Pakistan universities political interference

VCs voice concern over political interference
Islamabad, March 07: The vice chancellors of public sector universities in the country have expressed concern over political interference in campus affairs.

A source privy to a meeting of the Vice Chancellors' Committee held here recently said that heads of the government-run universities called upon the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to help them tackle political interference in administrative and other matters of universities.

Over 70 vice chancellors of government universities from all over the country attended the meeting organised by the Higher Education Commission.

The meeting noted that incidents of political interference in universities took place in the past also but these had increased since the present government came into being. Punjab has witnessed the largest number of cases of interference.

According to an official, some vice chancellors from Punjab said the federal government should take notice of the constant pressure both from the Governor's House and the Chief Minister's Secretariat for various favours.

The source said that pressure for posting and transfer of teachers and non-teaching staff to desired positions and for admission of sons and daughters of the influential is commonly faced by vice chancellors.

One vice chancellor from Punjab asked for a meeting between the representatives of the Governor's House and the Chief Minister's Secretariat to resolve the issue which was hampering administrative affairs of universities in the province.

Similarly, the vice chancellor of a key university in Sindh informed the meeting that hardly a day passed when he did not receive a recommendation from the CM Secretariat for some favour.

A senior official of the Higher Education Commission remarked that it would be a disservice to the nation if politicians did not stop meddling in the academic institutions.

In reply to a question, the official said the HEC could do little to improve the situation, adding that it was for those at the helm of affairs to realise the gravity of the matter and take action to improve the situation. Dawn

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Internship programme from matic, inter students
Islamabad: Ministry of Youth Affairs has decided to launch a special internship programme for matric and intermediate youth from across the country.

The ministry's secretary while talking to this agency said goal of the programme was to harness the potential energy and motivation of youth as paid interns in the public sector.

He said the programme aimed at providing financial relief to youth and improving the performance of public sector through internship of educated and motivated youth and enhancing employability and capacity of fresh students of secondary and higher secondary levels for a better professional future.

The secretary said the interns would be given various assignments in the departments and corporations of the federal, provincial and district governments located near to their home towns.

The interns will be required to join the programme on full-time basis and follow prescribed rules and regulations of the concerned organisations, including observance of office working time and confidentiality requirements.

He said the ministry's priority was to facilitate more youth with proper training from rural areas of the country. APP

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CIIT Central Library
Islamabad: Minister for Science and Technology Mohammad Azam Khan Swati Saturday inaugurated the state-of-the-art newly constructed Central Library at COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), Islamabad. The library is unique in the sense that it has a latest RFID System and is completely automated. The library also contains an e-library providing an access for researcher and students. One floor of the library is allocated for reference material.

On the occasion, the minister also addressed the faculty, staff and students of the CIIT. He said that the future of any country relies on the quality of the educational infrastructure. The minister lauded the efforts of CIIT in making progress in the field of science and technology.

He called upon the students to focus on materialising the dream of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah by making Pakistan a progressed and prosperous country. With the establishment of these new state-of-the-art facilities, he said, the avenues of new horizons of learning are opened.

The Minister spoke well of the efforts of Dr Imtinan Ellahi Qureshi, Executive Director, COMSATS, Dr S. M. Junaid Zaidi, Rector, CIIT, Dr Wille Eerula, CEO, RIDDES, Finland and Shahid Kamal, Ambassador of Pakistan to Germany for their contribution in the advancement in the research arenas of science and technology. He praised the CIIT on commencement of dual degree programs in collaboration with Lancaster University, UK and emphasized other institutions to follow this example for better education at tertiary level, particularly with the German universities.

Talking about his recent visit to China, Iran, Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia, the Minister gave an example of valued investment in the higher education sector of science and technology for enhancing their capacity. The news

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IIUI silver jubilee
Islamabad: The International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI) is all set to celebrate 2010 as a silver jubilee year as the year marks completion of 25 years of its existence (1985-2010), said IIUI President Dr Anwar Hussain Siddiqui on Saturday.

He was speaking at the first meeting of the steering committee formed to hold the celebrations. National Language Authority (NLA) Chairman Iftikhar Arif and Senator Razina Alam Khan also attended the meeting.

Siddiqui said the university started its journey in 1985 with only 13 students enrolled and one faculty functioning. "Now it has nine faculties and four institutes.

He said the activities planned as part of the celebrations included conferences, seminars, contests and special convocations. Daily times

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AIOU news broadcast
Islamabad: Vice Chancellor Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) Prof Dr Nazir A Sangi here Saturday inaugurated the first-ever educational news bulletin broadcast of the varsity.

The Voice of AIOU FM 91.6, initiated by the Institute of Educational Technology (IET) AIOU, would broadcast its transmission in both Urdu and English languages, said a news release issued here.

Dr Sangi said the University would utilise all available technologies to facilitate academicians, tutors and students. He reiterated the mission of AIOU 'Education for All' and stressed to spread education in every corner of the country and make all unprivileged areas developed and educated.

The VC said awareness plays a vital role in the development of human life and

the voice of AIOU has started to broadcast educational news to meet the information needs of teachers, tutors and students.

Director IET Muhammad Qasim Haider in his welcome address it would be the first-ever educational news bulletin broadcast by any radio or TV channel in the country. The news

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Book on peace, poetry
Islamabad: Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) has finalised arrangements for holding a 3-day international conference on "Sufism and Peace" scheduled for March 14-16.

Talking to media persons on Saturday, PAL Chairman Fakhar Zaman said they had completed all necessary arrangements for the international moot as invitations had been sent to the delegates.

He said over 200 writers and scholars from Pakistan and abroad will present their papers in various sessions of the conference.

Zaman said the conference would be a milestone in highlighting the soft image of Pakistan in the world. "Writers and intellectuals from all over the world are participating in it," he said, adding, we hope this conference will be as successful as the previous one held in 1995.

Zaman said it was Benazir Bhutto Shaheed's wish that PAL should hold an international writers conference to highlight Pakistan in the international literary circles. He said a number of sub-committees had been formed to perform different duties and young writers and poets will be invited as volunteers.

Zaman said the delegates would be presented PAL's publications including books on Benazir Bhutto Shaheed. "The recitation of Sufi poetry, Sufi dance and Qawaali will also be arranged on this occasion," Zaman concluded. Daily times

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