Higher education monitoring, evaluation
Monitoring, evaluation of higher education launched
Lahore, Nov 19: The Punjab Education Department has launched monitoring
and evaluation of higher education in the province for improving
quality of education at undergraduate level. The monitoring teams comprising
officials of the higher education wing and DPI (colleges) paid surprise visit to
the colleges to check attendance of students and teachers in the classrooms
according to the timetable, security arrangements, uniform and ID cards display
by the students. The visits are usually conducted in the early periods starting
from 8:00am. The absenteeism of teachers is recorded in their ACRs. Similarly,
the result of colleges in the Intermediate Boards and the University is also
monitored and evaluated. Principals of colleges, which show below 8 per cent
result, are punished. Recently the department has suspended as many as 36
principals for showing zero or below 8 per cent result in BA, BSc exams 2009 of
the Punjab University. The monitoring and inspection teams also checked the
development projects and on-going schemes under the Punjab Education Sector
Reforms Programme (PRSP) to provide missing facilities in colleges including
furniture, shortage of classrooms, laboratories, libraries, drinking water
facilities and lavatories. Sources in the Education Department said the work
on boundary walls was in progress at dozens of colleges while the principals had
been allowed to use college funds for provision of security equipments. In
the light of experiences during the inspection, one window operation has been
introduced at the Civil Secretariat headed by a deputy secretary to redress the
grievances of college teachers like their re-imbursement cases, leave
applications, GP fund, posting, transfers and promotions. The teachers need not
to go pillar to post for the redress of their applications. Thus the teachers'
precious time is saved enabling them to concentrate on classroom instructions. The nation
Post your comments
College buildings vulnerable as police protect SSP's office
Lahore: Police and law enforcement agencies are risking the security of the
Islamia College Civil Lines (ICCL) in a bid to protect the senior superintendent
of police (SSP) Operations office on Outfall Road, it has been learnt. Police have
converted a two-lane road into a single lane-road by permanently blocking 150 yards of a section on one side of the road. This
stretch is located in front of the SSP's office. Sources in the police
department said the step had been taken to protect the office from any terrorist
attack. They said "minor changes in the flow of traffic had been in accordance
with a comprehensive security plan for the office", adding the plan's
implementation had begun a few months ago when an eight-feet high concrete wall
was erected on the divider that separated the road between the SSP's office from
the neighbouring ICCL building and the Government College University hostels
opposite the office. Expressing concerns, ICCL students said that the
institute's security was being risked to protect the SSP's office. They
said that if any terrorist tried to attack the office, it would be the other
buildings that would be damaged. Usama Saeed, a student, said the authorities
should taken steps to secure the buildings of both institutions for being near
the police office. After the May 27 attack on the Rescue 15 building, security
agencies had blocked various roads to secure offices of security officials,
which the Lahore High Court later ordered reopened. Superintendent of Police
(Security) Imran Arshad said that he had "no information about
blocking any portion of the road", adding that he would look into the matter. Daily times
Post your comments
Indecent college clerk escaped unhurt
Faisalabad: An office clerk at a girls' college here escaped punishment
after an inquiry found him guilty of extracting indecent favours from the
students, it has been learnt. All the authorities did in the wake of the inquiry's
findings was to transfer the clerk to another college within Faisalabad
division. The chief minister's secretariat in Lahore had received an
anonymous complaint on July 11 last calling for an investigation of the conduct
of one Muhammad Ashfaq who was working as an office clerk in the Madina Town
College, Faisalabad. On a directive from the Punjab government, the district
coordination officer of Faisalabad appointed Ms Kiran Khurshid, the deputy
district officer (revenue, Saddar), as the inquiry officer in the case.
Ms Khurshid led a raid on the offices of Ashfaq on Oct 28 last and
seized from there pornographic photographs and CDs which were later found to be
containing obscene material. The inquiry report emphasises the stenographer
attached with the Madina Town College principal confirmed the content.
Cornered by the official investigation, Ashfaq said the whole case was a
conspiracy against him and he found support in the person of the college
principal. The inquiry report says the principal, Abida Fayyaz, called in her
entire clerical staff and asked them to sign a statement in favour of Ashfaq.
His colleagues had bailed out Ashfaq in the past by declaring him
innocent, but this time they refused, notes inquiry officer Ms Kiran Khurshid.
