Peshawar University 4-year degree programme

UoP starts new programme without proper homework
Peshawar, Sep 08: Following in the footsteps of the newly established universities in the province, the University of Peshawar too has abruptly started 4-year degree programme without having any prior homework for it.

In charge of the programme, Mohammad Islam, who is also the director admissions of the university, displayed rudeness and did not respond to the queries from this correspondent, when contacted for his comments.

He said he was fasting and it was not the right time to call him. When requested for answering only two queries, the official switched his cellphone off.

There is a general impression in the university that the programme has been started in extreme haste. No infrastructure has been constructed, no teachers appointed, said Dr Arbab Khan Afridi, president of Peshawar University Teachers Association.

The 4-year degree programme has been a demand of the Higher Education Commission for the last several years, but the successive administrations were reluctant to implement it for lack of infrastructure and other facilities, he said.

Now that the newly established universities like Islamia College University, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan and others have started the programme, the UoP also started the programme only to keep pace with them, he said.

The academician said it was quiet easy for a new institution to start any programme it wants, "But at an established institution like the UoP, proper arrangements were required before starting a new programme."

Another senior professor of the university on condition of anonymity said it was too naive for the largest and oldest public sector university of the province to come under pressure to start such a mega project without preparation.

He said the university had decided to start the programme all of a sudden in 23 disciplines. It is, however, not clear where these students would be given lectures, as the class rooms in the university are already short for the existing students, he said.

The professor said that around 1500 more students would be enrolled in the university under the new programme, but where they would be accommodated as majority of the students were still without hostel facility. It has already been a matter of concern for the university as well as parents that the students particularly female and those hailing from far flung areas leave their studies incomplete due to lack of hostel facility.

The seven male and four female hostels in the university do not have the capacity at all to accommodate more than 5000 students already enrolled in the university.

It is good to have new programme started in the university to produce students of international standard. But proper preparation should be made for the purpose, said another senior faculty member of the university.

He said that the incumbent administration was making decisions without obtaining approval from the statutory bodies concerned - syndicate, senate, academic council - and these could not be justified anyway. He referred to the merger of different departments into six institutions, saying the new experiment made by the university would soon be backtracked.

A lecturer of the university was of the opinion that the university had already been running morning and evening programmes at master's level. No extra teachers have been hired for the programme rather the teachers after their morning classes were assigned to teach the students in the evening, he said.

"I wonder who would teach the undergraduate students, as the existing staff is already overburdened," he remarked. Test for the four-year degree programme was held the other day. Some 6,000 applicants appeared in the test for which around 1500 would be given admission. The news

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Students protest for closure of UoB, other institutions
Quetta: Students Advisory Council held a demonstration to protest closure of University of Balochistan and other educational institutions here Monday.

Participants carried banners and placards inscribed with slogans of their demand. Speaking on the occasion, Kabir Afghan and Zakir Hussain Hazara said that due to unjustified closure of University and other institutions students were suffering badly. They said academic year of educational institutions in other provinces is of 10 months while in Balochistan is of 9 months. But University and several other institutions were closed for several months.

In cold areas of the province instead of 10-day summer vacations, all the educational institutions were kept closed for one month, which badly affected teaching process. They said University was closed for one month but now vacations have been increased for another month and BA/ B Sc, MA/ M Sc examinations were also being delayed. Due to this new admissions and academic year would start with delay. They demanded that University of Balochistan should be opened immediately. Ppi

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UoB, Inter News Network sign MoU
Quetta: University of Balochistan and Inter News Network signed a Memorandum of Understanding here Monday. Vice Chancellor UoB Dr Masoom Yasinzai signed for University while Aurangzeb Khan Manager Media Development signed on behalf of his organization.

Promotion of education, training, providing technical training to student s of Media and Journalism and Gender Studies would be provided professional training, establishment of FM radio station, preparation of programmes about women rights, lectures, journalist marketing course were included in the agreement.

Vice Chancellor said that under this agreement students would get facility of radio station, studio at Media and Journalism Department where they would hold educational, research, experimental and training programmes. Other departments of the University would also benefit form this. F.P report

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'Govt plans to establish six cadet colleges in FATA'
Peshawar: The government plans to establish six cadet colleges in FATA, NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani said on Monday. The governor said this after US Deputy Secretary of State for Resources and Management Jacob J Lew met with him and discussed the progress being made in the rehabilitation of the internally displaced people (IDPs) of Malakand and FATA. Lew, accompanied by an eight-member delegation, also exchanged views on the prevailing law and order situation in the region.The delegation inquired about ongoing measures for rehabilitating the IDPs as well as ensuring sustainable economic development in the area. Daily times

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