Allama iqbal open university admission forms

AIOU matric to PhD level admissions
Islamabad, Feb 22: Admission forms for Semester Spring 2010 of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) for Matric to PhD level in the country can be submitted up to March 5.

While in the Middle East countries, the admissions of BBA/BA/BCom, Intermediate and Alisan-ul-Arabi programmes will be received till the said date.

Admission forms and prospectuses for all the programmes are available at the main campus of the University in Sector H-8, Islamabad, and at its regional campuses and coordinating offices. The news

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Teachers demand grades enhancement
Islamabad: Federal Government College Teachers Association (FGCTA) has demanded enhancement in the grades of the teachers working in federal government colleges.

Talking to this agency, President FGCTA Zahid Ali Shah said that the teachers want announcement and notification of the enhancement of college teachers' grades on priority basis.

A former prime minister announced enhancement of teachers' grades on the occasion of Teachers Day but the decision was implemented only at the university and school level.

Another problem the teachers are facing is promotion of teachers as it takes 15 to 20 years to get elevation from one grade to the next grade which causes sense of deprivation among teachers. Those who have been serving for many years must be promoted according to time scale promotion formula, he said.

Zahid said the teachers community has been demanding lifting of ban on hiring and enhancement of house ceiling according to the present day requirements.

Since long, Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has banned hiring due to which the teachers are facing severe difficulties as it is arduous to find a reasonable place to live in the federal capital with present salaries.

Zahid Shah said it is the earnest demand of the teachers that new FG schools in the rural areas including Barakahu, Tarnol, Neelor and Golra should be opened for providing better education facilities to the children.

Recently, a Degree College was set up at Sihala where teachers' posts have not been sanctioned.

He urged the Ministry of Education to sanction the posts for the teachers in the college and appoint the teaching staff.

Besides, he urged appointment of 500 more teachers in government colleges to overcome shortage of teaching staff.

He said a number of scholarships are announced every year across the world and most of the scholarships are offered for the education sector.

But it is very unfortunate that the teaching faculty is ignored and the officials of Ministry of Education are sent to avail such opportunity, which is futile exercise for them.

He said it is their demand that teacher scholarships should be awarded to the teachers studying at M Phil and Ph.D level to enhance their capabilities.

The teachers' community also want regularization of the services of the teachers working on contract basis and provision of teaching allowance without discrimination.

Teachers are a pillar of the educational system who are performing a sacred job of enlightening the future generations so standard of facilities for them should be raised, he said.

All the demands of teachers were conveyed to the Federal Minister for Education Sardar Aseff Ahmad Ali during the oath taking ceremony of the FGCTA recently and the Minister expressed his commitment for resolution of these issues.

The Minister said that a meeting will be held soon to discuss and formulate a strategy for resolving the issues of teachers.

Meanwhile, FGCTA has demanded that a senior person from the teaching community should be appointed Director General Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) on permanent basis.

President FGCTA Zahid Ali Shah has expressed concern over rapid changes in the Federal Directorate of Education.

The association demanded an autonomous status for the FDE and called for setting up of an independent authority under the directorate to resolve teachers' problems. APP

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Multilingual education
Islamabad: Highlighting the importance of linguistic diversity, a group of university students vowed on Sunday to work for introduction of multilingual education in the tradition of Dhaka University students' Bengali Language Movement.

Students of the Quaid-i-Azam University, International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) and some private educational institutions made the commitment outside the National Press Club, where they had gathered to hold a rally in connection with the International Mother Language Day.

Majority of the participants said a major reason for the high rate of illiteracy in Balochistan and southern parts of NWFP was that education was not being imparted in regional languages.

"Had the basic education been in mother languages, our people would have not faced the dark ages," Pashtunkhawa Students Organisation (PSO) general secretary Mazhar Ali Khan said.

The students carried banners inscribed with slogans in support of implementing regional languages in educational institutions.

