FBISE HSSC out-of-course Math paper

Students protest over out-of-course Math paper
Islamabad, May 03: Students appearing in Part-II of the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) examination of Federal Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education (FBISE) have strongly protested against the out-of-course paper of Mathematics.

A number of students, who appeared for the exam, said the Math question paper was so tough and out of course that they could not even attempt all the required questions.

"Not only a number of students will fail but it will also affect the overall result of the Board," said a lecturer at H-8 Government College while requesting not to be named.

A student of the same college said his Mathematics result in his whole educational career had been outstanding but he would not be able to get more than 50 per cent marks in the Part-II paper. "The paper should be re-taken by FBISE," he said.

Another student called upon the education minister and the board chairman to personally intervene into the matter and ask the concerned official to announce a new date for the Mathematics paper. "The paper was not according to our preparations and our study at the college," he said.

An official of FBISE, when contacted by this correspondent, admitted that the paper was tough but denied it being out of course. However, he said, the Board would look into the matter.

Parents of the students have also demanded of the education minister to direct the board officials to save the career of their children, as the positions and overall percentage in the final mark sheet largely depend upon science subjects.

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National Pathology Week to start on May 10
Islamabad: Proper and accurate diagnosis needs competent pathology support. In order to draw attention to the role of pathology and pathologists in the delivery of healthcare in Pakistan, the College of Pathologists has announced to observe the first-ever National Pathology Week from May 10-15.

There are an estimated 1,500 pathologists helping to save people's lives in Pakistan. Since these unsung heroes generally work in the background, a majority of the patients and even some doctors remain unaware of their vital role in healthcare delivery, and as such, their actual potential remains hidden and unrealised.

In order to reap maximum benefit from pathology facilities, it is essential to spread the word about the role and capabilities of pathologists among all stakeholders ranging from the media and general public to medical students, patients and doctors. 'Pathology is the basis of medicine' has been chosen as the theme for the upcoming National Pathology Week.

This is the first time that a specific week has been designated to promote information about pathology in a developing country like Pakistan. Details about the weeklong observation were shared with the media at a press briefing organised by the College of Pathologists Pakistan here on Friday.

The press briefing was addressed by a galaxy of eminent pathologists including Manzoor Ahmed, president of the College of Pathologists; General (r) Masood Anwar, principal of Islamic International Medical College; General Farooq Ahmed, Commandant of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology; Dr. Khalid Hasan and Dr. Noor Khan from PIMS, and Dr. Tahir from FGHS.

The week will feature awareness sessions across major cities such as Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad, and Quetta, and will conclude with a ceremony to be attended by all fellows of the College of Pathologists. Advocacy material including pamphlets will be disseminated; seminars and laboratory tours will be arranged; and issues of quality assurance and various shortcomings facing by medical laboratories will be addressed during the week.

Referring to the neglected domain of quality assurance in laboratory services, Manzoor Ahmed shared that a draft bill for formulation of a National Quality Control System developed with the assistance of the Ministry of Science and Technology is currently lying with the Ministry of Health. General Farooq Ahmed added that any system working without Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) is labelled as suffering from as a major intellectual and medical gap. He said a PC-1 has been approved for implementation of an expanded programme under which 400 to 500 laboratories across the country would be standardized. "The College of Pathologists is working in this area in view of increasing quackery in our domain," he said.

Meanwhile, a book on 'Standardisation of Pathology Laboratories' has just been published; this book details the basic minimum standards to be followed in a country like Pakistan. "Not a single laboratory in Pakistan is currently ISO 15189 certified," Manzoor stated, adding, "While it is unrealistic to bring laws that cannot be implemented or to expect a miracle overnight, the matter should gradually be handled by professional pathologists themselves."

General Masood Anwar shared the five factors that determine the accuracy of a report. These are: one, the equipment on which the test is conducted; the quality of reagents used; the ability of the technician behind the machine; the pathologist who interprets the result; and the process of co-relation of the result with the problem suffered by the patient. "Even if a single of these components is missing, the report will be wrong," he stated.

