BISE Rawalpindi scholarships for HSSC students

Scholarships for students
Rawalpindi, May 06: The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Rawalpindi on Wednesday announced scholarships for 35 students, who have excelled in their higher secondary school certificate (HSSC) annual examination 2009.

BISE spokesman said the scholarships would be given to students in two categories including 30 scholarships on merit while five to those who have excelled in mathematics. App

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College teachers to be promoted in 6 months
Rawalpindi: College teachers waiting for their promotions for the last many years would be promoted against the available vacant posts within six months.

A press release issued by the Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association, Rawalpindi chapter said Punjab Higher Education secretary had assured a delegation of the association that government was trying to promote the deserving teachers without delay and that only their last five years annual confidential reports would be needed for the promotions.

Quoting the secretary, the release said vacant posts for assistant, associate and professors would be filled through promotions in the next six months.

Meanwhile, the association has sought issuance of proper time-scale for the regular promotions of the college teachers, one-step promotion, allowance for hard area teachers and regularisation of contractual teachers. Dawn

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Teaching awards given on research, not teaching basis
Islamabad: The best teaching award in the country is decided on the basis of research, concentrating on the number of papers a faculty member published in the year under consideration, while zero weightage is given to teaching.

Dr. Eatzaz Ahmad, president of the Academic Staff Association (ASA) of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), said this while introducing the topic of a seminar titled 'Teaching Quality' organised by the ASA at QAU's Earth Sciences Auditorium.

The seminar was second in a series organised by the ASA to uplift the university standards in addition to the welfare of the faculty. ASA Secretary Dr. Gulraiz Akhter conducted the proceedings.

Professor Eatzaz lamented that in the Tenure Track System (TTS) Version I and II and BPS Selection Dossier, there is no column for teaching quality. His point was endorsed by most faculty members who participated in the seminar. He observed that no weightage is given to teaching at the time of selection and promotion of the faculty members and the only criterion considered is research.

The other speakers opined that although at the time of promotion, the dossiers indicate that teaching-research would be part of the criteria but in the selection process, research is the sole parameter considered and teaching is just mentioned in the title. They said these are the main reasons the faculty members give more time to research and no one bothers about the teaching part. According to them, it is only research that pays something for their bright future.

They said that if 50-70 per cent weightage is given to teaching in case of promotion, selection and grant of different kinds of projects, then the teaching community would definitely give due importance and value to teaching, which is their primary function, ultimately leading to increased teaching standards, with the quality of the faculty substantially improving in the process.

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IIU to hold open house
Islamabad: The International Islamic University (IIU) will organise first open house of the electronic engineering on May 19 and 20 as part of its silver jubilee celebrations.

The activity will include display and demonstration of research & development projects of final year students, faculty-developed devices, exhibition of electronic industrial products and tour to research laboratories of electronic engineering department of the university. It will also provide opportunities for exchange of technical know-how and interaction of participants with students, faculty and subject experts.

The industry, organisations and other institutions dealing in high-tech systems and applications would be able to display their products on their stalls to demonstrate their utilities and usefulness to the general public.

Professionals working in this field will be available for discussions and explanations. Entry to the event would be open to everyone.

Professor Dr. Ahmed Shuja Syed, dean of the Faculty of Engineering & Technology, described the event highly important and beneficial for students. The news

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PIPS issues Urdu journal
Islamabad: Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) has recently issued a research-based journal 'Mahnama Tajziat' in Urdu. It offers readers an insight into causes for political and social problems as well as tickling their inspiration for searching a solution to them.

The edition highlights Talibanisation, sectarianism, and extremism. Known writers like Khalid Ahmed, Robina Sehgal, Huma Yousaf and others have contributed to it. Daily times

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Varsity campus in institute opposed in Chitral
Chitral: The students have criticised setting up sub-campus of Benazir Shaheed University Sheringal in the building of polytechnic institute.

They feared it would further delay establishment of the polytechnic institute in the district. They said that construction of the building of polytechnic institute had already been delayed by four years.

