Sindh schools, colleges reopening

Reopening of Sindh educational institutions
Karachi, Oct 24: All schools and colleges across Sindh will reopen on Monday after remaining closed since Wednesday for security reasons.

The provincial government had decided to close all educational institutions in Sindh for a week after receiving intelligence reports about possible terrorist attacks.

However, universities were reopened on Thursday in line with a decision taken at a meeting between Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and vice-chancellors of various public and private universities.

Sindh education secretary Rizwan Memon said on Friday that foolproof measures had been taken to ensure safety and security of students, teachers and employees of schools and colleges and a meeting held at the home department on Thursday was convinced that these institutions should also be given the go-ahead to resume their academic activities.

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Karachi Colleges served notices over poor results
Karachi: Not a single student of as many as 18 educational institutions of the city, including nine public sector colleges and higher secondary schools, has passed the higher secondary school certificate part-II (humanities) group annual exams 2009.

Moreover, the results of nine colleges - eight government colleges and one government higher secondary school - in the same exams also remained less than 10 per cent.

Taking exception to these poor results, Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) Chairman Prof Anwar Ahmed Zai has issued notices to all those educational institutions whose performance in the HSC annual exams remained abysmally poor, asking them to explain why their affiliation with the BIEK should not be suspended or cancelled in view of their extremely poor performance.

The 18 colleges whose results in the exams remained zero per cent are these: Ashrafi Intermediate College, Gulshan-i-Iqbal; Al-Razi College of Intermediate Education; Govt Degree Arts/Commerce College, Razzakabad; Mumtaz Govt Boys Higher Secondary School; Medico Higher Secondary School, Majeed Colony, Landhi; Iqra Grammar High Secondary School, Ahmed Raza Road; Govt Girls Science/Commerce College, Block K, North Nazimabad; Sirajuddaula Govt College (Evening); Allama Iqbal Govt Boys College; Govt Degree Boys College, Baldia Town; Govt Degree Boys College, KMC Store, Nishtar Road; University College, Gulshan-i-Iqbal; Ideal Degree College, Gulshan-i-Iqbal; Imam Hasan Askari Girls College, Nazimabad; Jauhar College of Information Technology & Management Sciences; Govt Girls Higher Secondary School, Murad Memon Goth; Govt Degree Arts/Commerce College for Men (Evening), Korangi-6 and Govt Degree Boys College, Quaidabad.

The nine government educational institutions whose exams results remained less than 10 per cent are these: Govt Degree Science, Art and Commerce College, Murad Memon Goth; Jamia Millia Govt College (Morning); Sirajuddaulla Govt College (Morning); Govt Comprehensive Boys Higher Secondary School, Korangi-3; S.M. Govt Arts and Commerce College (Evening); Govt City College (Evening); Haji Abdullah Haroon Govt College (Morning); Jinnah Govt College, Nazimabad and Govt City College (Morning).

Attributing the poor performance of the government colleges in the Intermediate exams to a number of causes - like the shortage of teachers, less academic days, ill-equipped laboratories and a growing influence of politically-backed student organizations - senior teachers of government colleges said that the performance of government colleges would continue to deteriorate as long as the education department did not resolve these problems.

However, they expressed their surprise over the abysmal performance of students of private colleges, saying that it was beyond their comprehension why private colleges, despite charging hefty fees from their students, were not able to produce satisfactory results.

The senior teachers also urged the BIEK to strictly implement the Board's Calendar.

Supporting the action against colleges whose results in the HSC exams remained less than 10 per cent, they said that such an action on the part of the board would not only help in bringing to an end mushrooming of private colleges in the city, but it would also compel authorities of government colleges to improve their performances by increasing the number of teachers to a required level and by resolving other problems faced by these institutions. Dawn

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Fissures appeared in Karachi University Teachers Society
Karachi: The split among the office-bearers of the Karachi University Teachers Society (KUTS) has created ripples in the university where both the teachers and the students are aghast at the behaviour of the teachers who were supposed to teach and train the young minds but their actions are belying the expectations.

