EDITOR: SHABBIR SARWAR | FEBRUARY, 2019 | ISSUE 02 | VOLUME 15 Price: Rs. 50 | Pages: 12 | ww.educationist.com.pk | facebook.com/TheEducationistPK

PAGE 03 PAGE 10

Editor-in-Chief: Prof. Dr. Shafiq Jullandhry

Executive Editor: Dr. Mujahid Mansoori

UoB VC Dr. NaeemKhan gives briefing toPresident Arif Alvi

25 million out of school

children still awaitIK attention

University of Okara anemerging center ofinnovation andexcellence

Premiere Education Newspaper of Pakistan LAHORE

InbrIef

HeC advises universitiesto abide by guidelines

HeC has advised the universities to ensure ad-herence to its guidelines for the launch of doctorof physical therapy (dpt) degree programme.in a letter addressed to Vice Chancellors andRectors of all public and private sector universi-ties, HeC has reiterated that national Curricu-lum Review Committee has approved the dptcurriculum and recommended that dpt can onlybe taught in universities which have relevantfaculty, infrastructure, required and laboratories.

govt taking steps to bringinnovation in educationsector: Shafqat

ISLAMABAD: Minister for education andprofessional training, Shafqat Mahmood saysthe government is taking effective measuresto bring innovation in education sectorthrough utilizing information technology.

Higher education to berevamped: Raja Yasir

LAHORE: : punjab Minister for Higher educationRaja Yasir Humayun has said that thegovernment is focusing on development of thehigher education sector according to theinternational standard.

pakistan using n-energypositively: dr. aslam

university of Management and technology Rectordr. Muhammad aslam contributed in building upthe nuclear arsenal of the country. However, heemphasized more on the positive aspects ofnuclear sciences.

MONTHLY

Continued on page 06

BY DR. AR SAJID

The Punjab government could notmanage to post permanent vicechancellors (VCs) in 17 public sectoruniversities many of which are

without regular VCs for the last one year.Secretary Higher Education Departmentmoved a summary for approval of criteriafrom the Punjab Cabinet, however, to datethe issue is pending forcing the universitiesto work on ad-hoc basis creating seriousproblems of governance in varsities. The students, faculty and administration ofthese institutions are facing seriousproblems due to unavailability of vicechancellors. These universities include:1. Lahore College for Women’s University;2. Information Technology University

(ITU) Lahore;3. UET, Lahore.4. Government College University, Faisalabad,5. Government College for Women’s

University of Faisalabad;6. Islamia University Bahawalpur7. Cholistan University of Veterinary and

Animal Sciences;8. PMAS-Arid Agriculture University of

Rawalpindi;9. Punjab Tianjin University of Technology;

10. Government College for Women’sUniversity of Sialkot;

11. University of Agriculture of Faisalabad;12. University of Engineering and

Technology of Taxila;13. University of Gujrat,14. University of Home Economics of Lahore;15. University of Narowal;16. Women’s University of Multan;17. Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan

The Lahore college for women universityis working without regular VC for the lasttwo years while Dr. Tahir Amin of BZU

Multan resigned after the Higher EducationDepartment moved a summary of hisremoval for remaining absent from theuniversity and making a number ofappointments and postings against rules

and regulations.Interviews for VC of ITU Lahore were

conducted by the search committees and listof top three recommended candidates wassent to Chief Minister Sardar UsmanBuzdar who has been told to scrape the fileand start fresh recruitment asrecommended candidate Dr. Umar Saif wasa blued-eye officer of former chief ministerShahbaz Sharif. However, Prof Dr ZakriaZakar and Prof. Dr. Shahid Munir havebeen appointed as first VCs of University ofOkara and University Jhang respectively.

Six vice chancellors completed their four-yeartenures during the current year. These includeProf. Dr. Naureen Aziz Qureshi of theGovernment College for Women University,Faisalabad, Prof. Dr. Farhat Saleemi of theGovernment College for Women University,Sialkot, Prof Dr Mohammad Ali of theGovernment College University, Faisalabad,Prof. Dr. Qaiser Mushtaq of the IslamiaUniversity Bahawalpur and Prof. Dr. FazalAhmed Khalid of the UET, Lahore.

