Punjab colleges lecturers selection

Lecturers to be appointed on district-specific basis
Lahore, Jan 30: The Higher Education Wing of the Punjab Education Department has decided to make selection of college teachers on district specific basis and their postings, after recruitment by the Punjab Public Service Commission, in domiciled districts in order to overcome the shortage of teachers in colleges of the province.

From hitherto the PPSC will make selection of lecturers according to the vacant posts in respective districts.

The decision will go a long way in meeting the shortage of college teachers as majority of them are reluctant to be posted in small districts and towns. If posted they manage to get themselves transferred in big cities. The district specific postings will facilitate teachers to be posted to the nearest place of their residences that will save them from the problems of housing and transportation. The newly-recruited teachers will be posted indiscriminately to the remote areas.

The department has already posted 2,603 lecturers after as per their options of posting plus vacant availability of seats in respective colleges or nearby stations.

Hitherto no option was secured from the incumbent teachers before their postings. A lecturer could be posted anywhere in the province as was mentioned in their terms of appointment.

At the same time, the government has allowed the Hard Area Allowance to the extent of Rs 3,000 to the college teachers mainly working in small towns and rural areas. This allowance is now admissible to the teachers working in 124 colleges in the rural areas at present.

Later, Punjab Public Service Commission appointed four doctors as Professor of Medicine through open selection at different medical colleges and teaching hospitals on Friday. Dr. Tariq Wasim has been appointed as Prof. of Medicine at Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, Dr. Hafeez Ijaz Ahmed as Prof. of Medicine at Sheikh Zayed Medical College Rahim Yar Khan, Dr. Sajjad Abdullah as Prof. of Medicine at Sheikh Zayed Medical College Rahim Yar Khan and Dr. Sajjad Wasim as Prof. of Medicine at Fatima Jinnah Medical College Lahore. The nation

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Search for three universities VCs
Lahore: The search for vice-chancellors (VCs) of three different public sector universities of the province has finally begun with the applicants expressing concern over preference being given to those having foreign qualifications.

On Friday, short-listed candidates for the post of vice-chancellor of the Government College University (GCU), Faisalabad, were interviewed by the VC Search Committee while on Thursday the committee had interviewed candidates for the post of vice-chancellor of the University of Engineering & Technology (UET) Taxila. On Saturday (today), the candidates for the post of vice-chancellor of the Islamia University Bahawalpur (IUB) will be interviewed.

Some applicants expressed concern saying the candidates with foreign qualifications had been given extra points in the scrutiny and short listing process. They said it was unjust that those having local qualifications were awarded less marks. "On the one hand, the government asks universities to produce more and more PhDs while, on the other hand, the same are being subject to discrimination", lamented one of the applicants.

According to well-placed sources, a total of 100 marks have been set and those securing maximum marks will be recommended for posting as VCs. As per the marks distribution, the academic qualifications carry 30 marks, experience 30 while for interview contains 40 marks. It is reliably learnt that the candidates with foreign qualifications are being given extra marks than those with local qualification.

For instance, out of total 30 marks for qualifications, 12 marks have been set for graduation in case a candidate holds degree from a foreign university while for local qualification the marks are 8.

Similarly, 6 marks for foreign MA/MSc while 3 for local qualification. As many as 12 marks were awarded to the candidates having PhD degree from foreign universities while those having PhD degree from local universities were awarded only 8 marks.

It is important to mention here that the Governors Secretariat and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) had strongly reacted over the Punjab Higher Education Department's advertisements regarding eligibility criteria for appointment of VCs of Government College University (GCU) Faisalabad and University of Engineering & Technology (UET) Taxila.

The point of concern was as to why unlike PhD degree in any subject from a reputed university the department had advertised that candidates should have a PhD degree preferably in Management Sciences from a reputed foreign university.

The Governor's Secretariat had even asked the department to re-advertise the posts but to no avail. The VC Search Committee comprises well-known businessman and LUMS Pro Chancellor Syed Babar Ali, renowned economist and VC Beaconhouse National University (BNU) Sartaj Aziz, VC UET Lahore Lt Gen (r) Muhammad Akram Khan, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Punjab Javed Aslam and Punjab Higher Education Department secretary Ahad Khan Cheema.

