MPs degrees verification from Peshawar University

Verification of 105 MPs degrees
Peshawar. July 05: Verification of the degrees of 105 parliamentarians is going on in the University of Peshawar and the final report would be submitted to the vice-chancellor of the university by July 13 and then forwarded to the Higher Education Commission in Islamabad.

The university has formed a three-member committee comprising Controller of Examination Iftikhar Hussain, Additional Controller Mohammad Shafi and Deputy Controller Badshah Muneer to verify the degrees.

"Degrees' verification is a routine process in the university and we have to verify thousands of degrees on a daily basis. There is nothing special in it. But since in this particular case parliamentarians are involved and confidentiality is a must, therefore, we formed a committee of the top officials of the examination section for the purpose," Iftikhar Hussain said.

He refuted the statement attributed to him that several degrees among the 105 sent by the HEC to the UoP for verification were of dubious nature. "The process of verification was still going on and the report was not yet finalised, then how could I give my opinion about some degrees," he asked.

Majority of the degrees challenged so far as fake have been acquired from institutions other than University of Peshawar. The lone degree allegedly obtained from Peshawar varsity, which is a fake according to the university officials, is that of Akhunzada Chittan, the PPP member of the National Assembly from Bajaur Agency.

His degree has been challenged in the Peshawar High Court by his rival candidate Nawabzada Shahabuddin and the court was about to give its verdict in the case several weeks ago, but the MNA managed to transfer his case to Abbottabad Circuit Bench of the court at the eleventh hour.

Additional Controller of the university Mohammad Shafi had categorically told the division bench of the Peshawar High Court that the degree of Akhunzada Chittan was bogus. Sources told this correspondent that the UoP had never issued any degree to Akhunzada Chittan. He had managed to get a forged degree from outside, the sources said.

The other controversial degrees of parliamentarians hailing from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are those of Federal Minister for Railways Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions Najmuddin Khan, Provincial Senior Minister Rahimdad Khan and Senator Ghulam Ali.

Ghulam Bilour managed to get his graduation degree from Jamshoro University, Sindh, at the age of 60 years. Najmuddin Khan first obtained a certificate from some religious seminary and later managed to secure a degree from a university in Sindh. Rahimdad Khan secured a degree from Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan.

Ghulam Ali was lucky enough that by the time he contested for a seat in the Senate, the graduation condition had been done away with. He had failed his English paper in his graduation examination.

Post your comments

Degrees of two more MPAs found fake
Islamabad: The degree of yet another member of the Punjab Assembly representing the PML-N has been declared fake. This time, the PML-N's candidate is Rana Abdul Rauf who was elected from PP-279, Bahawalnagar. He had submitted a BA degree of Balochistan University. Meanwhile, the University of Punjab declared bogus the BA degree submitted by the PML-Q MPA, Shaukat Bhatti, who was elected MPA from Gujar Khan. The news

Post your comments

Irregularities in Mardan education board alleged
Mardan: Political and social circles have expressed concern over alleged irregularities in the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Mardan.

Political figures and members of civil society including educationists, bankers, lawyers and doctors said that they were concerned about the alleged irregularities in the BISE Mardan.

The excessive political influence in the matters of board of intermediate and secondary education had marred its performance, they regretted.

Abdul Akbar Khan, PPP leader in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly, while talking to this correspondent, demanded of the government to immediately re-transfer the powers of educational boards' affairs to governor from the chief minister, adding, the alleged irregularities at a large scale in the BISE Mardan had caused frustration among the social circles.

He pointed out that merit, rules and regulations were completely violated while posting blue-eyed officials on the key places in the BISE.

The PPP leader alleged that Rs120,000 and Rs800,000 were paid to some board officials as bribe by two private schools for securing first and third positions respectively in the recently announced SSC results of Mardan Board so that the private schools could attract more and more students by this way.

He blamed that the theology teachers took exams of Physics and Chemistry's practical while the drawing masters checked Urdu papers and a subject specialist of economics marked the math's papers besides some board's papers were also checked by PTC teachers.

Abdul Akbar Khan pinpointed that the a Swabi chapter all political parties' conference had also expressed reservations over the excessive political influence and irregularities at Mardan board and demanded of the government to stop this menace forthwith.

Tariq Khan, a banker, and advocate Naveed Khan regretted that they were deeply shocked when they came to know about the irregularities in the board.

They said the slot of the board chairman had been lying vacant for the last six months but the concerned authorities were not paying any heed in this connection.

"The ANP-led provincial government has set aside the merit and posted and promoted such officials on key posts in the board who are either not eligible or have affiliation with the ANP party", they alleged.

They disclosed that majority of the failed students were given grace marks from 10 up to 49 marks in their failed subjects.