Dr Abid Hasnain, Vice-President of the KUTS said that they were fed up with the authoritarian attitude of Dr Shakeel Farooqui who never took the executive members on board while taking new steps. "Sometimes it looks as if Dr Farooqui is a representative of the administration. We have the support of 75 percent of the teachers. Out of 17 executive members only two are with Dr Aqeel Ahmed and his clique and it is surprising that they are claiming to be the representatives of the teachers," said Dr Abid.

Dr Shakeel Farooqui, Secretary, KUTS, debunked the stance taken by his opponents and said that they (Dr Hasnain and his group) were more interested in their ego trips and in applying the short-sighted solutions to the teachers' problems. "I had suggested in the KU Syndicate that the prospective teachers should have at least two first divisions in their academic careers. It was just a suggestion to enhance the educational standards of the university.

Today it is not difficult to obtain first division and I do not understand why some teachers are against it", he explained.

Dr Farooqui was of the opinion that his opponents were actually pampering the students who were associated with a certain political party and were trying to act on the urging of such students about the appointment of cooperative teachers and lecturers. "I am surprised at the teachers who are playing into the hands of such people. I am a teacher and I want to carve facilities and benefits for them but that should not be at the expense of the educational standards. My suggestion of two first divisions was for the newcomers not the incumbent teachers", he added.

Some senior professors severely criticised Dr Sohail Barkati who was still manipulating in the teachers' politics and had some grudge against Dr Farooqui. One of them confided, on the condition of anonymity that the Sindh Teachers' Forum (STF) belonging to the teachers inclined towards MQM, had thrown its weight behind Dr Aqeel Ahmed and Dr Shakeel Farooqui.

Both factions have announced their panels. One faction will have Prof Dr Shakeel Ahmed Khan as President, Dr Aneela Amber Malik as Vice President, Dr Shakeel Farooqui Secretary, Saba Masood Treasurer, Naheed Parveen and Adnan Khan Joint Secretaries.

The other faction has put up Dr Abid Hasnain as President, Dr Motahir Ahmed Vice President, Dr Fayyaz Vaid Secretary, Samina Quraishi Treasurer and Dr Haris Shoib and Moiz Khan as Joint Secretaries. The news

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Headmaster accused authorities of embezzling school funds
Karachi: The Azmat Islam Government Boys Primary School, located in UC-5, Jamshed Town has been functioning without funds since the last five years, claimed the school's headmaster Muhammad Akram.

Every year, the funds that are allocated for the school go into the 'authorities' pockets, and doesn't reach its intended destination, he alleged. "This practice has been going on since 2004 as the school hasn't gotten a single rupee as funds. Look at my room's ceiling, it is falling off. If the school was receiving funds, would I be risking my life by sitting under a roof which might cave in any minute?" he asked.

The broken desks, the chalia-packet littered floor, and shabby classrooms with their tattered and cracked walls seem to add some credibility to the headmaster's claims. The school runs in two shifts and has around 300 students in the morning, while the afternoon shift is attended by only 80 students. "Who would want to come to this school since there are no facilities available for the pupils? There is no library, no playground, no sports facilities and no canteen for the students," Akram said.

The headmaster said that there are four teachers for the school, while two teachers, who are teaching in another school, are also receiving their salaries from this school.

"There is no system here. Transfers of the faculty can be carried out anytime without any notice, and teachers can get their salaries from any school they want to," he said.

The infrastructure of the school is in a dilapidated state. The school has been without a water tank since its inception in 1984, and students are therefore forced to use toilets which smell horrible. The furniture in classrooms is also worn-out and termite-infested.

A Sindhi teacher at the school lamented that the school is embroiled in a number of problems, which in turn, affects the overall environment. The school doesn't have a gatekeeper, which gives anyone the freedom to enter the premises without identifying themselves. "The school is also without a sweeper, and there is no one to pick up the garbage except for the children themselves. The trash lying in the classroom presents a disgusting sight, resulting in the lack of a serious academic atmosphere."

During a visit to the school, it was observed that there were not more than five or six children present in each class.

Meanwhile, the negligence of the school staff towards the students was also visible, as teachers were seen using their cell phones while dictating notes to the students, who without any questions, quietly took their notes.

EDO Ibrahim Kumber several times for his version regarding the headmaster's accusation of funds not reaching the school, but he could not be reached. According to his staff, the EDO was busy in consecutive meetings. The news

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