National Internship Programme placement letters
56,000 NIP interns receive placement letters
Islamabad, March 30: As many as 56,000 National Internship Programme (NIP)
applicants have received their placement letters all over the country
including AJK and Fata. NIP Director General Muntazir Khan said here Monday that the Programme was designed for the benefit of
young unemployed postgraduates and graduates all over the country, who
had completed 16 years of education from recognized universities or
degree awarding institutions including external candidates. The
scheme is intended to assist financially to fresh graduates and also to
keep them engaged and interested in acquiring additional knowledge and
real work life experiences, thereby facilitating their employability in
the country. The programme will also benefit the government
organisations facing shortage of staff in various cadres. He said that
unemployed postgraduates and graduates in all fields of studies who
have completed 16 years of formal education from HEC recognised
universities & degree awarding institutions including external
candidates; He said that this is the final batch and the process of the
verification has been completed. Region-wise detail of which is as
under: Punjab total 21,966 candidates male female, Sindh total
8,611 candidates male female, NWFP total 12,621 candidates male female,
Balochistan 358, AJK total 411, Gilgit Baltistan total 301, Malakand
5,648, Fata 216 and Federal ministries 34,571.
Post your comments
HEC to launch second phase of ELTR
Islamabad: After the successful completion of Phase-I of the
English Language Teaching Reforms (ELTR), Higher Education Commission
(HEC) is starting ELTR Phase-II from April, with an initial target of
training 1,400 English Language Teaching (ELT) faculty of colleges and
universities across the country. ELTR is the first
language-based project, which caters to the teaching faculty of
colleges along with universities. So far, 1,504 teachers of colleges
and universities have been trained under Phase-I of ELTR, says a press
release. Phase-II of ELTR aims at bridging the critical gap
between the faculty of English Language and Literature and grouping
both in the courses of professional development. Phase-II will be
implemented through long-term and short-term programmes. Universities
and colleges will be supported in establishing Self Access Centres as
well as strengthening the existing English departments and research
centres. Phase-II will also help upgrade the English Language
proficiency of the faculty of other disciplines in Humanities and
Social Sciences. In this regard, 150 long term indigenous fellowships
will be offered to the college and university teachers, which range
from one to two years and will include MS/MPhil in Applied
Linguistics/related disciplines, Masters/Post Graduate Diploma in
Applied Linguistics, TEFL, TESL and ESP. On the other hand,
1,250 short-term CPD trainings ranging from one week to one month
courses will also be offered in Computer Assisted Language Learning,
Testing and Evaluation, Research Methodology and Skills,
Androgogical/Pedagogical Skills (Teaching Practicum, Communication
Skills), and Open and Customised Programmes in ELT related areas. The news
Post your comments
Transport problems trouble students
Islamabad: Students in the federal capital are facing transport
problems, as hundreds of educational institutions have no proper
transport facilities. There are about 400 educational institutions operating in the city, but
transport arrangements for thousands of students are insufficient. A
large number of students, coming from outside of the city, use public
transport to reach their institutions. Talking to APP many
students shared their sufferings and rude behaviour of the transporters
with them. Muhammad Salman said, "School/college buses ply on specific
routes. My house did mot fall on a route so I have to use local
transport to reach college." Students complained that majority of the local transporters do not stop their buses on stops where students are waiting. Salim,
a college student said due to financial problems, he cannot pay full
fare of bus, while transporters are reluctant to allow him to travel at
concessionary fare. He said girl students particularly have to
wait for a long time to find a seat due to which they often reach their
colleges/schools late. He demanded of the authorities concerned to provide sufficient buses to the colleges, especially women colleges. Parents
also complained about the rashly driven school and college vans and
buses, saying that very few institutions care for the school kids by
closely monitoring the mode of transport used by their students. The
parents said pick-ups are charging Rs 1,500 per child for pick and drop
whereas school buses are taking Rs 1,200 per student. Transport charges
become unbearable for parents having three or four school-going
children as they have to pay Rs 5,000-6,000 only on this count besides
high school fees. They demanded that transport problems need to be addressed when formulating transport policies for large cities. Sources
in the Federal Directorate of Education said that the directorate has
provided 100 buses to various public sector institutions. An
expert said since the cities have become populous, the concerned
authorities should chalk out a strategy for a transport infrastructure
to cater the present and future needs of students. app
Post your comments
Teachers' paper marking wage up by 50%
Rawalpindi: Eight educational boards of the province have decided to increase the
remuneration of teachers for checking the examination papers of SSC, FA
and FSc by 50 per cent. Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif
decided to increase the payment of teachers, aimed to minimise the
influence of cheating mafia in the process of paper marking. It is
noted that teachers were paid 25-30 per cent remuneration for checking
papers and that too was not paid in time. The CM decided to increase
the remuneration to discourage tactics used by students for enhancing
their marks by giving bribe to the checking staff. The teachers, while
welcoming the decision regarding the increment in remuneration, gave
credit to the successful strategy of the educational boards.
