Private schools education standards

Private schools directed to raise education standards
Karachi, Jan 12: Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq said on Monday that it would be difficult to achieve target of education for all by 2015 because of faults in the system.

He said that public and private schools were competing with one another for attracting more students by providing maximum facilities to students and teachers and advised administration of private schools to increase teachers' salaries and provide quality education to students as well as training to teachers.

He said the government and private schools management would have to get prepared for future challenges. The second regional office for solution of private schools' problems had been opened in Mirpurkhas, he added.

He said that cases would be lodged against the people who were school buildings as their autaqs. Many closed schools had been reopened with help of primary teachers association, civil society and general public, he said.

He called for putting in place accountability process in the private schools to ensure quality of education. Cash prizes and certificates would be distributed among students of private schools who would obtain good marks in Sindhi subject, he announced.

Pir Mazharul Haq announced that profiles about great educationalists including late Sachal Janjhi who rendered significant services for promoting education in Sindh, will be included in curriculum.

Speaking at the 19th death anniversary of illustrious Thari primary teacher and outstanding social worker, Sachal Janjhi, father of veteran leftist leader and politician, Comrade Jam Saqi, at Janjhi village in Chhachhro taluka on Sunday, the minister said that Sain Sachal was a model reformer.

He said that great advancement in education could be accomplished if individuals like Sain Sachal worked selflessly for the cause of education in every town and village of the province.

When reminded about his announcement eight months ago that the dilapidated building of Sachal Government Boys' High School would be reconstructed, the minister said that he admitted his fault and accused bureaucracy of being reluctant in complying with his orders.

He warned that he would take stern action against the officials who did not comply with his orders about reconstruction of the school's building.

Comrade Jam Saqi said that Sachal was not only a good teacher but he was also a model human being, whom Meenh Bai (Jam's mother) despite being disabled used to lend a helping hand in all social works.

Noted journalist Sohail Sangi said that his uncle Sain Sachal got a post office, dispensary and a girls school established in his native village, Janjhi. He donated his 15 acre land for the construction of the building of high school, he said.

Mr Sangi deplored that because of lack of interest by villagers, no new facility or institute had been established in the village after Sain Sachal's death. Material about Sain Sachal's life be included in curriculum, he urged.

Prof Mohammad Waris said that Sain Sachal was so committed to the cause of promoting education that he collected donation from the area people, got a middle school sanctioned in 1962, constructed mud-thatched "Chounras" and four rooms with sunburnt (unbaked) bricks without doors and windows but ensured that classes were held there regularly.

A large number of educationalists, officers, teachers, students and journalists from all parts of Thar participated in the ceremony and paid rich tributes to Sain Sachal for his great services for the promotion of education in Thar. Dawn

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New academic year began at KU
Karachi: The new academic year began on Monday at the University of Karachi (KU). Various departments in all the faculties arranged orientation classes to welcome and enlighten the students about their departments, courses and the teachers.

The Department of Mass Communication had prepared a visual presentation to welcome the students. Chairperson Dr Raffia Taj talked to the students and reminded them that they had come to one of the best departments of the university and it was up to them to prove their credentials in a proper manner.

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SZABIST students training
Karachi: The Film and Video students of the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), who had gone to Dubai to get training at Infinity TV, termed their tour an opportunity of learning and experiencing a professional environment. The group of 16 students who are specialising in Film and Video returned to Karachi last week.

The training for students was free, after a memorandum of understanding was signed for student training by SZABIST and Infinity TV. The participants believe that they have returned with lots of knowledge and experience to share with their fellows in Karachi. One participant Zeeshan Ahmad said that the training had given them a chance to improve the standards of Pakistani film industry and introduce professionalism when they step into the field.

"Working with Eyptian, Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian technicians was an experience in itself because the level of work ethics and standards there was far better than how we work in Pakistan, besides we had a an opportunity to experience a professional environment.

Another important part of the course was the interest the staff of Infinity TV showed in teaching us and lectures were especially prepared for us," he said, adding that all them were working in there specialised fields with the professionals. "We were able to realise the time and pressure of live transmission too," he said.

Moreover the SZABIST students were taken aback by the amount of qualified people present in the Arab media industry. "The day we walked into there studio we had our shoulders high as we as we thought we were qualified filmmakers and people will be surprised to see trained students like us but all our notions went in vain when we saw that even there cameraman was a degree of BS in Film and Video from Jordan, let alone the rest of them," said another Talat Mazhar. He believed that this was a moment of realisation for them and the Pakistani industry.

"There are only a handful of media and film schools in Pakistan while in other parts of the world it is a recognised field. Even ountries like Palestine and Lebanon have produced a large number of professionals in the field despite the political troubles," Mazhar said.

Though exchange programmes and workshops have become a matter of routine in the universities of Karachi these days, the SBAZIST students believed that this exposure was above from all the training workshops that they had attended previously. "We would observe them, do a live show and assist them and as soon as there programming would get over we would work in control room and studio and implement whatever we had learnt right after there show.

At the end of the day they would judge our work and criticise it. We ourselves did the live programming several times as well. This whole experience can not be compared with the other lectures and workshops we attended in Karachi," Mazhar added.

The students who went to Dubai will be graduating from SZABIST within the next six months. All of them believed that international industry exposure just before graduating was a great opportunity for them.

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JUW lecture on Swine Flu
Karachi: The Microbiology Society at the Jinnah University for Women's (JUW) Department of Microbiology organised a lecture on "Novel H1N1 Influenza Virus, Swine Flu" on Monday.

Assistant Professor and Medical Director for Infection Control, University of Wisconsin Hospital, Dr Nasia Safdar delivered the lecture and outlined the factors involved in the cause of disease, different types of pandemics related to H1N1 influenza viruses, the precautionary measures used to prevent the disease and the treatment available for it.

Chairperson Dr Shazia T. Hakim thanked the distinguished guest for her (Dr Safdar) lecture. Dr Safdar later met Vice Chancellor JUW Dr Riaz Ahmed Hashmi and discussed the possibility of future research collaboration between the two universities.

The Indus Institute of Higher Education (IIHE) lauded the brave spirit of the Rangers Personnel, Abdur Razzaq and Police Constable Musharraf Baig who sacrificed their lives on Ashura Day to save the lives of countless mourners at the procession. IIHE has decided to grant 100 percent free scholarship to the children of the two martyrs and the children of all the shuhada of Armed Forces, Police and Rangers.

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) organised a One Day Seminar, in collaboration with World Health Organisation (WHO) and Ministry of Health (MOH), on 'Creating Smoke Free Universities' at its regional office on Monday.

Vice Chancellor University of Karachi (KU) Prof Pirzada Qasim was the Chief Guest at the closing ceremony. The news

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