Even though pathology has made phenomenal progress in the world over the last few decades, the teaching, training, certification and practice of laboratory medicine, medical technologists and pathologists is yet to receive due attention in Pakistan.

The media was informed that very few laboratories in the country have been certified on international standards. The College of Pathologists is currently striving to raise professional standards and introduce quality assurance programmes in line with international practices.

According to a small research conducted in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, 60 per cent of the laboratories included in the study were being run by persons other than pathologists. According to a study conducted in 1990, while the UK had 109 pathologists per million population, Pakistan, on the contrary, had 10 pathologists per million population.

General (r) Masood informed that in the vicinity of AFIP alone, he spotted 60 so-called laboratories. A National Quality Assurance Programme initiated in 1994 revealed that the reports of 45 per cent of the tests were wrong and misleading. The cost of laboratory tests has also registered phenomenal rise in recent years, rendering many tests outside the reach of poor patients. Pathologists have, on their own, tried to bring the rates down. However, the government too needs to play its role by reducing taxes and custom duties on essential articles.

The significance of pathologists can be ascertained from the fact that treating physicians and surgeons have to completely rely on the information provided by pathologists for making a diagnosis and planning and controlling treatment. The inability to provide timely, accurate and reliable laboratory service can prove disastrous for a patient by increasing disability associated years, prolonging hospital stay and decreasing workforce productivity. Pathology is the branch of medicine, which determines the causes underlying disease processes, whether communicable, genetic or metabolic for clinical and public health diagnostic purposes.

A patient suffering from fever with chills is generally treated for malaria even though the real problem may range from urinary infection, blood poisoning or even malignancy. It is only after a blood test is done that correct and speedy treatment can be offered. The news

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IIUI launches Green Campus Campaign 2010
Islamabad: Horticulture Department of the International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI) on Friday launched "Green Campus Campaign 2010".

IIUI Rector Prof Fateh Muhammad Malik inaugurated the campaign, which has been launched in collaboration with the Environmental Club of the IIUI Environmental Sciences Department. The horticulture department has earmarked eight spots of the campus for this tree plantation drive.

IIUI Horticulture Officer Altaf Burki said a total area of 7,25,000 sq ft was covered during this campaign and 26,680 saplings and plants were planted.

Meanwhile, Prof Dr Nazir Ahmed Sangi, Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) vice chancellor, on Friday said the university will continue enhancing facilities for low paid employees to increase productivity.

Dr Sangi said this while handing over an unused piece of land at the bank of a ravine inside the University to Horticultural Department and advised the gardeners to make the land beautiful and good for production of flowers, fruits and vegetables. Daily times

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Woodland Carnival celebrated at City School
Rawalpindi: A spectacular display of talent and creativity was witnessed at the Woodland Carnival 2010 held at The City School, Nursery Branch, Harley Street.

The parents were spellbound to see the creativity and projects made by young students. All projects based on designated themes were displayed outside whereas classrooms were transformed into different themes with the help of recycled material, fancy gears and costumes and usable items.

Headmistress Sumaira Shafiq said that the children prepared things with their own imagination of course with the guidance of their teachers. "The students love to indulge in creative activities, which is good for them," she added.

The chief guests on the occasion were MNA Anjum Aqeel and Air Commodore (r) Sikandar Shah, who were quite impressed by the performance of students. They also praised the hard work and dedication of teachers.

When parents entered each classroom the children greeted them with a loud 'good morning' and then introduced their work, which they had done in the class. "The confidence with which the children are presenting their work is remarkable," one of the parents remarked.

The first class was playgroup, which was given the theme of sea animals. The sea animals were hanged from the ceiling and created the right ambiance of underwater. Children had prepared stuffed animals and their faces on paper plates and photo frames. Octopuses, fish, sea horses, dolphins, sharks and many others were painted on the walls. The children in this class were 2 1/2 to 3 years old.