In her inquiry report, Ms Khurshid says that many complaints had
previously been lodged against the same clerk, but if an inquiry was ever held,
its findings were not made available to her for a perusal. As part of her own
inquiry, she found students who told her that Ashfaq would ask for indecent
favours from girl students against assurances of passage to next classes and
good grades. The inquiry officer quotes one girl as saying that she had
seen Ashfaq watch pornography on the computer in his office and in the company
of a few girls from the college. Another girl claimed Ashfaq had tried
to lure her and one of her class-fellows a few years ago. The witness said she
had to discontinue her studies after she told her family about Ashfaq's
advances. She said her class fellow eventually succumbed to the
pestering clerk's demands to befriend him and Ashfaq returned the favour by
helping her get through her next exam by unfair means. In his statement
to the inquiry officer, Muhammad Ashfaq described all allegations against him as
baseless. In fact he argued the inquiry was unjustified since it was launched on
the basis of an anonymous complaint. In her conclusion, Ms Kiran
Khurshid asked that clerk Ashfaq should be dismissed from service. She described
her investigation as a mere scratching of the surface and feared a far greater
rot underneath. Her demand was for an inquiry against the college administration
that had so stubbornly stood by Ashfaq when he was in the dock. The
inquiry officer made her submission on Nov 3. Ashfaq was transferred to a
college in Toba Tek Singh within the jurisdiction of the Faisalabad directorate
of colleges. In Lahore, the Punjab government is yet to break its silence on the
subject. A case under section 292 and 293 of PPC and 18 Motion Pictures
Act has been registered with the Civil Lines Police against Ashfaq, however, he
has not been arrested yet. DCO Saeed Iqbal approached the City Police Officer
Mohammad Tahir for registration of the case. Dawn
Post your comments
PU, job website signed MoU
Lahore: The Punjab University and Pakistan's leading job website
have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). Through this strategic
partnership will develop a state-of-the-art campus career portal for
the students, alumni, employers and faculty of the university. According
to a press release here on Wednesday, this campus career portal would enable
over 30,000 students of the university to have access to over 22,000 employers
for jobs and internship opportunities. The campus career portal initiative of
rozee.pk is backed by the ICT R&D Fund of the Ministry of IT, Government of
Pakistan, and is a unique undertaking with the aim to transform the country into
a knowledge economy besides promoting innovation and pragmatic academic
research. The MoU signing ceremony, held at the PU VC office, was chaired by
Vice-chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran and website CEO Monis Rahman. Meanwhile Punjab
Agriculture Minister Malik Ahmad Ali Aulakh on Wednesday
inaugurated Natural Products Laboratory at the Institute of Mycology and Plant
Pathology at the varsity. PU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran, Pro
Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Jamil Anwar and Director Prof Dr Rukhsana Bajwa were
also present on the occasion. A press release here on Wednesday said the
minister visited the laboratory where he was briefed about preparing of
different products of Aloe Vera. Dr Rukhsana said that the quality products
prepared in the laboratory were provided only for Rs 300 each compared to low
quality but expensive products available in the market. She said that the same
product was worth Rs 3200 in USA. The minister and vice-chancellor
visited Micro Mycology Laboratory where research was carried out on the genes of
Fungus Enzymes. They also visited Molecular Pathology Laboratory of the
Institute where research was conducted on bacteria and fungus which causes
different diseases to plants. The minister said that Punjab University
was the oldest and greatest higher seat of learning and he was pleased that
practical research was conducted here. He said that Pakistan was an agricultural
country but unfortunately we had problems of food and we have to import one
million ton wheat last year. However, this year due to record wheat production
of 3.7 million tons, we will meet our requirements. He said that all varsities
should conduct research on the diseases which harm our
agriculture. Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran said that only
knowledgeable nations dominated the world. Whoever spends on research, get its
fruit in the shape of honour, wealth and power. He said that important research
was being conducted in the varsities due to the policies of Higher Education
Commission. He congratulated Prof Dr Rukhsana Bajwa on conducting practical
research in the institute.
