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Guilty of plagiarism : Lahore International Book Fair
Guilty of plagiarism
Plagiarism, though another name for stealing, is much more than merely taking away somebody's
material possessions. It gnaws at the mind - of both whose work is stolen and
those under the plagiarist's charge. A thief seeks to benefit from the fruits of
someone else's labour but his gain is individual and so is the loss of his
victim. A plagiarist, on the other hand, aims at benefiting not just from
someone else's hard work he also endangers the prospects of those whose future
depends on what kind of instruction he imparts to them and what role model he
offers them through his own behaviour.
So it was the right thing for the
Punjab University to do when it forced five teachers at its Centre for High
Energy Physics into early retirement after they were proved to have plagiarised.
There is some disagreement between the university management and its academic
staff on how the teachers' removal from their jobs should have taken place, but
no one is claiming that the crime did not take place. The case, which surfaced
about two years ago, has taken rather too long to reach its logical end and was
at the centre of the Higher Education Commission's refusal to give the
university Rs139m in annual grant unless the campus were rid of the cheats. The
Punjab University is grappling with similar cases of plagiarism in at least one
other department. If the Physics department episode is anything to go by, the
undue delay and procrastination the university showed in sacking the plagiarists
should not be allowed to be repeated. Once a teacher is found guilty of
plagiarism, he loses all moral authority to remain in the instructor's seat,
hiding behind ambiguous rules or an indecisive management. Those who seek to
thrive on the back of others' labours and thereby impart stolen knowledge to the
future generations deserve no mercy. After their guilt is proven, they should be
sent packing without demur and delay. Dawn
Lahore International Book Fair kicks off
Lahore, Feb 29, 2008: The 23rd Lahore International Book Fair (LIBF) 2008 started on Thursday
at the Fortress Stadium with the theme Education for All, Books for Peace. The
annual five-day event is organised by the LIBF Trust and is considered a big
event in the city, as a large number of publishers from across the world
participate in it. Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (r) Ejaz Nisar was the chief
guest at the inaugural ceremony. He said the book fair would develop among the
population a pleasant and positive attitude towards reading. He said the fair's
organisers should expand it to other cities throughout the country. He said that
the literacy rate had improved in the last few years, especially the proportion
of female students had increased. He said the government had released additional
funds for teachers' training. LIBF General Secretary Najam Sethi thanked the CM
and briefed the audience about the fair. He said the purpose of the fair was to
develop a love of books. He mentioned the many barriers to organising the book
fair, including the current wave of terrorism and the uncertainty surrounding
the recent general elections. "Last year 150 Indian publishers attended the book
fair, but this year we were able to get visas for only 30 Indian publishers," he
said. He also thanked the Lahore Corps Commander and Governor Punjab for their
support and cooperation in holding the fair, saying, "We feel happy when we see
people participating in the event enthusiastically." LIBF Chairman Zubair Saeed
said about 170 stalls have been set up, at which 73 publishers, both national
and international, are represented. He said foreign publishers (from Germany,
Singapore, the United kingdom and India) occupy 50 of the stalls. Later, the CM
visited various stalls. He praised the publishers and said that the fair was a
great effort on the part of both the publishers and the organisers. Inamul Haq,
a businessman, visiting the book fair, said that it was a wonderful event
as people could get books of their choice at cheaper prices. Asim, a student,
said, "To hold a book fair in the city is a wonderful idea, which allows people
from all walks of life to buy books under a single roof at cheaper rates."
Murtaza Zaidi, a teacher, said, "We can share our experience and knowledge with
the international publishers present here." Daily Times
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