Post your comments
Private school teachers demand wage law implementation
Islamabad: Teachers of private schools of Rawalpindi and
Islamabad have demanded of the government to ensure the implementation
of the minimum wage law in educational institutions. Talking to
APP, a group of teachers said the government employees have protection
of various kinds including fixation of pay according to the rules. The
teachers imparting education at private schools are deprived of many
incentives and are treated like daily wage earners, he added. A
teacher of a private school in Rawalpindi, Naseem Akhtar, said she has
done Masters in English from a well-known university and has served as
a teacher in different schools. "I joined different private schools and
kept on changing the institutes due to low wages. It is very
unfortunate that the schools, opened in the less privileged areas, are
paying wages ranging from Rs1,500 to Rs,5000," she said. Another
problem is that private schools receive fees during summer vacations
from students but do not pay salaries to the teachers. The government
should enact laws for ensuring payment of salaries to teachers during
vacations, she said. Another teacher, Saad Hassan, said teachers
are doing a sacred job of enlightening the generations but are deprived
of the basic facilities, the reason for which is the discriminatory
educational system. The teaching profession has no more attraction for
qualified people, as they prefer to adopt any other profession to earn
a respectable livelihood. Taking notice of this situation, the
National Assembly Standing Committee on Education, in one of its recent
meetings, asked the Ministry of Education to close down those private
schools, which are paying the teachers less than Rs6,000 in salary. It
is observed that many private schools in the twin cities and its
peripheries are not observing the law that guarantees minimum wage. The news
Post your comments
Festivities mark beginning of students' week at RMC
Rawalpindi: Qirat and Naat competitions, national songs and
tableau marked the beginning of the Students' Week at Rawalpindi
Medical College (RMC) on Monday. The RMC principal, Mohammad
Afzal Farooqi inaugurated the event. Professor Farid Aslam Minhas, Prof
Shoaib Shafi, Prof Hamid Hassan, Prof Nusrat Ara, Dr Mohammad Aslam
Chaudhary, Prof Irfan Syed, Dr Nadeem Iqbal Sheikh, Prof Hina Ayesha,
Dr Rai Asghar, Director Administration Dr Sajid Hameed and others also
turned up at the inaugural ceremony. The RMC students
mesmerised the audience with their soulful voices during Qirat and Naat
competitions. Outside students were also allowed to attend the
function. Students set up different stalls where craftswomen
and students displayed handicrafts, woodwork, rugs, clothing, jewelery,
accessories, interior décors and greeting cards. Most of these items
were handmade but had beautiful and innovative designs. Food stalls
were also set up there. A tug of war was held between staff and students. The students also presented national songs and tableaus. Basketball, volleyball, football, cricket and hockey matches would be
played between staff and students. A basketball match would be played
between final year and fourth year students on Tuesday at 9:00am,
Students Council spokesman said and added students would also
participate in athletics competition. Addressing the
ceremony, the RMC principal and Allied Hospitals chief, Dr Afzal
Farooqi, said youth was the most precious asset of a society and the
nation's present and future rested on them. He said that today the
country was faced with multifaceted problems which were damaging its
social and religious grandeur. "This is due to the fact that we have
not grown morally," he said. He said, "Morally we lagged
behind because we do not pay attention to our religion which is
embodiment of morals. I urge upon you to follow the motto of RMC to
accomplish the objectives of excelling in society." He was of
the view that medical sciences had witnessed enormous development in
recent years and it was important for young medicos to work hard and
keep pace with it. It is important to be mentally and physically fit to
meet the ever increasing demand to become a successful medical
professional, he said. He said that RMC had always been on
the forefront in all walks of life. "The RMC students have always come
up to the best expectations of time and performed in all spheres of
life," he said. "I assure you that I will extend maximum
support and provide facilities for curricular and decent
extra-curricular activities. I expect you to observe 'Unity, Faith and
Discipline', the golden principles of Quaid-i-Azam," Dr Afzal Farooqi
said. Dawn
Post your comments
Workshop for girl students aspiring to join public sector
