Schools & colleges summer vacation change

Change in summer vacation proposed
Karachi, Feb 09: The Sindh education department has sought the chief minister's approval to change the schedule of summer vacation in schools and colleges this year to avoid classes during Ramazan beginning in the July end.

The decision to allow the educational institutions across the province to observe summer vacation during July and August instead of June and July was taken at a meeting of the education department steering committee held at the NJV High School on Wednesday.

Presided over by Sindh Senior Minister for Education Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq, the meeting was attended by education secretary Mohammad Siddique Memon, special secretary Riyaz Memon, Sindh educational boards' chairmen, director general of colleges and regional directors of schools and colleges.

A spokesman for the education department said the chief minister's approval had been sought to avoid classes during the holy month starting in July this year.

Speaking to journalists, Pir Mazhar said that students from Class I to III would be promoted to next class on the basis of a written test instead of the current practice of holding annual exams of different subjects.

This year, he added, the annual exam of students from Class IV to VIII would be completed by March 30.

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SSC, HSSC exams
Karachi: Regarding the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) annual examinations-2012, he said the meeting decided that theory papers of the SSC (Part I and II) across the province would begin on April 5.

"It will be mandatory upon all educational boards of the province to announce their results by July 15," he added.

Only the Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) had been allowed to declare the results by July 31, keeping in view the large number of students enrolled with it, he said.

He said it was also decided that the theory papers of the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) annual exams across Sindh would begin on May 7.

All the educational boards of the province, except the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi, must declare results of the HSSC exams by Aug 31, he said, adding that the BIEK had been asked to notify results by Sept 15.

About degree exams, the meeting decided that the public sector universities of Sindh would notify their schedule to the education department before exams.

The minister said that the chief minister, who is also controlling authority of all educational boards in the province, had directed the heads of all institutions concerned, directors of schools, regional directors (colleges), and boards to ensure that the mandatory requirement of 75 per cent attendance was fully met before accepting examination forms of candidates.

Referring to the lingering issue of setting up centres for the SSC and HSSC exams, the minister said that all educational boards of the province had been directed to set up exam centres at public-sector schools and colleges only. "No private educational institution shall be forced to spare its premises for examination centres," he said. However, he added, exam centres could be established at the institutions which voluntarily offered their premises for this purpose.

He said the meeting also decided that teachers would be required to take examination works as part of their duty. Action would be initiated against those who would refuse to do so, he said.

It was also decided that non-gazetted teaching and non-teaching staff would not be assigned the invigilation duty in colleges.

Similarly, non-teaching staff would also not be assigned invigilation duty at schools.

Scouts week
It was decided that scouting and girl guiding activities would be introduced in schools and colleges across the province.

In this regard, the committee decided that scouts and girl guides week would be celebrated in the third week of February each year.

To avoid disruptions during the academic session in the public sector schools and colleges, it was decided that teaching staff and field officers of the education department would be transferred and posted during the summer vacation only.

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19,000 vacancies
Karachi: The education department's resource support unit earlier informed the minister that around 19,000 posts were vacant in the public sector schools across the province. Subsequently, the minister instructed the officials concerned to expedite the process of recruitment of teachers by placing advertisements in dailies.

At the outset, the minister said that colleges would have a sports quota in admissions. The decision had been taken to promote sports activities in educational institutions, he added.

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Sindh University: Protesters' leaders face the axe
Hyderabad: The tug of war between the vice-chancellor and teachers of Sindh University took a new twist on Tuesday night when a syndicate meeting at the Governor House in Karachi decided to terminate the services of two teachers' leaders and suspend six others.

Although the university authorities have not yet issued any notification, sources said that the syndicate meeting had decided to terminate the services of Sindh University Teachers Association president Dr Azhar Ali Shah and general secretary Dr Irfana Mallah and to take disciplinary action against Badar Soomro, Ms Salma Laghari (Amar Sindhu), Dr Rabia Memon, Ishaque Samejo, Dr Ayaz Keerio and Asghar Burfat.

The Sindh chapter of the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association, at a meeting at a hotel on Wednesday, described the decision as "unlawful".

The provincial president of the association, Prof Naimatullah Leghari, presided over the meeting.

Mr Leghari said at the press club that the federation believed the presence of Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq at the syndicate meeting violated the university act and statutes.

He called for withdrawal of the termination and suspension orders, appealing to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice over the issue.

He reiterated the demands made by Sindh University teachers – including the removal of Vice Chancellor Dr Nazir Mughal - and expressed solidarity with the SUTA.

He said the meeting called upon teachers to boycott classes at public sector universities of Sindh from Feb 9 to 13.

