Rawalpindi Education board workers strike

Education board workers threatened pen down strike
Rawalpindi, Nov 19: Employees Welfare Association Education Board, Rawalpindi, has threatened to go observe pen down strike from December 2, if their five demands were not met by the Punjab government.

Initially a token pen down strike would be held on November 25, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to press for their demands, said General Secretary, Employees Welfare Association Education Board, Rawalpindi, Mehr Muhammad Akbar.

Mehr urged the Punjab government not to withdraw examination fee, registration fee and sports fee for matriculation students saying this would badly affect financial health of the education boards.

He suggested to the government to release grants to the educational institutions through the Education Department for paying examination fees, instead of abolishing them. He also criticised the transfer of employees from one board to another, saying it is against the Board's Act.

Mehr demanded 15% medical allowance increase on the pattern of Lahore and Faisalabad boards. The grade-16 and 17 and daily wage employees should be regularised, while there should also be a formula to make new appointments, he demanded. The news

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Agencies not sought varsity permission before arresting students
Islamabad: The International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) president on Wednesday said security agencies had not sought university's permission before taking students in their custody.

IIUI President Dr Anwar Hussain Siddiqui said: "Security agencies were picking up students without seeking permission of the university authorities or informing the parents."

He said the university was willing to cooperate and facilitate the law and enforcement agencies if they had substantial proof against any student. According to him, the university had taken a number of security measures in order to avoid any untoward incident.

No one is allowed to enter the university or hostel premises without proper identification, he said, adding that walkthrough gates had been installed at the main gates of the campus. When asked about the recent protests by the students, he replied that the students were worried about "disappearance" of their colleagues.

Earlier, the IIUI students held a protest demonstration outside the National Press Club to condemn the growing terrorism and militancy. Dawn

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Inter-house competitions held at CDA Model School
Islamabad: Inter-house competitions were held at Capital Development Authority Model School.

According to a press release issued here Wednesday, in Junior Section Nishter House won the overall co-curricular trophy. Usama Zaheer (Class V) of Nishter House won the 'Husn-e-Qira'at' competition while Minahil Masood (Class V) of the same House won the 'Na'at Recital'.

Mahayana Batool (Class II) and Amal Ehsan (Class I) of Noon House were joint winners of the 'Urdu Poem Recital'. Tayyaba Zahid (Class III) representing Nishter House won the 'Urdu Speech Competition'. Alina Ajaz (Class V) of Jinnah House, Fabeeha (Class V) and Tooba Waheed (Class IV) representing Nishter House were joint winners in Urdu Debate on 'Taraqi Ke Liye Qaumi Zuban Zaroori Hai.'

Ibrahim (Class I) of Nishter House was the winner of 'English Poem Recital'. Kainat Agha (Class III) of Noon House took the trophy in the English Speech. Fatima Zareen (Class V) representing Jinnah House won the English Debate on 'One boy is more trouble than a dozen girls.'

In Senior Section Noor Jehan House with won the overall co-curricular trophy. Amna Haq (Class IX) of Razia Sultana House and Habiba Azeem (Class VI) of Noor Jehan House won the 'Husn-e-Qira'at' and 'Na'at Recital' respectively.

Hajra Naveed (Class VII) of Noor Jehan House took the trophy in Urdu Speech Competition. Mahham Zehra (Class IX) and Sarosh Zafar (Class VIII) of Noor Jehan House were joint winners of Urdu Debate on 'Muashra Insan Ko Mujrim Bana Deta Hai'.

The English Speech Competition was won by Nawal Rashid (Class VII) of Noor Jehan House. Faiza Zareen (Class IX) of Noor Jehan House and Shibrah Qaiser (Class IX) of Razia Sultana House were joint winners of the English Debate on 'The strength of a nation lies in weapons not economy'.

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A day for commitment and pledge
Islamabad: Universal Children's Day is indeed an occasion to renew our pledge and reaffirm our commitment to the cause of our children.

Federal Minister for Social Welfare & Special Education Samina Khalid Ghurki said this at a colourful and lively event that was organised here Wednesday by the Ministry of Social Welfare & Special Education to mark the Universal Children's Day.

The minister further said that children have been given rights not only in UN conventions but our religion Islam has stressed on child rights. "It is our religion that has identified the rights of every individual including children but unfortunately, developing countries like Pakistan could not give due rights to their children," she said.

She said 50 per cent of Pakistan's population is below the age of 18 that is holding the country's future in their hands. "No country can ever attain success until its children are mentally and physically healthy," she said. "Currently, children in Pakistan are confronted with a number of issues like child labour and lack of access to basic facilities, but the government is trying its level best to end this deprivation among the future of the country," she said.

Ghurki said the Ministry of Social Welfare & Special Education through the National Commission for Child Welfare & Development (NCCWD) has taken a number of initiatives for the protection of child rights. "A bill regarding child protection by the ministry has been approved by the cabinet according to which child protection centres will be established in 36 districts of the country," she said.

Ghurki also stressed the need to mainstream disabled children to enable them to contribute towards the country's success. "Disabled children have proved many times that they can perform far better than their normal counterparts," she added.

Other speakers including representatives of various federal ministries, UN agencies and NGOs highlighted various measures taken by the government of Pakistan in the area of child rights and child protection policy, which, once implemented, will ensure rights to children.

On the occasion, children from different schools presented skits, speeches, songs and tableaus on child rights. The children also highlighted their responsibilities as the future of the country. Universal Children's Day is observed all over the world on November 20 to mark the commitment and resolution to ensure the protection of child rights.

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Helen Keller community centre in capital
Islamabad: The US Embassy joined the Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education on Wednesday to dedicate the Helen Keller Friendship Community Centre in F-7 Markaz, at the National Library and Resource Centre.

The centre provides current information to researchers, teachers, students, and professionals through multimedia resources - both for the general public and persons with special needs.

The centre provides information about studying in the US and host lectures on topics of interest for the people of twin cities.

With access to computers and the Internet, it offers a 'Window on America' about its people, history, government, and popular culture. It will also have books, magazines, videos, and DVDs, and an audio-visual facility to view documentaries and movies. Speaking at the opening ceremony US Cultural Attache Ms. Constance C. Jones said "the centre will be a useful addition to efforts by the United States to reach out to the people of Pakistan, especially those with special needs, and will symbolise the partnership between our two countries."

The centre is named after celebrated 20th century author and activist Helen Keller who was blind and deaf, yet managed with the help of an extraordinary teacher to become an important advocate for the rights of the disabled.

By the time Keller died in 1968, she was globally recognised as a symbol of the power of the human spirit and had sparked a global reconsideration of the potential contributions disabled people can make to society. The news

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Fata teachers hold protest
Islamabad: Teachers' belonging to the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (Fata) staged a protest demonstration against non-payment of their salaries for the last six months here on Wednesday.

They demanded of the authorities concerned to release their suspended salaries before Eidul Azha. The teachersof the Fata Community Schools System, carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans against the National Education Foundation Islamabad, held the protest here in front of the National Press Club.

Speaking on the occasion, Irshad Ali Khan, who led the protest, said they were not getting the salaries for the last six months, causing them financial problems. Dawn

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