They called upon the concerned high-ups to take measures as soon as possible in this regard besides re-shift the supervision of educational boards' affairs to the governor from the chief minister.

However, the board officials were not available for their comments in this regard despite several calls were made on their cellular and PTCL phone numbers. Dawn

Post your comments

RBISE to display pictures in newspapers
Rawalpindi: In a bid to discourage cheaters and booty mafia, the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Rawalpindi has decided to display name, pictures and complete bio-data of an examination cheater in national news papers, Controller of Examination Professor Abdul Sattar Ramay said Sunday.

Talking to the news agency he said the new system to thoroughly expose cheaters would be in place from supplementary examinations. This would help discouraging cheaters and hopefully reduce cheating.

As many as 12 cases of using unfair means (UFCs) have been detected by over 40 vigilance teams of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Rawalpindi during the annual examination of Intermediate part-I and II, he said.

The Rawalpindi Board took various precautionary measures to check cheating including the deployment of over 40 teams besides special teams of the secretary and the chairman having three and nine member squads respectively, he said adding the three squads including chief minister's squad, chairman's squad and controller's squad would be mandated to root out the menace of cheating.

The vigilance teams have done extra work despite transport problems in hilly areas of the district, he said adding that the overall attitude of students was also very exemplary.

The board officials conducted various surprise visits of the sensitive examination centres. On proving cheats, the students could get the disqualifications ranging from one year to three years - depending on the nature of the crime they committed, he said.

Post your comments

HEC asked to adjust Kyrgyzstan returned students
Islamabad: Federal government has directed Higher Education Commission to adjust the students, who had returned from riot-hit Kyrgyzstan in government medical colleges and universities.As per detail it has been decided to adjust the student of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan in Pakistani institutions, who have arrived back from troubled Kyrgyzstan. Most of them were medical students. The federal government has directed the heads of medical colleges, Higher Education Commission (HEC) and KP government to give these students admissions in colleges on merit as well as evolving modus operandi for permission of house job, who have completed their studies.

Post your comments

FDE employees not paid hiring allowance for months
Islamabad: Teachers of schools and colleges under Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) are facing delay of several months in payment of hiring allowance because of non-release of funds.

The hiring cases of around 600 teachers from the last year are still pending with FDE. However, the officials of Estate Management Department, FDE, say that a large number of teachers were paid hiring amount till December 31, 2009.

The delay in payment continues, as the owners whose houses are hired by teachers are also not getting checks for months of 2010.

The Estate Management Department of FDE is responsible to deal with hiring cases of the government employees and around 5,400 employees are having the hiring facility. "The department is facing problems due to paucity of funds and is unable to pay hiring allowance to the landlords for the last many months," an official source said. The employees who cite incidents of frequent quarrels with landlords ask why they are deprived of the hiring facility, which is their right.

For the year 2009-10, the Estate Management Department of FDE demanded an amount of Rs540 million to pay house rent to the owners of houses but only an total amount of Rs280 million was released in two phases. The Finance Section of Ministry of Education made cut in the budget creating shortfall of around Rs260 million of funds which FDE was supposed to pay as rent to homeowners.

The situation raised tension between the landlords and employees. The teachers say that landlords visit them again and again to demand payment of rent but they avoid to meet them as they have no money. The landlords have started avoiding giving houses on hiring.

The employees have launched protests several times against non-payment of hiring amount but to no avail.

The facility to new teachers was banned for the last two years due to financial crunch and some teachers filed case for hiring facility in Supreme Court which is still to be decided.

About 2,200 teachers are on waiting list for hiring facility and few of them are accommodated every year on retirement of other teachers.

For the year 2010-11, the FDE demanded budget of Rs590 million out of which only Rs250 million was approved which will create a big shortfall than the last year and employees will continue to face difficulties, the source said.

Director Estate Management Department Tariq Masood said that the department will ensure payments of hiring allowance on priority basis to the people who came here from rural areas.

"We will accommodate the hardship cases on priority and facilitate the disabled and deserving people," he said.

A teacher said the issue can be resolved if the employees are paid hiring allowance with their salaries.

Post your comments

Distinction
Rawalpindi: The students of Bahria Foundation College (BFC), Westridge Campus, have shown 100% result in the Secondary School Certificate (Part-II) Annual Examination of the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, says a press release. The BFC students Fajar Javed got 963 marks, Izza Shahid 948, Amna Khan 925, Hadia Amjad 922, Nawal Imran 914, Farkhanda Sibtain 908 and Simab Fatima got 902 marks in the college.A total number of 56 students appeared in the examination, out of which 12 students secured A+ grade and 22 obtained A grade. The news

Post your comments