Karachi university teachers test Controversy
Controversy regarding teachers test persists at KU
Karachi, Jan 26: The controversy with regard to allowing the permanent faculty at
University of Karachi (KU) to enroll in the MS/PhD programmes without appearing
in the entrance test continues to persist. The controversy started when
the Karachi University Teachers Society (KUTS) asked the Vice Chancellor KU
Prof. Qasim Raza Pirzada to allow the permanent faculty to be enrolled for
MS/PhD programmes without appearing in the entrance test. The VC agreed to the
demand, however, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) warned the university
that if the teachers were exempted from appearing in the entrance test, then the
HEC would not recognise the degrees of such teachers. Chancellor KU and
Governor Sindh Dr Ishrat ul Ebad also took note of the controversy and called it
an issue that should not have cropped up at all. In the meantime, two
former students of Department of Mass Communication have written a letter to the
KU VC Prof. Qasim requesting him to revert the decision about the tests. They
wrote that 'it will taint the name and reputation of our alma mater'. The
students further maintained that they had no intention to 'drag our alma mater
and taint its name in the courts of law'. A source, though, revealed that the
former students do intend to file a petition against the decision. In
this regard President KUTS Dr Abid Hasnain said that they are not
against the tests, and of course the teachers are 'not afraid of the tests', but
'our stand is that the teachers should not be taking the tests with their
students, and secondly a teacher that has passed his examinations and has been
recruited through the selection board should not be humiliated in this manner'.
Dr Hasnain challenged those who could tell him if any university in the world
was testing its teachers before they began their higher
education. Moreover, the move by KUTS was vehemently opposed by deans of
all faculties, citing it a move to deteriorate the educational standards of the
university. A considerable number of KU teachers said on
Monday revealed that they had no objection in appearing in the tests, and that
actually they had taken the test that were held last Sunday. Meanwhile,
the dean of a faculty, requesting anonymity, confirmed that many teachers had
indeed taken the test and the he (the dean) could give the exact number of the
teachers who appeared in the test, on Tuesday.
Post your comments
GCE results for Oct/Nov 2009 announced
Karachi: The results of the Cambridge International Examinations for
October/November 2009 session were announced on the British Council website here
on Monday. According to an official of the Cambridge Examination Control in
Pakistan, the comprehensive result of high achievers from all over the world
will be processed by March 2010. Following the previous policy, no percentages
were written on the statement of result and only grades were given.
Post your comments
SBTE to give last chance to DAE, DBA students
Karachi: Sindh Board of Technical Education (SBTE) has decided to provide
the last chance to the failure students of discontinued semester system of
Diploma of Associate Engineer (DAE) as well as to those failures that have
exhausted their chances to appear in the DAE under Annual System in vogue,
Controller of Examinations, SBTE, Professor Maqsood Hussain said on Monday. The
same policy is also adopted for similar deficiencies in the cases of the
failures of Diploma in Business Administration (DBA) course. The last chance for
receipt of renewal of Registration Forms is January 29, 2010 and the last date
for receipt of Examination Forms is February 08, 2010, he added.He advised all
failed candidates of DAE and DBA to contact their respective colleges for
obtaining renewal of the forms immediately.
Post your comments
HSC practical exams
Karachi: The practical examinations of the Board of Intermediate
Education, Karachi (BIEK), Higher Secondary Certificate (supplementary
examination-2009) will start from February 8. According to a press release
issued on Monday, BIEK has advised the students of Pre-Medical, Pre-Engineering
and Science General Group to collect the programme before February 3 from the
Government College for Men, Nazimabad (Male Candidates) and Sir Syed Government
Girls College, Nazimabad (Female Students).
Post your comments
CDGK, NED agreement
Karachi: The City District Government Karachi (CDGK) has signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the NED University of Engineering and
Technology for a research project being carried out, under USAID, by the NED
University and the University of Mississippi, USA. The project involves
the utilisation of the CDGK's Command & Control Center (C&CC) to improve
traffic flow and develop an intelligent transportation system (ITS) for Karachi.
