PU fails to verify degrees

University official says burying inquiries against corruption a 'tradition' at varsity
Lahore, July 13: The seven-member committee set up by the Punjab University to verify parliamentarians' degrees failed to complete the task by the deadline given by Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran, learnt on Monday.

According to sources, the deadline given by the VC was July 12, which the verification committee was unable to meet, thus creating anxiety within educational circles.

People in the university are also questioning as to why the seven-member committee failed to complete the verification process within the given time even though the university considered it a routine matter, and had been reviewing several degrees per day.

The VC had directed the committee to complete and submit the verification report by July 12 for its onward transmission to the Higher Education Commission but the committee has been unable to do so.

According to the sources, after the PU received the degrees, some parliamentarians tried to contact the high-ups of the varsity in order to influence the verification process, after which the PU VC instructed the committee to complete the process with transparency and made strict security arrangements in and around the degrees cells.

According to a PU official, the seven-member committee was unable to complete the process within time even though other universities across the city had already reported to the HEC in this regard.

He further said that at a time when the whole nation is concerned about the fake degree holders in the parliament, and is waiting "anxiously" to find out the results, it is beyond understanding why the PU committee was unable to complete the verification process in time.

Burying inquiries: He said that "burying inquiries against its corrupt officials and delaying the process by using different tactics" has always been a "tradition" at the PU. However, this is an issue affecting the entire nation and the higher officials should take notice of the issue in time.

He also said that many government high-ups took notice of the sensitive inquiries against other corrupt practices carried out in the varsity, and questioned the varsity about them.

According to another PU official, in addition to the seven-member committee, more than one dozen officials from the PU examinations and verification departments were also engaged in this verification process but the delay exposed the "poor" performance of these departments.

He said that the real question is "why the committee is delaying the process when the PU VC himself is so keen to complete the process with transparency".

Real deadline: PU Public Relations Director Khawaja Tahir said that the committee set up by the VC to complete the verification process was an internal committee and was given the July 12 deadline, whereas the HEC has given the deadline of July 15. He said that around 80 percent of work in connection with the verification has been completed, and they will present the report to HEC within its given deadline. PU Registrar Dr Naeem Ahmad Khan said that the verification process at PU was expected to conclude by Monday. Daily times

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Compute before buying a computer
Islamabad: People think according to their budget instead of what they need. That is why most people spend too much money on buying a personal computer (PC) which is more than what they actually require.

A motherboard is a combination of different parts. One must know the proper specifications regarding major parts in order to make the right choice. Irfan Majeed, a hardware and software engineer, working in Blue Area, said: "After buying an expensive motherboard, which has a proper VGA and even a DVI port on it, with a powerful chip to support good graphics, the next thing people ask for is a good graphics card. This way, they pay for two things while they can use only either of them at a time. For such people, there are motherboards that come without any onboard VGA, at a low price."

"People buy ATX board - a full size board with all expansion slots installed, and they never intend to add any extra card there. For such customers, there are mini ATX boards that are available at a low price," he added.

Buying a new PC demands careful choice, so does the upgradation of a PC that is already in one's use.

"Some people want to upgrade their PCs, but when they are asked about the reason for it they would not be able to come up with any proper answer. It's just because they have heard about a new processor or a board. Upgradation to one or two steps better processor does not make a vital difference in speed and performance. A common user would not be able to feel the difference," said a hardware dealer, Sajid Ali, working in Blue Area.

He said: "In most cases, increasing RAM (Random Access Memory), with a better bus speed, makes much difference, but installing a 4GB RAM on a household PC which is already running on 2GB would be useless. The RAM should be increased if a PC exhausts the entire available RAM and slows down or hangs. There are softwares which show the use of RAM and processor. Such monitoring can be helpful in taking the decision regarding increasing the RAM."

Asadullah, a hardware dealer in Islamabad, told this news agency that everything depends on requirements of the user. Most users watch videos and play simple games on their PCs, or by maximum they would use internet and work in MS Office. Such people may get any PC without spending too much on it - branded used PCs available in the market from a price range of Rs4,000 to 5,000 would be a decent option.

He said: "If anyone works with programmes like 3D Studio Max, Adobe Premier and plays high-definition games which require too much rendering with precise details then one may go for the latest available gadgets."

Computer companies are rapidly changing their technologies these days. A system may not be compatible with the devices that would be launched after a year or two, resulting in a rapid depreciation, up to 40 to 50 per cent per annum, in most cases. One must carefully spend the hard-earned money so that it pays back in terms of utility.

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Teachers urged to adopt innovative teaching techniques
Peshawar: At a three-day workshop on classroom management arranged by the University Public School, University of Peshawar at the

Bara Gali summer campus, speakers stressed the need

for effective and clear communication for better outcome and motivation of the students to take interest in their studies.

Dr Abdur Rashid, deputy psychologist, delivering a lecture on personality development, said the concept of back-benchers must be avoided in the contemporary classrooms so that students should have equal access to the teacher and do not undergo inferiority complex.

Rauf Jamil, director of the Entry Testing and Evaluation Authority, informed the teachers about effective modes of learning which were beneficial for increasing the efficiency of student's studies and picking power.

University Public School Principal Gul Hameed delivered lecture on the ways and means to avoid unfair means in examination system.

He said the three stakeholders including school administration, parents and boards of examination must play a very active and vigilant role in curbing the menace of unfair means in examinations.

The chief guest of the closing ceremony was Associate Prof Hizbullah, who is also a member of syndicate at the University of Peshawar.

He said that young teachers needed to be taught about better classroom management to polish the real potential of the students.

Later, he distributed certificates to the participating teachers.

Teachers from University Public School, University Model School and other government and semi-government educational institutions attended the seminar. The news

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