The major cause for delay in the matter isgovernment’s plan to implement KhyberPakhtunkhwa (KP) model which is quitesuccessful there for the last five years.

17 universitieswithout VCs

in Punjab

There are around700 colleges including

116 commerce colleges inthe province and 270

of these workingwithout regular principals

pu clinches team trophy and Rs 100,000 cash award in 2nd the educationist all pakistan Co-curricular Competitions 2018. -Story and pics on page 06

Continued on page 02

BY MUHAMMAD EHSAAN & HOORIA BUTT

THE EDUCATIONIST: What are the basicchanges that we need in our education systemand do teachers ought to have some change intheir teaching methods as well?Dr. Mehdi Hasan: Teachers are not playingtheir role properly in their field and the basicreason is that they are not appointed on merit.Rather they are appointed on political basis.Teachers must give their students a confidenceto explore more & more. Always rememberprinciples are important and unfortunately weas society don’t follow principles in any field.We lack heavy weight leadership in every field.We need changes in our courses because theyare not good enough. For the betterment ofeducation we need a good course so that ourstudents can help themselves to increase theirmental abilities. THE EDUCATIONIST: What is the biggestreason of depression in youth and do youthink that Human Rights Commission ofPakistan is dealing with this?Dr. Mehdi Hasan: When it comes to youth,there are two major problems due to whichour youth is not satisfied. First is our systemand the other is teachers. Our teachers arenot playing their role properly. Teachers mustprovide them proper guidance.

If we talk about Human Rights (HRCP)then our youth is not interested in it at all.

We select 31 boards of governors from allover Pakistan after every 3 year and there isno representation of youth at all. The reasonwhy there is no representation of youth inHRCP that is the religious might in oursociety because they think we are preachingwest’s agenda.

HRCP was formally launched in 1984 butmany people had been working even beforeits launch without any name of "HumanRights Commission". There were somepoliticians, lawyers and teachers whoworked for the well-being of humanity.Student unions are very important foryouth but no government took anyadequate step to restore student unions.One of my students, happened to be theprime minister of Pakistan. He asked me"what should I do?" and I suggested him torestore the student unions. In his very firstaddress he did give the policy statementabout restoring the unions but there was noimplementation later on.THE EDUCATIONIST: What is theprocedure if someone needs help fromHuman Rights Commission of Pakistan?Dr. Mehdi Hasan: There is a complaint cellin HRCP, we always work on the biggerissues and for small issues we mostlyrecommend it to the concerned governmentdepartment along with our comments /suggestions.THE EDUCATIONIST: We see so manynews channels, what do you think aboutthem, are they really up to the mark?Dr. Mehdi Hasan: In my opinionnewspapers are much better than thesenews channels because in newspapers thereis a news editor who is responsible for newsand the editor is responsible for the newsand policy overall, but in news channelsthere is no sense of gate keeping. Most ofthe channel owners don’t even know aboutthe term gate keeping. This is the biggestreason why journalism is not up to themark in news channels. The secondimportant thing is there is no awareness

about the defamation laws so no one isafraid of saying anything about anyone. THE EDUCATIONIST: What is youropinion about newspapers and the content /material they publish?Dr. Mehdi Hasan: There are two types ofnewspapers. One is the daily newspapers andthey have a very large circulation and theother one is quality newspaper. Qualitynewspaper doesn’t have large circulation butpeople wait for them. There was a time whenwe have good journalism, Kohistan was thefirst newspaper in Punjab and after sometime some members of Kohistan teamstarted their own newspaper "Mashal" in1963. Likewise "Imroze" was a qualitynewspaper in urdu. We have all progressivewriter movement members in Punjab publiclibrary on that time. THE EDUCATIONIST: Afew days back , Dr.Mugees ud din sheikh has launched a book inwhich he did not talk good about you; howwould you see it?Dr. Mehdi Hasan: It’s completely okay. It’stheir opinion and everyone has a right tohave an opinion. He was member of jamat eislami and I am not a very religious person.That is why he always tries such tactics.Mugees ud din was appointed as a teacherthrough jamiyat. When he was in PunjabUniversity he tried 3 to 4 times to drive meout but high court always saved me.