Islamabad: The Gender Reform Action Plan (GRAP) of Ministry of
Women Development organised a two-day workshop titled 'Interviewing
Techniques and Preliminary Information of CSS Examination' at the
Career Development Centre established at Islamabad College for Girls
(ICG), F-6/2, to encourage and guide girl students aspiring to join
public sector. The workshop was part of the initiatives taken
by the Career Development Centre (CDC) to facilitate girl students in
choosing the right career that matches their capabilities and
aptitudes. Established by the GRAP in collaboration with Ministry of
Education, these CDCs are functioning in three post-graduate colleges
at federal level since January 2010. These centres are aimed
at providing guidance to the female students and encourage them to join
public sector employment which is one of the four major areas of
reforms of GRAP, which is the largest project of Ministry of Women
Development (MoWD) striving to address the gender gaps existing in
Pakistani society by promoting women's access to economic, political,
and social empowerment at national, provincial and district level. In
order to fulfil the purpose, under one of the interventions "Enabling
Induction of Women in Public Sector," the activity was arranged in
Senior Library of ICG F-6/2. Students and teachers of MSC
Psychology Department attended the workshop. Muhammad Atif provided
useful tips to the students regarding CSS exams on the first day of the
workshop. He delivered handouts to students regarding optional and
compulsory subjects required for CSS examination and briefed the
students about grouping of optional subjects according to the score.
The second day revolved around sessions on interviewing techniques. Deputy
Director General Ministry of Health Saad S Khan briefed the students
about qualities judged during the course of interviews conducted during
the CSS exams. He said that these mainly include proactive behaviour,
professionalism, research and positive approach. He also explained
positive and negative points that should be kept in mind by an
interviewee while sitting in front of interview panel. At the end, the
participants displayed role-play. Addressing the concluding
session, Project Director GRAP Rehana Hashmi said that the CDCs will be
very beneficial for the students in terms of providing career
counselling and guidance to students. Considering the interest of
students, she said CDCs currently operating in three colleges plan to
expand activities in other colleges and universities. Rehana encouraged
girls towards public sector jobs and informed them about the efforts of
MoWD to address gender gaps in public sector employment. She
asked for the recommendations of students with respect to government
jobs. Students demanded that more facilities and resources should be
provided to provide enabling environment for the women in public sector
jobs. In her opening remarks, Principal ICG F-6/2 Professor
Shaista Pirzada said that the preliminary information regarding the CSS
examination and interview techniques are very beneficial for the
students at this stage. At the end, certificates were distributed among
the participants. In her concluding remarks, Vice Principal of ICG and
focal person of Career Development Centre Robina Maqbool said that the
workshop remained very informative for students in terms of CSS
examination information and interview techniques. "Such events can be
helpful in leading students towards right career path," she said.
Post your comments
Rootsians join millions for Earth Hour
Islamabad: Students of the Roots School System observed Earth
Hour here on Saturday night and joined the record 4,000 cities and 125
countries in the fourth Annual Earth Hour organised by the World Wide
Fund for Nature (WWF). The DHA Campus of Roots School was
decorated with 'diyas' and students were asked to light candles when
the lights were put off between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The students
were enthusiastic and brimming with energy when the lights were dimmed.
They, along with Roots School System Director Khadija Omair,
enjoyed the one hour amidst the candlelight and sang national songs
like 'Hai Jazba Junoon,' 'Dil Dil Pakistan,' 'Sohni Dharti' and 'Hum
Hain Pakistani' symbolically joining millions across the globe for an
event which was meant to call attention to the global climate change. The
event was attended by the representatives of WWF and covered live by
Geo TV. In what was the largest public demonstration in history,
hundreds of millions of people around the world turned off their lights
for one hour for a cleaner, safer and more secure future for the planet. The news
Post your comments
| 
