Fatima Jinnah Medical College university status

Why FJMC denied varsity status?
Lahore, March 19: A special division bench of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday asked the Punjab government to explain why the Fatima Jinnah Medical College was not granted the status of a university at the time when the King Edward Medical College was given the same status.

The bench comprising Chief Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif and Justice Ijazul Ahsan also extended a stay against Punjab government's Nov 26 order under which the FJMC was affiliated with the University of Health Sciences and adjourned the hearing for April 8.

The chief justice had taken suo motu notice of college's affiliation to the UHS after students launched a series of protests against the move, terming it a severe blow to their future.

Previously, the court had sought minutes of meetings which decided FJMC's affiliation with the UHS.

Shahzad Shaukat, the counsel for Punjab University, had informed court that the PU stood at 767 number while the UHS was at 5,939 position in the international ranking of universities.

In the national ranking, the PU is on second number while the UHS has not been granted any ranking so far. The ranking list has been prepared in the light of criteria set by the Higher Education Commission on the basis of research-based studies, strength of students, qualification of faculty members and finances.

The PU's counsel said the ranking of the local institution played a vital role in the admission of Pakistani students to foreign institutions. On the other side, the UHS through its counsel said that at least 28,500 students of different affiliated medical colleges were enrolled with the university.

He said the UHS was established with a vision of standardised and specialised education in the medical field.

The university also offered postgraduate courses to prepare students for higher education besides holding training programmes for the faculty of its affiliated colleges on a regular basis. He said almost all major medical colleges in the country, including Allama Iqbal Medical College and Quaid-i-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, had already been affiliated to the UHS.

The counsel pointed out that the Section 37 of the UHS Ordinance 2002, which deals with affiliation of medical institutions, required every medical institution to be affiliated with the university unless there was any legal cover in favour of an institution. He also referred to a judgment of the Supreme Court that decided an identical case in favour of the UHS.

The LHC sought comments from the Services Hospital medical superintendent and the Services Institute of Medical Sciences principal on a petition moved by 19 employees of the hospital seeking their regularisation.

Petitioners, including Muhammad Shafi, through their counsel, pleaded that they had been working as account assistants, receptionists and helpers for the period ranging from two to six years. They said they were appointed on a contract basis under selection policy.

They pointed out that the chief minister through a notification on Oct 14, 2009, had directed all autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies in Punjab to regularise contractual employees. They said in the light of this notification, services of 90 doctors were regularised along with nurses and paramedical and other staff.

They prayed to the court that respondents should be directed to implement the notification and regularise their services.

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PU students stage rally for water, power
Lahore: Punjab University Old Campus students on Thursday staged a protest demonstration in front of the Lahore Press Club against ever-increasing water and power shortage.

The students were carrying a banner and placards and demanding that the university administration ensure uninterrupted power and water supply to the campus.

They said water and power were disappearing at the same time, creating problems for the students.

They said the university administration should provide generators to Old Campus hostels so that students could prepare for their exams.

Later, Punjab University's Institute of Communication Studies on Thursday had a videoconference with the Colorado University of the US at its undergraduate block. The conference was meant to promote distance learning, education research, teachers' training, depict media scene in the US and Pakistan and develop students' skills.

Colorado University dean Paul Boakes and Amy Hardy were focal persons from the US.

At the videoconference, ICS Director Dr Ahsan Akhtar Naz said collaboration with the Colorado University would help teachers as well as students equip themselves with modern research methods.

ICS students also participated in the videoconference and exchanged views with experts. The Punjab University Academic Staff Association has condemned Islami Jamiat Tulaba activists for their misbehaviour with a university teacher.

In a news release issued on Thursday, PUASA acting president Prof Dr Abdul Ghaffar and secretary Javed Samee said IJT activists' misbehaviour with Sardar Asghar Iqbal annoyed the teachers.

PUASA demanded that the varsity administration initiate disciplinary proceedings against those involved in the act. Dawn

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50 schools of Lahore to be upgraded
Lahore: The Punjab government will spend Rs 575 million on provision of missing facilities to different schools and upgrade of 50 schools of Lahore.

According to a DGPR handout issued on Thursday, under this scheme, 22 primary schools would be upgraded to middle level, 12 middle schools to the high level and seven high schools to the higher secondary schools.