If the authorities failed to address the grievances of SUTA by then, he added, the federation's Sindh chapter would meet on Feb 13 to thrash out a new line of action.

He appealed to President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to take note of the situation at the Sindh University.Dr Shah said in a communiqué addressed to all concerned that the syndicate was incomplete as elections for some of its members were scheduled by the end of this month.

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Classes to resume today, says VC
Hyderabad: Vice Chancellor Dr Mughal has announced that classes will be regularly held in the university from Thursday (today) and no one will be allowed to disrupt classes and other academic activities.

He was talking to delegations of students, teachers and employees in his office and at a meeting on law and order situation at the campus which decided to provide security to teachers, students and employees.

The vice chancellor said that civil society had requested the agitating teachers from time to time to end boycott of classes to prevent loss of students but they did not realise their responsibilities and were trying to stop other teachers from taking classes.

The meeting, attended by police, Rangers and university officials, discussed security measures for point buses of teachers, employees and students and at the campus.

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Appointment Order
The vice chancellor will distribute orders of regularisation of service among 252 contract university employees of grade 2 to 14 at a ceremony at the senate hall on Thursday, says an official press release.

The vice chancellor will announce in the ceremony the allotment of residential plots in Sindh University Employees Cooperative Housing Society to the employees of the university.

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19 colleges told to get affiliation with Lyari varsity
Karachi: The Sindh education department has directed the administrations of 19 government degree colleges in the city to get their institutions affiliated with the newly established Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University, Lyari.

These 19 colleges located in Lyari, Malir, Gadap and Keamari are currently affiliated with Karachi University.

According to a notification issued by the provincial education department, all the 19 degree colleges of the four towns have been told to get their institutions affiliated with the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University, Lyari.

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Lyari varsity short courses
Karachi: Sindh Culture Minister Sassui Palijo gave certificates to 116 students of the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University, Lyari, on Wednesday for completing the three-month courses in English and computer science.

The university vice chancellor, Prof (Dr) R.A. Shah, briefed the minister about the university's admissions and teachers' recruitment process.

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Educationist Zakir Ali Khan passes away
Karachi: Zakir Ali Khan, a protagonist of the vision and mission of great reformer and educationist Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, passed away on Wednesday after a protracted illness. He was 86.

Besides his wife, he has left three sons - Nadir Ali Khan, a former international tennis player, Baber Ali Khan and Akber Ali Khan, also renowned tennis players - and a daughter.

His funeral prayers were offered on the premises of the Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association office, near Arts

Council. He was laid to rest in the Defence Phase-VII graveyard. The funeral was largely attended by senior government officials and noted literary and sports personalities, besides his relatives and friends.

Soyem for both ladies and gents would be held after Friday prayers at 64-B, Khayaban-i-Ittehad.

The Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) will remain closed on Thursday to mourn his death, according to a press release.

Born in July 1926 in Rampur (India), Zakir Ali Khan did his matriculation in his hometown, BSc in Aligarh (1945) and BSc (Engineering) in the same city (1948).

In his professional career, the late Mr Khan served as the managing director of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), chief engineer of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, honorary vice chancellor of the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology, founder member of the SSUET board of governors, founder member of the Aligarh Institute of Technology governing body, president of the Pakistan Association of Scientists and Scientific Professionals, member of the Karachi University syndicate and member of the KU academic council selection board.

He was elected general secretary of the Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association in 1960 and held this position till his death.

Mr Khan played a key role in setting up the KMC Sports Complex and its centre tennis court, where renowned international tennis player Ilie Nastase of Romania played an international exhibition match with former international champion Saeed Meer in 1980. The tennis court was also visited by Arthur Ashe of the United States.

Zakir Ali Khan was the recipient of the Aligarh Alumni Association, New York, alumni award-2000. He was awarded the First Sir Syed Ahmed Khan International Award for Literature by the Aligarh Muslim University, India, in 2008.

He also played a significant role in establishing the Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association of which he had been the honorary secretary for the last five decades.

He helped promote hockey, tennis and other sports and visited various countries as team manager and served as secretary of the Lawn Tennis Association, Karachi division.

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FUUAST new academic year from 13th
Karachi: Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST) Registrar Prof Dr Qamar-ul-Haq has announced on Wednesday that the educational process for the new academic year 2012 at the Gulshan-e-Iqbal campus would commence from February 13.

He further stated that orientation class would be held on February 10. The university has directed all new comers to attend the orientation class.

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KU MBBS result
Karachi: Examination department of the University of Karachi on Wednesday declared the result of MBBS Final Professional Supplementary Examinations 2011. As per statistics of the result, 37 students were registered, out of which 34 appeared in the examinations, while 20 students were declared as pass. The pass percentage of the result remained 58.82 percent. Daily times

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