Cuban scholarship holders education

Parents of Cuban scholarship holders stage protest rally
Islamabad, Jan 22: Parents of the medical students studying in Cuba held a demonstration on the premises of the Higher Education Commission here on Thursday after HEC chairman Javed Laghari refused to meet them.

The parents wanted to convey their children concerns about their future in Pakistan, particularly their registration with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), the quality of education they are getting in Cuba and the learning experience and the nature of curriculum.

"Dozens of parents assembled in the HEC to meet the chairman early in the morning as we have had an appointment with him but Mr Laghari refused to meet us," said Raza M Raza, an ex-senator whose son is also among the students that had been sent to Cuba under the 1000 scholarship programme.

"We wanted to tell him the seriousness of the matter which could not be resolved by the authorities concerned during the last two years, we stayed in the premises of the HEC till the closure of the offices, in the hope that somebody might listen to us but nobody turned up," he said.

The protestors later went to the Parliament House where senators listened to their grievances and promised to take up the matter on the floor of the house.

The parents said all their children's stipulations fell on deaf ear as nothing had been done to resolve these problems, he added.

Meanwhile, an official statement of the HEC carrying the words of Gustavo Machin Gomez, the Cuban Ambassador, said, "Currently more than 25,000 foreign medical students are enrolled in Cuba and the Pakistani contingent is receiving the same high quality medical education as is being provided to the foreign as well as local medical students there.

"The medical colleges where Pakistani students study has been included in the WHO Directory," revealed the Ambassador thus alleviating any doubts about the standard of education in Cuba, the statement adds.

He reiterated that there is only one stream of medical education in Cuba for all students. Mr Gomez said that certain students were disrupting the educational process and they would be handled as per disciplinary rules.

A total of 932 Pakistani students are presently studying in Cuba under the islands scholarship programme.

The Cuban government offered 1000 scholarships for graduate studies in medical field consequent to the October 2005 earthquake. Dawn

Post your comments

Pharmacy council recognises Riphah Pharm-D degree
Islamabad: Pharmacy Council of Pakistan, with approval of the federal government has recognized Riphah International University for conducting Pharm-D programme.

Ministry of Health has declared the course of study for the Pharm-D degree programme conducted by Riphah International University as an approved examination for the purpose of qualifying a person for registration as Pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act 1976 (XI of 1967).

A formal notification was issued by the ministry in April last year that allowed the university to conduct Pharm-D programme, said a news release issued here. A copy of the notification has been endorsed to the secretaries of Pharmacy Councils of Punjab, Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan.

The graduates qualifying for registration as Pharmacist as per this notification may contact Riphah Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Islamabad to get the copy of the notification, if they desire.

Riphah Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, a five years institute of Riphah International University is carrying out the Pharm-D programme and its first batch of Doctor of Pharmacy was passed out at the 5th Convocation of the University on January 9. Riphah International University is chartered by the federal government.

The President of Pakistan is the patron of the university while Major General (r) Muhammad Zulfiqar Ali Khan is the Chancellor. Renowned educationist and scholar Professor Dr. Anis Ahmad is the vice chancellor.

The university is running programs for Doctor of Pharmacy, MBBS, BDS, BS (Electrical Engineering), BSc Bio Medical Engineering, MS Electrical Engineering, BS(SE), BS(IT), BS(CS), MS Computing, Doctor of Physical Therapy, MBA, BBA, MSc/MS in Mathematics and Postgraduate and undergraduate degrees in Media Sciences. The news

Post your comments

Fata scholarships
Peshawar: The Upper Fata Livelihood Development Programme of the Fata Secretariat has awarded 25 fully funded scholarships amounting to Rs10.36 millions to tribal students enrolled in the Institute of Management Sciences (IMS) Peshawar.

These scholarships, handed over by Director for Scholarship & Literacy Upper Fata LDP Nazir Ahmad, were distributed among the students of MBA and MSc (Development Studies/Computer Sciences and MS-Management).

The Upper Fata includes Khyber, Bajaur, Mohmand agencies and Frontier Region Peshawar while the students who got the scholarships belonged to these tribal areas.

Nazir Ahmad said they were offering scholarships to 883 students at different levels of academic sessions. These included Masters Degree Programme, Intermediate, Vocational/Technical and SSC (7th to 10th Grade) Scholarships.

Joint Director of the IMS Dr Muhammad Mohsin said the scholarships would bring a marked difference in the lives of individuals and families hailing from Fata.Dawn

Post your comments

AIOU teachers degree
Islamabad: As many as 13 teachers of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) got Ph.D degree from inside and outside the country during the last two years which reflect that educational tendency is moving ahead in university's teachers.

This was expressed by AIOU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Mehmood-ul-Hassan Butt while addressing at the annual dinner 'Welcome-Farewell to Academicians' held Thursday.

Open university is among the few universities where there are largest number of Ph.D level teachers, he said. Academic Staff Association (ASA) of the AIOU and its members have done extraordinary efforts during the last two years and set up the exemplary and commendable way of life.