The schools to be upgraded to middle level are: the Govt Girls Primary School, Malikpur, Shahdra, the Govt Primary School Khokhar Pind, the Govt Faiz Aam Primary School, UC-12, the Tameer Islah Mashra Primary School, Shaadbagh, the Govt Primary School, Shah Di Kohi, the CDG Primary School, Ajodiapur, Johar Town, the CDG Junior Modal School, Huma Block, Alama Iqbal Town, the Govt APWA Girls Primary School, Modal Town, the Govt Girls Primary School, Chung Khurd, the Govt Primary School, Farooq Colony, the Govt Girls Primary School, Gohawa, the Govt Primary School, Packages Colony, the Primary School, Kair Khur, the Govt Primary School, Dograan Klaan, the Primary School, Mari, the Govt Primary School, Chapa, the Govt Primary School, Dioo Kalaan, the Govt Girls Primary School, Dioo Klaan, the Govt Primary School, Atari Sraba and the Govt Girls Primary School, Mall Road.

Moreover, the schools to be awarded the status of high school are: the Govt Girls Middle School, Haji Kot, the Govt Girls Middle School, Nainshuk, Shahdra, the Govt Middle School, Gaooshala, the Govt Jinnah Islamia Girls Middle School, Santnagar, the CDG Middle School, Masti Gate, the Govt Elementary School, Nishat Colony, the Govt Elementary School, Jalo Station, the Govt Girls Middle School, Jalo Station, the Govt Girls Middle School, Sundar and the Govt Girls Middle School, Araian.

Similarly, the Govt Lady Maclegan High School, Laaj Road, the Govt Girls high School, China Scheme, the Govt Tanveer-ul-Islam Girls High School, Mustafabad, the Govt Progressive Girls High School and the Govt Practicing Girls High School, Township, will be awarded the status of higher secondary schools.

The schools to which funds had been provided for missing facilities are: the Govt Pilot Secondary School, Wahdat Road, the Govt Muhammad Girls High School, Datanager, the Govt Fatima Girls High School, Fan Road, the Govt High School, Chamramandi, the Govt Girls High School, Chonamandi, the Govt High School, Shairanwala Gate, the Govt High School for Boys, Amir Road, the Govt High School, Ghaziabad, the Govt Girls High School, Gulshan Ravi, the Govt Dar-ul-Itafal Girls High School, Rajghar, the Govt High School, Township.

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Entomology curriculum revised
Lahore: A Meeting of the National Curriculum Revision Committee of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) was held at the Commission's Regional Centre, Lahore, to revise and finalise the curricula of Entomology for graduate and postgraduate programmes.

Faculty members representing universities from around the country also participated in the meeting. The courses in the revised curriculum were updated by including new concepts, such as molecular entomology, insect cytogenetics and advances in biological control. The committee agreed to follow international standards and recommended that refresher courses, workshops, trainings and seminars should be arranged in the field of molecular entomology, biotechnology, numerical taxonomy, toxicology and acarology.

The committee comprising Dr Imtiaz Ahmed, Dr Muhammad Ashfaq, Dr Mansoor ul Hassan, Dr Muhammad Naeem, Dr Imtiaz Ali Khan, Dr Farkhanda Manzoor, Dr Anser Rizvi, Dr Muhammad Naeem, Dr Muhammad Afzal, Imran Ali Sani and Ms Bushra Siddique discussed and approved the Entomology curriculum for BSc (Hons), MSc (Hons) and PhD studies. The news

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NCA teacher's artwork
Lahore: Ahmad Ali Manganhar's exhibition titled 'Non Commissioned History' went on display in a drawing exhibition at the National College of Arts (NCA), on Thursday.

The solo exhibition by the faculty member of NCA denoted the theme of the interplay of shattered landscapes as a result of the colonial invasion. Manganhar delicately used oil pastels on paper, reflecting his personal experience as a Sindhi living away from his home and thus expressing a feeling of 'exile'.

"I always thought history was a thing of the past and hence irrelevant... but during my trips back home, I came across destroyed, muddy areas and developed interest in our history," he said, clarifying that his works did not necessarily reflect factual accounts, but his 'inner feelings'. In fact his works are a result of his "burden of memory" combined with his "love for drawing". Commenting on the title of the exhibition, he said painters and artists were paid for their efforts in the past, but his work was 'non-commissioned'.

From Pir Pagaro's patriotic father Pir Sabghatullah Rashdi, to Hindu traitor Naurmal Hotchand, Manganhar has drawn historical references in almost all his works. These historical figures depict the locals' love for their homeland. Daily Times

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