I don’t think so that we should use religionfor our political matters. For me religion ispersonal matter of every individual. I believe

in Jinnah’s vision which he gave in hiscensored speech that religion is personalmatter of faith for every individual.THE EDUCATIONIST: Your opinion aboutminority rights?Dr. Mehdi Hasan: I think we must give allthe rights to minorities which we have as acitizen of Pakistan. I want to follow Jinnah’svision and Jinnah said this many times that"all citizens of Pakistan will have equalrights". Religion has nothing to do withpolitics, you may be a Muslim, you may be anon-Muslim it has nothing to do with politicsor political purpose. But unfortunately in oursociety the religious might is very strong andwithout their permission nothing happens inour society. I am a teacher that’s why I amoptimistic about things. I always talked to mystudents that you are the people who canbring the change.THE EDUCATIONIST: What is yourmessage to the youth ? Dr. Mehdi Hasan: I always give thismessage that every young person must readthe speech of Jinnah of 11th august 1947.That speech is actually the vision of Jinnah.For me the secret of Pakistan’s progress ishidden in that speech. But unfortunatelythat speech was censored by theestablishment. Some people have also triedto revive that speech with the help of aGerman NGO in 1995. Our youth don’tknow about Jinnah .We must tell them thetruth because right to know is fundamentalright of everyone. g

Why we lack leadership in every field?We need changes in curriculum to improve students mental abilities: Dr. Mehdi

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK February - 201902 | INTERVIEW

From Front Page

Earlier, while commenting on the matter,Provincial Minister for Higher EducationRaja Yasir Humayun Sarfraz tweeted,“People concerned about vacant VC posts.Please rest assured we are coming up with atransparent policy (similar to the one inKP) and will nominate a high profile searchcommittee to appoint the best possible VCsin all those universities by the end of theyear”. On November 20, an eight-membercommittee had already submitted itsrecommendations to the Punjabgovernment to finalise matters related tosearch committee and selection criteria forposting VCs in the Punjab province.

According to the proposed criteria,academic qualification carries maximum30 points. A candidate holding a PhD fromtop 100 QS ranked universities will earn30 points, 101-300 universities 28 points,301-500 universities 26 points and otherHEC recognized universities or UNESCOlisted universities 24 points. There are alsomarks for professional and leadershipexperience, international experience,publications and interviews.

Furthermore, colleges are also waiting forprincipals’ appointments, as around 270colleges of Punjab are without permanentheads although government had promisedto fill the 130 positions of the principals inthe province under its 100-day agenda andsought applications.

There are around 700 colleges including116 of commerce in the province and 270of these have been working without regularprincipals.

Moreover, posts of chairmen of seven

boards of intermediate and secondaryeducation in the province, lying vacant forthe last half and a year.

PHEC is also working without head asDr. Nizamuddin retired on December 15,2018 after completion of his four yeartenure. Secretary HED is the acting head.The Criteria for selection of PHECchairman has been finalized with Dr. AtaurRehman heading the search Committee forPHEC.

Federation of All Pakistan UniversitiesAcademic Staff Association President ProfDr. Mehboob Hussain demandedimmediate appointment of VCs. In thisregard he stated that universities are beingrun without regular VCs due to whichnumerous academic and administrativeproblems are being faced by them. He saidthe government should give autonomy tothe universities and not delayappointments of regular VCs and registrarsin universities.

Punjab Minister for Higher EducationRaja Yasir Humayun Sarfraz said that theHigher Education Department hasfinalized the criteria for VCs eligibility andselection, and the summary was sent to theChief Minister for approval. He said thenames of the Search Committees membershave also been finalized and a notificationwill be issued after CM’s approval. Rajasaid that the vacancies of VCs would beproperly advertised in and outside thecountry to search for the best candidates.