"Now the project will be delayed for another two years as the building has been given to university," they added.

They said that they wanted a university campus in the district but not at the coast of polytechnic institute for which they waited so long.

Chitral was perhaps the only district in the province having no polytechnic institute, said Waheedullah. He said that he had passed his matriculation examination with above eighty per cent marks and wanted to take admission in a diploma course of associate engineer but couldn't afford to go to Swat or Peshawar.

He said that completion of the building sent a ray of hope and joy among the local students but its handing over to university disappointed them once again.

A number of students said that very few parents could afford to send their sons to Peshawar and other districts to get technical education.

An official of communication and works department said that the completion had been delayed owing to shortage of technical staff in the department.

Sources in the local office of technical education department said had the building completed within stipulated time classes in the institute would have started three years ago.

Sources said that more than 100 posts of sub-engineers were lying vacant in different departments for want of local candidates holding diploma of associate engineer.

"Non-locals do not stay here for more than one year. They get themselves transferred," they added.

The students of government college also protested establishment of sub-campus in the building of polytechnic institute. Dawn

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Textbooks to be distributed among students within week, NA told
Islamabad: The textbooks will be distributed among the students of the government schools within a week and the delay in this regard was not unnatural, Minister of State for Education Ghulam Faird Kathia Wednesday told the National Assembly (NA). Replying to a call attention notice, the minister said the government had approved the textbooks and would be printed after the authorities concerned issued No Objection Certificate (NOC). He told the House that under-process books were for the education year 2010-2011. He said the frequent power outages were also one of the reasons for the delay in distribution of the textbooks. He clarified that the terminal examination would be held after summer vacation and the delay in the distribution of book was not deliberate.

The minister said the federal government had also some authors on its panel and got the services of the Punjab Textbook Board for the books to be taught to lower classes. He said it was for the first time that under National Education Policy, the government had announced to provide free of cost education to the students of up to 10th class, besides providing books and other necessary facilities to them. National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza also took notice of the situation and directed the minister to take up the matter with provincial government so that the Punjab Textbook Board might expedite the process. app

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Expert calls for broadening scope of American Studies
Islamabad: Dr. James Alden Reed, president of the Massachusetts Fulbright Alumni Association, has said that educational programmes run by the US in the world are meant to "expose America to the world and the world to America."

He was giving a talk on 'New Directions in American Studies' organised by the Area Study Centre (ASC) for Africa, North & South America, Quaid-i-Azam University, here on Wednesday.

Dr Reed stressed the need for broadening the concept and scope of American Studies by looking beyond the borders of American history and at the influence of America on the world and vice versa.

He said initially in American universities, only British literature and its related studies were taught, adding that it was only after 1937 that American literature and American history became a part of the curriculum.

He said the US investment in Pakistan's education sector and Fulbright programme would help make the region a haven of peace, as the Fulbright programme was launched in Pakistan to strengthen educational relations that provides an opportunity to Pakistani youth to study in distinguished American universities, adding that it is helpful to the peoples of both the countries to share their views and notes.

In the question hour, Dr Reed said the economic aid and educational programmes should be devised by the US government for addressing the root causes of terrorism in FATA and its adjoining areas in Afghanistan. He observed that the use of soft term approach along with the hard term approach would be more effective to contain terrorism. He said the US is well aware of its image prevailing in the Muslim world, adding that American intelligentsia is working on it to improve public opinion in its favour and is devoted to solve the Palestine issue.

Replying to a question, Dr Reed claimed that the US is using world institutions like IMF and World Bank to promote democracy, eliminate terrorism, end human rights violations and maintain peace in the world, which are the core ingredients of the US foreign policy as well.

He advised the students to rigorously follow documentations in their research, whether they are highly or softly critical of the US.

Earlier, Dr Rukhsana Qamber, Director ASC, initiated the talk while referring to the long-lasting collaboration of the Fulbright Association with the Centre, which proved to be of great assistance in promoting American Studies in Pakistan. The news

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