Post your comments
YDA demanded KEMU convocation
Lahore: The Young Doctors' Association (YDA) has said that no convocation
has been held for graduates of the King Edward Medical University (KEMU) for ten
years. Except in 2007, the convocation from 1998 to 2008 had not been
held. The Young Doctors' Association, in a press release, on Wednesday
said that 200 medal winners were yet to receive gold medals. It was
promised by the administration of KEMU that the convocation would be held soon
but the promise was not fulfilled. Even the convocation of the new batch
of 2008 has not been held as yet. The Young Doctors' Association demanded
that the convocation for the last 10 years should be held immediately and then
it should be held on yearly basis as is the case in the Allama Iqbal Medical
College (AIMC) where the convocation had not been held convocation for the last
8 years but the administration managed to hold it on yearly basis, setting an
example for the others. The news
Post your comments
GCU singers won trophy
Lahore: The GC University Lahore Nazir Ahmed Music Society has lifted the team
trophy at the All Pakistan Music Conference beating the singers from the prime
educational intuitions of Pakistan. The university won the trophy for the second
consecutive year. As many as 67 performances of the instrumentalists and
vocalists were held at the conference. About fours singers and two
instrumentalists from GCU Music Society took part in the competition. Issac
Shahazad, an MPhil (Part I) student at GCU, won the gold medal in the category
of Solo Tabla Performance. Mohsin Abbass, a GCU BA (Hons) Part II student, was
declared the best flutist. However, the GCU singers won the third prizes in the
three different categories of solo singing performances. Umair Ali Akbar, a BSc
(Part I) student, struck up the Medhi Hassan's famous Ghazal "Ab Kay Hum
Bichray, Tu Shahid Kabi Khaboon Mein Milain". Imran Fida, a BA (Hons) Part I,
sang a Kafi, "Sanwal Mour Moharan". GCU Nazir Ahmed Music Society President
Muhammad Saad Farooq raised the roof with 350-year-old composition of Hindu
Pundits "Aay Ri Aa Li Piya Bin" in Raga Aimen. His performance met with the loud
applause at the competition. Nazia Hassan, the only female participant,
enthralled the audience by singing a famous Ghazal "Muj Sa Phele Se Mohbat, Mera
Mehboob Na Mang." GCU Vice Chancellor Dr Khalid Aftab has congratulated the
participating team of Nazir Ahmed Music Society on their achievement.
Post your comments
Position holders reach Lahore
Lahore: On the invitation of the Chief Minister Punjab, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif,
a 20-member delegation of high achievers of Matric/Intermediate level
examinations 2009 from Balochistan arrived at Allama Iqbal Airport, Lahore
today. The Minister Education Punjab Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman, Additional
Secretary Higher Education Ch. Muhammad Akram, Additional Secretary Schools
Ghulam Abbas Sarghana warmly welcomed the delegation. Talking to media men on
this occasion, the Minister Education said that all the talented students are
great assets of our country. These students are brilliant future of the nation.
Chief Minister Punjab, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has chalked out this programme to
encourage the talented students of Punjab as well as other province. This step
will be proved very helpful to promote the reconciliation among the provinces
and will be a recognition of their best academic performance. Talking to media
men the Balochistan students said that they are thankful to the Chief Minister
Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif for their encouragement. They told that they all
are Pakistani and this visit will promote inter-provincial harmony among the
students of the country as well as the talented students of various parts of the
country and they would be encouraged by this move. During the visit the
delegation will visit the universities, historical and recreational places. The
government has finalized foolproof arrangements of students visit, it concluded. F.P Report
Post your comments
Sports role in students development
Lahore: Punjab Minister for Education, Transport and Excise & Taxation
Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman has said that sports events in educational institutions
play a vital role in the development of positive activities among the students
whereas Pakistan has the atmosphere and seasons for the promotion of all types
of games. He said that the students must utilise their spare time in games and
other extracurricular activities because these activities brought regularity in
their routine life, and such events built up a positive thinking among the
students. He said that Chief Minister Sports Competition Programme would start
from November 20, 2009 and continue till January 9, 2010. He was
presiding over a meeting regarding finalisation of Chief Minister's Sports
Competition Programme on the pattern of debate competition on Wednesday. The
meeting was attended by Secretary Sports Iftikhar Ahmed Rao, Additional
Secretary Education Chudhari Akram, Additional Secretary (General) Ghulam Abbad
Sargana, Niva Usman Umar, Chairperson CM Taskforce for Sports Ejaz Gull,
Chairman Taskforce for Sports and other high ranking officers of the Sports
Department. The meeting reviewed that in the first phase of the
programme, sports competitions would be conducted between schools from tehsil
level to provincial level from November 20 to December 18. In the second phase,
intermediate level sports competitions will be held from December12 to December
29. In the last phase of the sports programme, sports competition will be held
between degree colleges and universities which will continue from January 1,
2010 to January 09, 2010. The meeting reviewed the arrangements of the programme
and set up different committees to monitor the games at all levels. The news
Post your comments
| 