The MoU was signed by City Nazim Mustafa Kamal and NED University Registrar
Engineer Javed Aziz Khan at a ceremony held on Monday in the KWSB Head
Office. The participants at the ceremony included NED University Vice
Chancellor Prof. Dr Muzaffar Mehmood, Civil Engineering & Architecture
Department Dean Prof. Dr Sahibzada Farooq Ahmed Rafeequi, Urban and
Infrastructure Engineering Chairman Prof. Dr Mir Shabbar Ali, Controller of
Services Syed Wasiuddin, Urban Engineering Department Lecturers. Madiha Abid and
Afzal Ahamd, DCO Karachi Javed Hanif Khan, Municipal Services EDO Masood Alam,
C&CC In charge Faheem Qureishi, and others. A lively discussion was
headed by City Nazim Mustafa Kamal, where participants appreciated the traffic
engineering and operational infrastructure put in place by the CDGK. The
speakers concluded that through research and studies, the NED University could
identify traffic problems and the causes of the failure of traffic management.
They could also provide recommendations and remedies to cope with these issues
for a better traffic management system in the metropolis. Cameras
installed at various locations in Karachi by the CDGK can play a vital role in
managing traffic efficiently, improving traffic flow, and reducing congestion at
all major and supplementary arteries. According to the MoU, researchers from the
NED University will be provided access to the city government's C&CC, while
the Signal-Free Corridor-III will be used as the NED-CDGK Road Lab for research
and development of the ITS-based traffic management system. Kamal
expressed hope that a better and permanent solution could be reached through the
coordination of universities, especially professional educational institutions
that can correctly identify problems and give valuable suggestions. He further
said that despite spending billions of rupees on traffic engineering, problems
still persisted due to the absence of better enforcement and lack of action from
the traffic police against violations of rules. Kamal said that most
traffic problems were related to management and not traffic engineering. Though
such problems were solved by all big cities through a mass transit system, the
CDGK did not have the resources to carry out such a huge project that cost
billions of dollars on its own; only the federal government can do this for
Karachi, he said.
Post your comments
NAPA diploma in Film Making
Karachi: National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) has announced to offer
a one-year diploma course in Film Making in its news session commencing from
February 2010. The diploma course will be the cheapest available option for
students aiming to pursue film making as a carrier, as it costs them a
comparatively mere sum of Rs3000 per month. In the past five years NAPA
had only offered courses in Music and Theatre. 'This will be a one-year
diploma and students will be given hands on training on the production
equipment,' PRO NAPA Nadeem Ahmed said. He said that NAPA has now
established a name in the fields of theatre and music, and its graduates have
been recognised in their respective fields. 'So it is the right time to move
towards Film Making,' he said. Ahmed added that admissions in the
departments of Music and Theatre are totally based on auditions and out of all
the applications, only10 to15 students are selected to pursue a three-year
degree programme. He further said that education up to intermediate is the pre
requisite. In the case of film making, though intermediate is the pre requisite,
there are no auditions as the field is new to the applicants and the decision
would be taken solely on the basis of interviews of the applicants, he
said. It has been more than five years since NAPA was formed and finally
the number of applicants has started increasing. 'This year we received more
than 100 applications in all the faculties, which is a great achievement for
NAPA, the trend has got better over the years, and especially this year because
our graduates have made it into the market, and the people have started
recognising them' the PRO said. He said that a batch of 15 to 20 students
of Music and Theater would be graduating in the coming month. Nadeem added that
the convocation would be subject to the availability of a chief guest because
the last two convocations were chaired by Former President Pervez Musharraf and
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani respectively.
Post your comments
IBA LeaderShop Conference
Karachi: The fourth edition of the Institute of Business Administration
(IBA) LeaderShop Conference concluded at a local hotel which saw a host of
students gain valuable lessons form a wide array of speakers on
Saturday. The four day conference cum leadership workshop combined
activities with core leadership and social skill development programmes.
Participants heard from leaders in the local and international corporate and
social service sectors. People like Leon Menezes (GM HR Shell), Rafiq
Rangoonwala (CEO Cupola Group), and former head of the State Bank of Pakistan,
Dr Ishrat Hussain as well as other speakers. According to the
participants, the conference gave them an opportunity to hear from executives of
the corporate sector. Along with listening to some of the most successful people
in the industry, the conference provided an opportunity for students to improve
on a personal level. According to Maimoona Tariq, who is a part of the
treasury committee of the conference, the most valuable aspect of the conference
was to make a host of links and contacts that one could take home. 'I was
involved in recruiting many people in the management team. The success of any
venture depends on the mix of right people. I am glad that I chose the right
people for the right jobs. In the end, even they were delighted to have worked
and never knew they possessed the ability to perform such jobs' she claimed. The news
Post your comments
| 