On condition of anonymity, an applicant even expressed strong reservations about the VC Search Committee, saying it was strange that those involved in private sector education were selecting VCs for public sector universities.

A senior official of the department, seeking anonymity, insisted that the criteria regarding marks distribution was being followed over the years. He further said it was right of the committee to select the best and those having international exposure. "After all this is going to benefit our universities", he added.

About the members of the VC Search Committee, the official said those from the private sector were respected by all for their integrity and spirit of merit. "They have been part of the Committee over the years", he added.

As per previous practice, names of three top-most candidates would be forwarded to the Punjab chief minister while final decision would be taken by the Punjab governor, the chancellor of public sector universities of the province, he concluded. The news

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Students get faulty roll number slips
Vehari: A number of Class V and Class VIII students have complained that the Punjab Examination Commission (PEC) has issued them faulty roll number slips.

In this district, as many as 61,261 students are taking annual examination for Class V and Class VIII from Feb 2, but many a candidate have received slips where either their names or their father's names or dates of birth have been written incorrectly.

Some candidates received roll number slips containing the particulars of an altogether different candidate.

Students including Tahir, Nabeel, Zahid complained that roll number slips they received during the last week were full of mistakes and they were also facing problems in getting their slips rectified.

According to sources at the examination branch which is situated in Islamia High School, over 70 per cent roll number slips were full of mistakes.

Sources said that the department appointed untrained staff for the registration of the students and preparation of these slips.

Rao Jawed Rafique, who is an assistant director at the examination branch said that he could not rule out the possibility of mistakes. He said that the purpose of sending roll number slips before the commencement of the examinations was that if any candidate had any complaint, he could get it rectified immediately.

He admitted that the branch had received many complaints of incorrect particulars on roll number slips.

However, he said that the branch had not committed these mistakes, rather it were the staff of the respective institutions that had sent registration forms which contained incorrect details of the candidates and the same were subsequently incorporated into the roll number slips.

He said the examination branch was solving candidates' problems on a priority basis.

Education EDO Muhammad Ramzan Thathyala said he did not have any information about these mistakes. He said that his department was not responsible for these mistakes. Dawn

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Medical colleges setup
Lahore: Senior Advisor to Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa has said that four new medical colleges are being set up in the province.

Chairing a meeting at his Punjab Assembly chambers, he said the colleges would overcome shortage of doctors and new training institutions would be established for paramedics and nurses.

He said far flung and backwards areas of the province would be preferred in this regard. The meeting was held to review the pace of progress on setting up of medical college in Dera Ghazi Khan.

The advisor said that substantial resources were being spent for providing state-of-the-art facilities in health sector, elimination of unemployment, and promotion of quality education as well as accelerating the pace of development in the province.

Punjab Minister for Local Government Sardar Dost Muhammad Khan Khosa, MPA Dr Saeed Elahi, member P&D Imran Ahmed, Secretary Health, Chief Architect and high ranking officers of Health, Finance, Local Government and other departments attended the meeting.

Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa directed timely completion of development projects in backward areas. He said construction of medical college should be started as early as possible.

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Annual quiz competition
Lahore: The Punjab Education Foundation's 5th annual quiz competition "The Brain of Lahore" will be held on Saturday (today).

Students from 240 private and public sector schools will participate in the event which aims at promoting learning and foster knowledge in the budding students.

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GCU faculty training
Lahore: The concluding ceremony of the Government College University's two-month training for faculty members on Critical Thinking, Presentation Skills and English Grammar Teaching was held on Friday. United States Consul General Lahore Carmella Conroy was the chief guest.

Addressing the participants of the training programme, Carmella Conroy highlighted the importance of critical thinking and lauded efforts of the GCU Quality Enhancement Cell for conducting training sessions in this regard.

Beth Trudell, a senior fellow in language teaching at the American Consulate, said the best thing about the GCU faculty members was that they were open to new ideas and she had enjoyed teaching them.

GCU Quality Enhancement Cell Director Iram Sohail said the university would conduct more training sessions for the faculty members, so that they could learn innovative ideas of teaching. The news

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