The nursery class was given the theme of farm animals. Horses, cows and goats were made with hands and stuffed with wool. The children were wearing headgears and costumes of farm animals. The village scene was also created in the classroom.

The KG class displayed pet animals and made various things like coin boxes, various animal faces with used balls. A big dollhouse was also placed in the centre of the class that housed various pet animals. The KG students also presented the world of dinosaurs in which they had prepared various kinds of dinosaurs.

The Junior II-C presented insects and the whole class was filled with creepy crawlers. Spiders, beetles and ants were everywhere, which were admired by parents.

The Junior I-C presented carnivore, omnivore and herbivore animals whereas Junior 1-T presented wildlife. The students greeted the parents with the typical 'hoo haa' as the jungle people do in the wild.

The Junior II-C presented birds in which students had prepared ostriches and beautiful penguins.

The Nursery-T presented garden animals in which butterflies, parrots and ladybirds were shown.

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Students given free on-the-spot information
Islamabad: Despite hot weather and a weekly holiday, a large number of students thronged the two-day International Education Expo 2010 on Sunday, organised by HR Consultants in collaboration with the 'Jang' Group.

The representatives from dozens of top ranking universities of Australia, New Zealand, the US and Canada had set up stalls at the expo where the visitors were given free-of-charge information on the spot. The foreign universities were offering a vast range of courses in the fields of Engineering, Fashion Designing, Business, Computer Engineering, Public Health, Health Services, Medicine and many more.

The students from various schools and colleges of the twin cities showed keen interest in various stalls. The facilitators on the occasion not only provided information to the students regarding various courses they were offering but also helped them in choosing the field according to their aptitude.

"Such expos should be conducted on a regular basis, as it prevents students to fell prey to some unauthorised and fake consultants, which ends up in nothing but wastage of time, money and sometimes career," said Amin Jamal, a student of FSc.

The students were provided with free prospectuses while some were also applying for their admissions on the spot. "We don't need to visit different consultants or representative of different universities, or search for scholarships, but all we need to do is visit different stalls in order to find the suitable option and then fill a form to apply," said Subhan Agha, a student of BBA.

Girls, on the other hand, equally participated in the expo among which most were found interested in doing ACCA from some recognised foreign university. "Gone are the days when girls would only go for MBBS or Engineering, but now they are becoming accountants, aeronautical engineers and social scientists," said Afia Murtaza, a student of FSc.

A large number of girls were also seen getting information about some specialised courses in Fashion Designing. "There has been a tremendous growth in the Pakistani fashion industry over the past few years and specialising in fashion designing means earning a good profit for our country as well as for ourselves," said Shanzay Ahsan.

The major participants of the International Education Expo 2010 included Australian National University, Murdoch University, University of New Castle, Deakin University, Swinburne University of Technology, Central Queensland University, University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong (Dubai), La Trobe University, Griffith University, Kangan Institute, NMIT, Holmesglen Institute of TAFE, TAFE NSW, and Melbourne Institute of Technology.

The universities, which participated from New Zealand in the expo, included Lincoln University, University of Waikato, University of Massey, WINTEC, WELTEC, MIT, UNITEC and PIHMS, while those from Canada were Simon Fraser University and University of Manitoba, and the universities from USA included Western Kentucky University, University of Massachusetts Lowell, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and University of Massachusetts Boston.

Managing Director HR International Hamid Rauf in his comments said his organisation provides complete assistance to students seeking admissions as well as visas for Australia. "HR International not only helps students in choosing an institution that meets their requirements and financial resources but also helps them choose substitute pathways including TAFE and Navitas qualification to fill in the study gaps when needed and enable them to achieve their goals," he said.

He said Expo 2010 aspired to endure that Australia continues to be highly recognised, highly regarded and the most attractive destination for foreign students, particularly in the context of the global financial crisis. The news

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