Karachi colleges late admissions
Decision on late college admissions criticised
Karachi, Feb 08: The Sindh education department in an unprecedented move has
allowed the students who recently took supplementary examinations of the
secondary school certificate to get admissions in colleges and appear in the
annual higher secondary school certificate examinations which are hardly
two-and-a-half months away. Though the education department's decision
is aimed at saving an academic year of the students the college principals, who
were asked to admit such students in their institutions, said it was beyond
their comprehension as to how these students could meet the requirement of 75
per cent attendance criterion in Class XI for appearing in the annual
examinations-2010. They also questioned that how the students would complete
their one-year course in just two-and-a-half months, as the annual examinations
are scheduled to begin on April 27. The principals described the move a
violation of the education department's own rules. They said since the decision
to make 75pc class attendance mandatory for sitting the exams was taken by the
education steering committee under the chairmanship of Senior Minister for
Education Pir Mazharul Haq, the latest move amounted to an embarrassment to the
minister. However, they were of the opinion that if the department
wanted to save one academic year of those who recently appeared in the SSC
supplementary exams, the students be advised to take the Class XI annual
examinations as private candidates in humanities or commerce groups, because
they would neither meet the attendance criteria nor would be able to complete
science syllabus, which include several practicals, within two months.
While denouncing the decision, the Sindh Professor and Lecturers
Association's Karachi chapter's general secretary, Prof Iftikhar Azmi, said that
the move on part of the education ministry not only amounted to spoiling the
discipline of government colleges but was a flagrant violation of the mandatory
75pc class attendance rule. Terming the decision uncalled for and
shocking, he said that the move seemed to have discredited the centralised
admission policy under which the students were given admissions to Class XI in
the next academic session and not in the ongoing academic year. Prof
Azmi apprehended that the students would definitely go for shortcuts when they
would not be able to complete the one-year course within two months and as such
their chances of resorting to unfair means in the examination could not be ruled
out. When chairman of the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi Prof
Anwar Ahmed Zai was contacted to know if the board would accept exam forms of
the students who had not attended the classes so far, he said that the board
would consider such cases if the education department waived the 75 per cent
class attendance condition. Dawn
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Ex-brigadier was appointed illegally in NUML
Islamabad: The retired brigadier, who publicly thrashed a professor in the
GHQ-funded National University of Modern Languages (NUML), had been appointed
illegally and at a time when there was a ban on appointments, documents
available with The News reveal. Para 13 of the Audit and Inspection
Report on Accounts of NUML says the appointment of the retired brigadier
Obaidullah Ranjha on Feb 18, 2009 was illegal, as the post was not advertised in
the press. ́The recommendation of the selection board was approved by the
representative of the chairman Board of Governors, which is a violation of the
NUML Ordinance," the audit officer observed. Moreover, para 15 of the
audit report states Brigadier Ranjha's appointment as visiting professor on Rs
50,000 salary was done during the period when the prime minister had imposed a
ban on appointments. Brigadier (retd) Ranjha thrashed Professor Tahir
Malik black and blue on Thursday last when the latter questioned the role of the
Army and Pervez Musharraf in particular in brokering a deal with the PPP by
introducing the NRO. The incident triggered a chain of activities in the
Presidency and parliament, as the Presidency is concerned because President Asif
Ali Zardari happens to be the chancellor of the university while
parliamentarians have vowed to bring the culprit to justice. This
thrashing incident has prompted the Presidency to give the first-ever reading to
the NUML's Ordinance to determine if the presidential powers have been
encroached since the president, as chancellor of the university, has never been
informed about the university's business since he assumed office, let alone
seeking his approval. Sources in the NUML say the university got approval
from Musharraf, who happened to be the Army chief and the president at the same
time while after Musharraf's ouster a nominee of the Army chief performs the
main functions. Chairman National Assembly's Standing Committee on
Education Abid Sher Ali also plans to take up nepotism and illegal appointments
in the GHQ-funded university. Abid said it has been
brought to his notice that over 30 blood relatives of NUML high-ups have been
appointed in the varsity and many others have been illegally. It is worth
mentioning here that close relatives - brother, two daughters and son-in-law -
of Rector Brig (retd) Aziz Ahmad have been appointed in the varsity.