Flowers and shields presented to the recently retired teachers including Dr. Inam-ul-Haq Javed, Dr. Daud Awan, Dr. Parveen Liaqat, Dr. Rukhsana Masood and Dr. Muhammad Kaleem Tahir who have got Ph.D degree within the last two years.

Dr. Saqib Riaz, Dr. Bakht Rawan, Dr. Shehnaz Zahir, Dr. Hidayat Ullah Khan, Dr. Samina Yasmin, Dr. Amtul Hafiz, Dr. Samina Awan, Dr. Badshah Sardar, Dr. Qusar Perveen, Dr. Zahid-Ullah, Dr. Syed Manzoor Hussain Shah, Syed Umar Farooq and Dr. Kishwar Sultana were also among the recipients.

ASA President Dr. Iqbal Shah and Zahid Majeed, ASA Secretary General also addressed the participants.

Post your comments

Connecting Classrooms programme
Islamabad: The three-day 'Inspirational Fair', organised under the project 'Connecting Classrooms', concluded here on Thursday. It was attended by more than 500 schoolchildren of the urban cluster, teachers, parents and other community members.

The 'Connecting Classrooms' programme is an initiative of the British Council in collaboration with the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) with an aim to raise awareness regarding culture between Pakistan and the United Kingdom, promoting collaborative curriculum projects, professional development and exchange visits.

The three-day fair was conducted at Islamabad College for Girls (ICG), F-6/2 and included projects, presentations, group shows, trainings and lectures. The fair was announced to encourage the involvement of students from the entire cluster and provide an opportunity for them to get to know each other and participate confidently in an activity. All this was done with an aim to enhance their communication skills besides enabling them to take ownership for this activity, so they feel pride in sharing it with their partner schools in UK.

The first day of the fair included the introduction of the background and rationale of the fair, a lecture on 'Kitchen Garden' by Imtiaz Masood, a tableau on tolerance, and a cultural show.

The second day included a lecture on the 'Art Scene in Pakistan' by Dr Arjumand Faisal, a flower arrangement competition, first aid and traffic rules. The third day included lectures on 'Buddhism: Philosophy & Practices' by Esther Park, 'Gandhara: Archaeological Facts' and a tableau on environment.

The total number of students that were directly involved in these different activities was approximately 100 from each school, so around 500 students comprised the cluster, while around 25-30 teachers were involved from five different schools.

Launched in Pakistan in 2007, the 'Connecting Classrooms' programme connects schools in the two countries and builds lasting partnerships between those in the UK and others around the world. Through these partnerships, the programme develops trust and understanding among the young people in different societies, creating a safer and more connected world for the future. To date, 'Connecting Classrooms' has built strong links between 208 schools in Pakistan and Britain.

Post your comments

Fata University setup
Peshawar: With a view to bring the tribal students in the mainstream of life and open up academic avenues to them, the government has taken a remarkable decision to establish 'Fata University' while giving green signal in this regard.

The decision to this effect was taken at a high level meeting held here Thursday under the special directives of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani at the Regional Center of Higher Education Commission. Prof Dr Mukhtar, member HEC, presided over the meeting.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Mukhtar agreed to launch Fata University as per the directives of the prime minister and thanked the participants for their support in making this long-standing demand of tribal students a reality.

He said the university would facilitate the Fata students and Frontier Regions and cater to the academic needs of tribal students.Regional Director HEC, Farmanullah Anjum termed the decision a remarkable step.

He said the government has fulfilled the long-standing demand for a separate university for Fata students that would have far reaching impacts on the future prospects of Fata students."It was the only way to give a taste of development to the marginalised students of Fata and to expose them to new opportunities that were unfortunately denied to them so far", he remarked.

Regarding the venue of the proposed Fata University, he said that the final decision in this regard would be taken shortly. However, he added that the university would be launched in the temporary campuses in the initial stage.

Post your comments

OPF award ceremony
Islamabad: OPF Girls College Principal Shahina Masood said that they have started regular classes of BA, BSc and master's programmes in Education and English Literature from this year. She also informed about the outstanding achievements of students in curricular and co-curricular activities.

The prefects and council members were then given badges and sashes. Presidents and general secretaries of Science, Environmental, Urdu, English, Islamic, Music, Media, Arts, Sports and Health societies were given their sashes as well, making them a responsible representative of the students' council.

High-achievers of 'O' levels, SSC and HSSC examinations were given awards after the oath-taking ceremony. Anam Amin, Ayesha Bilquis, Maheen Zahra, Maria Ahmed, Rida Bukhari, Safia Khalid, Sahar Sajjad and Sara Atif obtained straight 'As' in 'O' level examinations.

In the SSC examinations, Sundus Maria with 93.4%, Noor Aurangzeb Khan with 93.2% and Haleema Khan with 92.4% secured the top three positions in the college.

Beenish Imtiaz, Ayesha Rehman and Aleena Shah received awards for achieving 88.5%, 86.7% and 82.9% marks respectively in their HSSC examinations. Later, the principal presented the college crest to the federal minister. The news

Post your comments