They said students of Dhaka University had set an example by giving sacrifices in support of their demands regarding recognition of Bengali language as their official language on February 21, 1952.

The participants demanded that Pashto should be declared official language for the Pashtun community to give opportunity to the young generation to receive education in their mother language.

Meanwhile, activists of the National Students Federation's (NSF) Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) chapter at a gathering stressed the need for promoting and preserving languages.

The gathering, which was attended by the representatives of Mehran, Pasthtun and Saraiki councils, students and teachers, was held here on Sunday.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Asim Sajjad called for the establishment of a genuine federal system in which all nations could get complete control over their resources, and equal state patronage of their languages and cultures.

Alia Amirali said anti-democratic forces had prevented the establishment of a genuine federal democracy.

Sindh Graduates Association (SGA) has asked the government to ensure a multi-lingual system in Pakistan through constitutional amendments.

The demand came in a seminar organised in connection with the International Mother Language Day.

They called upon the government and mainstream political parties to declare Pakistan a multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic country.

"Languages cannot be protected and promoted unless medium of instruction is ensured in mother languages in all educational institutions of the country," the speakers said.

They said cultural imperialism and hegemony had been done in a systematic manner, while undemocratic and dictatorial rules in Pakistan had also added fuel to the fire of ethnic, lingual and provincial disharmony. Dawn

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Lawrence College's 150 years
Islamabad: Politicians, generals and businessmen gathered under one roof at Islamabad Club here Saturday night as old Gallians to mark the 150th anniversary of Lawrence College Ghora Gali, Murree.

Old Gallians, the ex-students of Lawrence College, though hold such ceremonies from time to time in various parts of the world but this time, the specialty was the College completing one and a half centuries of its existence, which attracted around 200 old Gallians in Islamabad. The ceremony was a reflection of quality students that one of the oldest and renowned institutions of the country has been producing since its establishment in 1860.

It was quite fascinating when Shahid Khakan Abbasi of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Sardar Attique-ur-Rehman Abbasi of Pakistan People's Party shared their memories with the Gallians. Sardar Asif Ahmad Ali and Aftab Sherpao were also expected but could not manage to attend the dinner, hosted by Lt Commander (r) Naeem Sarfraz.

It is worth mentioning here that Lawrence College is situated at the foothills of the Himalayas at a height of about 6,397 feet above sea level and spreads over 100 acres of land. It has an exquisitely beautiful setting - a world in itself - in the vicinity of Murree town and was founded by Sir Henry Lawrence in 1860. The then Lawrence School, one of the oldest residential institutions of the subcontinent, well known the world over, went on expanding with the passage of time.

In Saturday's reunion, the notable Gallians included Lt Gen (r) Hamid Rab Nawaz, Managing Director Fauji Foundation; Lt Gen Sajjad Akram, Deputy Chairman Earthquake Reconstruction & Rehabilitation Authority (Erra); Lt Gen Sardar Mehmood Ali Khan; Major Gen (r) Awais Mushtaq Qureshi, Member Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC); General (r) Syed Muhammad Amjad; Lt Gen (r) Inayatullah Niazi; Admiral (r) Zahir Shah; Lt Commander (r) Naeem Sarfraz; Qazi Rahat Javed; Muhammad Ali Qazi; Raja Shafique Sarwar; Raja Ayaz Sarwar; Raja Khurram; Jan Bugti; Head Master Lawrence College Arjasab Khan Zafar and hundreds of Gallians from various walks of life.

Sardar Azam Afandi of Swat while talking to the audience underlined the grand ceremony of the College completing 150 years that would be held in Ghora Gali later this year in September in which Gallians from all over the world are invited to the College for a three-day stay where there would be a bunch of activities apart from recalling the sweet memories of the time spent at the institution.

The coordinator, Muhammad Ali Qazi, gathered a bundle of applause from the Gallians for his efforts to facilitate the reunions. The news

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