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PMDC certificates awarded
Islamabad: Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) after thorough
examination and scrutiny has approved 49 national biomedical journals which have
been allotted index of Pakistan numbers. PMDC Registrar Dr. Ahmad Nadeem
Akbar said that the certification of a recognised journal would be revised after
three years and journals not maintaining requisite standards will be
de-recognized and no credit would be given to the articles published in
them. He said these journals were scrutinised and approved by the PMDC's
Journals Committee and Editor British Medical Journal. He added each biomedical
journal would develop and publish its policy in the light of guidelines provided
by the International Committee of Medical Journals Editors. He said
plagiarism was a punishable offence and the accused author would be liable for
disciplinary action. The case would be referred to the disciplinary committee by
the editor, he added. He said the editors of PMDC recognised journals would keep
raw data of each manuscript in record for a period of five years for scrutiny by
the council whenever required in respect of all published original research
articles. Dr. Nadeem said editorial board of the journal would be headed
by a person from medical and dental profession and each article must be reviewed
at least by two peers. He said publication of index, both subject index
and author index must be published annually and performance of each recognized
journal would be reviewed once in three years by the Council. However, a new
journal would be reviewed after it has published four issues, he
added. He said if journal's committee at any time feels that the
performance of the Journal has deteriorated to such an extent that it does not
warrant recognition anymore, the editor of the journal will be served a show
cause notice and after giving full opportunity, the committee will prepare its
recommendations and final decision about the de-recognition. He said PMDC will
correspond with the editor or the focal person of the journal. He added for
maintenance of recognition all journals will maintain a website and PMDC will
give linkages to all journals from Council's website. It was agreed upon
the medical and dental journals will be recognized by the Council for a period
of three years, however new journals will be reviewed after two years, adding,
only those new journals will be considered for recognition which have published
at least four issues. Following is the list of PMDC approved 49
biomedical journals: Pakistan Medical Research Journal, Islamabad, Journal of
Medical Association, Karachi, Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal, Rawalpindi,
Pakistan Heart Journal, Karachi, Pakistan Oral and Dental Journal, Islamabad,
Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan Journal of Pharmacology,
Karachi, Pakistan Journal of Ophthalmology Lahore, Biomedical, Lahore, Pakistan
Journal of Surgery, Karachi, Pakistan Journal of Otolaryngology Karachi, Journal
of PGMI, Peshawar, Journal of Pakistan Dental Association, Karachi, Proceedings,
Lahore, The Journal of Pakistan orthopedic Association, Lahore, Journal of
Medical Sciences, Peshawar, Pakistan Journal of Pathology, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Journal of Cardiology, Karachi, Journal of College of Physicians and Surgeons
Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan journal of Gastroentrology, Lahore, Annals of Abbasi
Shaheed Hospital, Karachi, Infectious Disease Journal, Karachi, Journal of
Surgery Pakistan, Karachi, Journal of Rawalpindi Medical College, Rawalpindi,
Journal of Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, Pakistan Journal of Obst. and
Gynee, Islamabad, Pakistan Journal of Cardiovascular and Thorasic Surgery,
Karachi, Journal of Fatima Jinnah Medical College, Lahore, Journal of Liaquat
University Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Gomal Journal of Medical
Sciences, Dera Ismail Khan, International Journal of Pathology, Islamabad,
Annals of PIMS, Islamabad, Al-Shifa Journal of Ophthalmology, Rawalpindi,
Pakistan Journal of Physiology, Abbottabad, Pakistan Journal of Neurological
Sciences, Karachi, Journal of Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi,
Journal of Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Rawal Medical Journal,
Journal of Pakistan Psychiatric Society, Peshawar, Ophthalmology Update
Islamabad, Anaesthesia, Pain and Intensive Care, The Professional, Faisalabad,
The Esculapio Lahore, Journal of Allama Iqbal medical College Lahore, Annals of
Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad, Medical Channel Karachi, Pakistan Paediatric
Journal, Pakistan Journal of Medical and Health Sciences Lahore, Pakistan
Medical Forum Monthly Lahore and Annals of King Edward Medical University
Lahore.
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Book launching ceremony
Islamabad: A book, 'Chalo Phir Iran ko Chaltay Hain' (let us go to Iran) will be launched here at Khana-a-Farhang,
Rawalpindi on February 8. Reactor of International Islamic University Islamabad
Professor Fateh Muhammad Malik will preside over the ceremony. A large number of
scholars will presents their comments on the book. Saqib Akbar, has contributed
the book. The news
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