live under the open sky. Although it was the responsibility of the government to assist flood victims, the elite class should not consider itself exempted from the responsibility, she added. She said that the flood-affected people needed cooked food, clean drinking water, medicines, tents, milk for children, and pots and pans for cooking food. app

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Flood relief campaign at KU
Karachi: The University of Karachi (KU) is actively participating in providing relief to the flood victims. AS such, an extensive presentation has been arranged on the situation of flood victims and the relief campaign run by the University on August 25, 2010, at 10am at the Arts Auditorium.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, will preside over the event, a press release issued on Monday said. The experts of KU will shed light on the causes of flood and its future development.

The Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Dr Shahana Urooj Kazmi, will give a detailed account of the programme of relief activities. Numerous presentations will be given by the students of various departments which include a comparative video by the Department of Geography which has been designed to show life in Pakistan before and after the flood and its future consequences.

A caravan of KU students from the Department of Public Administration will leave for the interior of Sindh, on August 24 (today) with two trucks loaded with 16000 kilogramme aid which includes medicines, camps, various eatables and water.

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'Important day for underprivileged students'
Karachi: Bullo termed the day 'important' for the underprivileged students. "This is the first time in history of the Pakistan that students will receive free textbooks," Bullo claimed. The secretary education has urged the principals of the colleges to make sure complete attendance of students at their respective colleges. He also asked the students and teachers to give complete attention on academic activities.

"Today's students are the future of tomorrow. They will lead the country in the coming years. The concerned authorities should focus on their studies," he added. More than 0.2 million students are suffering due to floods in the province. Around 4,500 education institutes are directly affected by the floods, he further said.

All the executive district officers are directed to work on an emergency basis to restore the education system in the flood-hit areas as well as in the schools and colleges which are converted into relief camps for the flood victims, Bullo said.

"We have planned to provide education to young boys and girls living in relief camps. The students, who are currently in camps, would get education within same place while the students of the schools, which are converted into relief camps, would get extra classes in the evening shifts in their temporarily schools," Bullo said.

Many regular students in Karachi have been shifted to nearby schools on temporary basis because several public sector schools have been converted into relief camp in the city. Meanwhile, the government has made provisional arrangements for these students so that their education does not suffer during the rehabilitation process of flood affected people living in the relief camps, Bullo further said. The news

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