Education department staff salaries issue
AG stopped salaries of education department staff
Karachi, Jan 23: The Sindh Accountant General (AG) has stopped the
salaries of more than 1,000 lower-cadre employees of the Education Department,
City District Government Karachi (CDGK), as the job contracts of these employees
have been terminated on January 20, 2010. The officials of the Sindh AG
office have demanded the regularisation letters or job continuation letters from
these employees, belonging to grade 1 to 4, to release their salaries, a
well-placed source informed on Friday. The source said that the
employees were appointed by previous Executive District Officer (EDO) Fakhar
Karim in 2007, while their job orders were issued on January 20, 2007. These
lower-cadre employees included Peons, Gardeners, Watchmen, Lab Attendants,
Guards and Sweepers, he said. The decision of suspending salaries has
created panic among the employees. The source said that the affected staffers
were looking towards the Sindh Education Ministry and City Nazim Mustafa Kamal
for the regularisation of their jobs. However, a simple extension in their
contact will also help pave way for the release of their salaries, he said.
These employees of the Education Department are worried over the government
decision. "Our families are dependent on our salaries; who will provide our
children bread and butter," a worried employee said, adding that Sindh Education
Minister Pir Mazharul Haq and the City Nazim could solve the problem through
regularising the jobs of these staffers. Additional Secretary Education (Schools) Riaz Memon that he was not aware about
the issue while he would consider the issue on Saturday (today). Another
concerned staffer alleged, "EDO Education Ibrahim Kumbher, as per past practice,
is indifferent towards the problems of the employees. All the higher-ups of the
Education Department, City District Government Karachi are well aware about the
workers worries, but they are not interested to take our issue to higher
authorities." The employees demanded the government to take immediate notice
of their problems and issue instructions to resolve it. On the other hand,
newly appointed Sindh Secretary Education Siddiqu Memon when was contacted did
not attend the call. The nation
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Education department cases pending in courts
Karachi: Sindh Minister for Education Pir Mazharul Haq said Friday that around
9,000 cases related to his department are pending in different courts, and a
legal cell would be established in the department soon for expediting the legal
process. Addressing a press conference at the PPP Sindh Media Cell along
with officers of the education department, the minister said Sindh Chief
Minister Qaim Ali Shah has approved the establishment of the legal
cell. He said he has also issued directives for filing of cases against
those involved in occupation of government school buildings in different areas
of the province. He said the education department has not yet lifted the
ban on setting up new schools in the province, and the department has pointed
out 1,700 ghost schools operating in different districts of Sindh. He
said the number of ghost schools in the province during the previous regime
stood at 7,000. He said his ministry has reopened some 1,400 schools through
hectic efforts during two years. Responding to a question, the minister
said he has held marathon meetings with Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan for
transferring control of educational boards to the chief minister on the pattern
of other provinces. He hoped that the issue would be resolved soon. He
disclosed that a separate directorate would be established for private schools
at the divisions level. He defended the nationalisation policy of PPP
founder and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the education sector,
and said time has proved that the policy opened the door for poor students to
receive standard education. On the occasion, the education secretary told
media personnel that the education department would recruit 13,500 more teachers
and 3,200 non-teaching staff. He said the education department has already
launched a programme for distribution of free textbooks among around 4,030,000
students studying in different government schools. He said the department
has sent a request to the Sindh Public Service Commission for holding
competitive exams to appoint 1,918 lecturers in the province. He said the
department has also given approval for the establishment of seven new cadet
colleges in different districts of the province. Daily times
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KU BCom exam centres
Karachi: The controller of examinations, University of Karachi, has announced that the examination centre
for the female candidates of BCom (external) annual examinations-2009 bearing
seat numbers 155199 to 155345 and 173801 to 173969 (as notified at serial number
25 of the original programme) has been shifted to the Govt Degree College for
Women, Saudabad, Malir, from the Govt Liaquat College, Malir. On
Thursday, the KU official had announced that the examination centre for the
female candidates of BSc annual examinations-2009 had been shifted from the
Khatoon-i-Pakistan Govt Degree College for Women to the Shaheed-i-Millat Govt
Girls College, Azizabad, F B Area for the remaining papers (from February 11 to
24). PPI
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Arabic courses at KU
Karachi: University of Karachi (KU) has announced to offer a Certificate
Course in Arabic, and diploma courses in Quranic and contemporary Arabic,
revealed a press release issued on Friday. The press release said that
duration of each course is two semesters, and admission forms are available till
January 25, 2010 at UBL, Silver Jubilee Gate-1. Filled forms could be
submitted at the Department of Arabic and classes for the said courses and
diplomas would commence from February 1, 2010.
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SU fine arts degree
Dadu: The University of Sindh awarded the degree of bachelors of fine
arts to three students of the design department in its recent convocation.
Ms Sabeen Naeem, Ms Samreen Khilji and Ms Huma Gul said that they
had been visiting the university offices for correction of nomenclature of their
degrees, but to no avail. Sabeen said that she got admission to the
Institute of Art and Design, University of Sindh, in 2005, in the four-year
degree programme of communication design. But at the end of her studies, the
university had awarded her the degree in fine arts, she said. Ms Samreen
Khilji of the department of communication design said that National College of
Arts Lahore, Indus Valley School of Arts and Architecture Karachi, University of
Karachi and some 40 other degree-awarding intuitions recognised by HEC were
awarding the degrees of bachelor of design to their students. She said:
"This is our time to go in the market and find a job, but we are trying to
resolve the problem." She said that they had met the vice-chancellor who
agreed with their point of view and issued directives to the authorities
concerned, but the issue remained unresolved. She said that at the
institute, four different departments had been merged. Ms Huma Gul, a
graduate of textile design, alleged that students of design were advised to get
the degree of fine arts which would not be accepted in the design market.
She said that bachelors of design degree was an approved nomenclature of
the University of Sindh and it had awarded the degree with this nomenclature to
student of Federal College of Arts and Design, Jamshoro, in 2006-07.
When contacted, institute's director Dr Mohammad Ali Bhatti
said that this was a mistake of the examination branch and the matter would be
resolved in two days. Dawn
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Computer literacy projects
Karachi: Sindh Minister for Information and Technology, Muhammad Raza
Haroon has stated that the provincial IT Ministry is working on different
projects on computer literacy. He said this while talking US Aid
delegation at his office on Friday. He said that record 15,000 employees of the
Sindh government was being computerised, adding that all districts of the
province were also being linked up with video conferencing system.
Haroon said that funds were also being spent on E-police projects, under
which 200 surveillance cameras for being installed for command and control
system. He said that 7,000 youths had also been provided advance computer
education under Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Youth Development Programme
(BBSYDP). He also informed that project of E-government Sukkur is about
to be completed, which will be inaugurated soon. The news
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