NED university intensive restoration
NED City Campus poised to regain past glory
Karachi, Nov 16: The protected heritage building of the NED City Campus is
undergoing intensive restoration, including cleaning the stone facade,
liberating the entrance portal, screening the roof, replacing the asbestos roof
with Khaprail tiles and repairing the tiled roof. "The interior
interventions also include structural repairs, repairing the damaged plaster and
paint on the walls, cleaning and repairing doors, windows, and floors," said NED
University of Engineering and Technology Architecture and Planning Department
Chairman Dr Noman Ahmed. The architecture and planning department of the
NED University of Engineering and Technology is located at its city campus on
Maulana Din Mohammad Wafai Road (behind DJ Government Science College). The
university has been training engineering professionals since 1922 and has
produced tens of thousands of engineers during the last 77 years. The NED City
Campus Restoration Project was inaugurated on April 17, 2009, and is a milestone
in the field of architectural restoration where a historically significant but
physically-run down campus was brought to life. The campus is listed as a
protected heritage building under the Sindh Cultural Preservation
Act-1994. Realising its historic significance and value as an
architectural heritage asset of Karachi, the university decided to initiate an
intensive restoration of the old building and rehabilitate the entire city
campus by converting it into an exclusive campus for the architecture and
planning department. According to Dr Ahmed, the main objectives behind
this initiative were ensuring that the campus is maintained as an architectural
heritage site and historically significant landmark of the city; revitalising
the NED City Campus as an educational campus and utilising "its full potential";
and undertaking the restoration project as an "exemplary exercise" which could
prove to be a "role model" for similar projects in the city. In addition
to these objectives, a very strong aspect of the project was the research and
training component which was developed parallel to the progress of this
project. The proposal and a brief working paper of the NED City Campus
Restoration Project was submitted in September 2000 and was approved by
university authorities on September 20, 2000. By November-December 2000, field
work, data collection, documentation and measured survey kicked off; and by
January-March 2001, preparation of measured drawings on CAD, all building plans,
site plans and necessary sections and elevations were completed. By May 2001,
the report was circulated to all agencies and departments concerned. A
well-facilitated, functional premises for the IT Institute was developed despite
constraints such as short deadlines and tight budgets and by January 2004
decision was taken to shift the architecture and planning department to city
campus. The academic session for architecture and planning students started at
city campus in January 2005 with its entire five batches (150 students)
accommodated within the new premises. Plans are underway to develop a NED
Gallery in chimney room besides studio and lecture spaces. The original boundary
wall has been restored, dilapidated structures have been removed and surgical
operations conducted to restore the site. "The major work for restoration
has already been completed," said Dr Ahmed. "Teak wood work at exhibition hall
is being done and spaces for theatre and workshops are being acquired. We have
acquired a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Sindh Heritage Committee and
restoration is being done in accordance with heritage laws."
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NED university professor passed away
Karachi: Prominent Marxist, an associate professor at the prestigious NED
University of Engineering and Technology and a social activist Mohammad Nauman
passed away on Sunday morning, leaving thousands of his students, friends and
colleagues mourning. He was laid to rest at the University of Karachi
graveyard on Sunday evening. Born on December 19, 1951 in Bahawalpur,
Nauman acquired his secondary education at Cadet College, Petaro, and then
graduated from NED University in electrical engineering in 1974. He did his
Masters in electrical engineering from North Carolina, USA. After
completing his education, Nauman initially joined Karachi Nuclear Power Plant
for a while but his inquisitiveness prompted him to opt for NED University where
he was teaching for almost 30 years. He was a prominent student leader
associated with left-wing National Students Federation (NSF) during late 1960s
and early 1970s and actively participated in the democratic upsurge in 1969
against military dictator Gen. Ayub Khan. Despite having a brilliant
academic record, he preferred to teach rather than acquiring lucrative jobs at
multinational companies. However, one could find thousands of his students in
different organisations across Pakistan at key positions. Committed to
the well-being of the common man right from the beginning, he helped Edhi
Foundation to develop its wireless service on a voluntary basis and also served
as technical advisor to the defunct Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) in
the early 1990s when Fahimuzaman Khan was its administrator. He wrote hundreds
of research papers on topics such as bonded labour, and water and power and
campaigned for the displaced people of Chotiari Dam and other similar causes. He
was widely quoted in national and international media. Prof. Nauman was
quite well till Saturday and attended a dinner in honour of his friend Prof.
Tauseef Ahmed Khan who has been awarded a PhD degree recently, at the residence
of an old friend Abid Ali Syed. "Many old friends had gathered at my
residence where we had arranged a dinner in honour of Prof. Tauseef Ahmed Khan
and Prof. Nauman was also there chatting with eminent lawyer Ali Ahmed Kurd,
politician Yousuf Masti Khan and other friends," Syed, former city editor of a
leading English daily newspaper said. "At about 6am he came out of his
room complaining breathing problem and left us mourning," his uncle who lived
with him said. Prof. Nauman was suffering from asthma for the last couple of
years. Thousands of students, friends, political leaders and activists
bode him farewell at the University of Karachi graveyard. Prominent amongst them
were Prof. S. M. Naseer, economists Aly Ercelawn, Haris Gazdar and Dr Asad
Sayeed, Executive Director Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research
(PILER) Karamat Ali, ex-president Karachi Bar Association Akhter Husain,
politician Yousuf Masti Khan, B.M. Kutty, Hameed Haroon, Fahimuzaman Khan,
educationist Dr. Syed Jaffar Ahmed and actor and academic Khalid
Ahmed. "I never saw him hurting anybody even if he differed with him,"
said Tariq Saeed, a senior structural engineer and an old friend of Prof.
Nauman. "He was always a helping hand and a true dervish," he
said. "Right from the beginning Nauman was dedicated, committed and
disciplined. He was never late," said Shahab Aftab, another senior engineer and
an old friend of Prof. Nauman. Prof. Nauman's Soyem will be held at NED
University Staff Town on Monday afternoon. He has left behind an ailing mother,
an elder brother and a sister. The news
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BSEK fee increase proposal rejected
Karachi: The Board of Secondary Education Karachi's board of governors
has rejected a proposed increase in the enrolment and certificate fees.
The BoG, which met on Saturday with BSEK chairman Shafiullah Qureshi in
the chair, also turned down a request seeking exemption for police recruits from
paying the fee for the verification of their documents from the BSEK, saying
that the Inter Boards Chairmen Committee had allowed such an exemption to
recruits of the armed forces only. Taking notice of financial
irregularities, the meeting directed BSEK officials to recover the one month
basic pay from its employees in lump sum for the payment made to them in advance
on the eve of Eidul Fitr but had not been deducted from their September salary.
The BSEK had sought BoG approval for recovering the amount from its employees in
six installments. Referring to the meeting's agenda, the appointment of
BSEK secretary and controller of examinations, some BoG members objected that
why such an important issue was put up at the meeting as a "matter for
information" only, and asked the officials to submit the minutes of the last BoG
meeting and the entire record of appointment of the two officials. It also
rejected the BSEK proposal for changing the nomenclature of 'research
investigator' to 'superintendent'. The meeting was attended, among
others, by Sindh Board of Technical Education Chairman Saeed Siddiqui, Sukkur
board Chairman Dr Mehboob Shaikh, Hyderabad board Chairman Dr Fazal Haq and
Mirpurkhas board Chairman Alim Khanzada. Dawn
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Lyari Town to move extra schools to other areas
Karachi: The Lyari Town Municipal Administration is looking forward to
move all extra schools which are combined in one building to other areas. The
town administration believes that apart from the gang-war and the irresponsible
attitude of the teaching staff, one reason for the absence of children of Lyari
from schools is the state of these extra institutions. Lyari Town Nazim
Mahmood Hashim said that there are 120 schools running in 30 buildings;
in most cases, there are three to six schools in the same premises. He added
that the number of children in these schools is rapidly decreasing. "Ten years
ago the enrollment was 26,000 in government-run primary schools in Lyari, which
has reduced to only 6,000 now and the attendance of students in these schools is
even much lesser," Hashim said. These extra schools that the Lyari Nazim
referred to are actually the schools which were established during General Zia's
regime, which reversed the decision of nationalisation of private educational
institutions taken by Z.A Bhutto in 1973. After the Zia regime decided to give
the private schools back to the private proprietors, government teachers who had
been teaching at these schools became jobless. In order to accommodate these
teachers, extra schools were set up in Lyari in the buildings where the old
schools had run previously. After all these years, the Lyari town administration
has realised that these combined schools are creating problems for students and
the management. "Teachers are mostly absent from schools and the children
are hardy regular; the education officials are unable to manage these combined
schools," Hashim said. "I had provided a list of 65 'ghost teachers' to the
education minister. When the minister forwarded the list to the Anti Corruption
Department officials concerned for further action, I was told that no action
could be taken against the guilty teachers." The Lyari nazim said that he
then wrote to the minister to look into the matter more attentively and take
action against these irresponsible teachers regardless of their political
connections. Hashim said that he also held a meeting with the educational staff
concerned and sought a comprehensive report from officials focusing on the
situation of all the government-run educational institutes, teaching staff,
their attendance, enrollment of students and absent teachers. He warned strict
action against the responsible teachers and management if he found any
irregularity in the process. In the end, however, hurdled were created by 'black
sheep' in the education department, Hashim said. The Lyari Nazim also
referred to the Government Girls' College in Moosa Lane as "Baigmati College",
because "Begums (wives) of influential people are appointed there just for
time-pass." Sharing his experience of the girls college, which he visited
recently, he said that the "Begums" were "busy doing nothing". "Innocent
girls come to the college regularly but return home without learning anything,
because 'Begums' are not interested in conducting classes," he
alleged. On the other hand, residents of the area said that one
reason for the absence of children from schools is that after the fight between
rival groups in Lyari many families have migrated to other areas. However they
accuse the educational officials of not not paying attention to the schools of
Lyari. 'This is why most people are forced to send their children to private
schools,' they said. The news
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Students not getting WFP's oil, wheat
Mithi: Students of more than 152 primary schools are not getting cooking
oil and wheat as promised under a programme to encourage enrolment of children,
according to a survey conducted by the Sindh People's Students Federation.
The oil and wheat are provided by the World Food Programme.
Mohammad Ismail Samejo, press secretary of the SPSF, Tharparkar chapter,
told journalists that many schoolchildren in Chonhar, Sinhar Nangar and other
villages of Bhakuo union council had not been given wheat or oil despite
complaints made to relevant quarters. As a result, he said, enrolment
was decreasing in the schools, which had enrolment of over 60 pupils each. Dawn
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