Regarding college principals’appointment, the minister said the processhas been initiated as 500 candidatesapplied for 105 vacant posts and theirinterviews have been conducted. g

17 universitieswithout VCs in Punjab

Ehsaan, Dr. Mehdi and Hooria

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK February - 2019 SUPPLEMENT | 03

“We at uo are focusing on establishing stronginstitutional foundations based on theinternalization of high ethical values such ashonesty, merit-based competition, critical

inquiry and academic freedom. We emphasize oninstitutionalized inculcation of ethical values which areeventually embodied into the behavior patterns of students.We are striving to make the university a locus of academicpower by introducing creativity through research andinnovation through cross fertilization of ideas. university ofokara is a strong community of scholars and hub of scientistswho are committed to their knowledge and scholarship. thisuniversity will eventually turn into such an institution whichhas the capacity to empower the civilization to face thechallenges of present, immediate and distant future bycarefully and artfully learning from the past; connecting thepast with the present and creating a wonderful future.

there are about 187 universities already existing in pakistan. inthe presence of such a handsome number, why to establish a newuniversity such as okara university? if okara university has tofocus on textbook-based classroom teaching and routinelaboratory based work to meet the curriculum requirements andthen give a degree, it is merely a wastage of resources. From itsvery inception, okara university aspires to go beyond the routinerecycling and reproduction of knowledge through routine lecture-based classroom teaching. this university strives to developcritical thinking and inquisitive capabilities of students to createnew knowledge and provide solutions to chronic social, economicand ecological problems being faced by pakistan.”

Prof. Dr. Zakria Zakar(presidential pride of performance)

Cultures differ and cultures collide but each culture contains pilesof knowledge and the infinite cycle of learning demands you tokeep digging into different cultures. the purpose of the global

village is never fulfilled only if we are remotely connected throughthe sophisticated means of communication; it demands athorough understanding of one another. this emphatic approachis what we call multiculturalism or celebrating the differences. the Vice Chancellor of university of okara prof. dr. Zakria Zakar,with his vast and deep insights of cultural studies, has a realunderstanding of how to integrate and connect his students andfaculty with international scientific and scholarly community.this is why he invited an erudite german Scholar Mr. peter-JosefBoeck to his university. Mr. Boeck, during his three-week visit to okara university frommid of october to early november, delivered a number of lecturesand held interactive sessions and seminars with the faculty andstudents of the uo. the basic purpose of this interaction was toinitiate cross-cultural dialogues and provide the uo fellas anopportunity to learn the basics of the german language, history,culture and explore the possibilities of study scholarships indifferent german universities. Mr. Boeck was the first foreigner to visit the university since itsinception and the credit goes to dr. Zakar who is keen on thecapacity building and professional training of his facultyparticularly and the students in general. at the end of the three-week program, certificates were alsodistributed among the participants. Mr. Boeck enjoyed his time atthe campus and greatly appreciated the efforts of the VC towardsthe rapid development of the university.

Sensing the needs and tendencies of the local students, the VCis introducing a full-fledged School of Law at university ofokara. this School will be offering high quality education incheap prices. the advertisement for hiring of the highlyqualified faculty has already been released and dr. Zakar aimsat bringing in the best and well-versed teachers so that thestudents hailing from the vicinities can avail an internationalstandard law education at home. the School of Law will be offering 3-year and 5-year LLB andLLM programs. a handful of veteran law professors andpracticing lawyers have been engaged to draft the bestpossible curriculum. the real focus of this school will be to inculcate the values likerule of law, submission to law and to create a civilized societybased on respect of human rights and human dignity. uo’sSchool of Law will be marked with a strong commitment tointellectualism and public service. the school will work onenhancing the intellectual life of its academic community bysponsoring a variety of centers, programs, and workshops.

due to the advent of the adroit Vice Chancellor and his clearvision for the development of the university, a record numberof students from the city of okara and the nearby cities,towns and villages have submitted admission applications invarious programs. the uo has received this sum ofapplications the first time in its history but despite this, theadministration has shown no leniency and compromise on the

merit. these high standards of meritocracy and transparency inadmissions have earned the veracity a great honor andhelped fostering the culture of academic excellence that willgo a long way to produce brilliant and visionary graduates inthe years to come. thousands of students have applied in 10programs this year and all the enrollments have been madethrough a transparent and state-of-the-art process. With the start of the new session, the total number of thestudents in uo have soured to more than 5,000 and this is aremarkable achievement of the newly established universityand its first permanent VC.

Following the VC’s vision of providing lavish and state-of-the-art academic facilities to the students, the uo administrationis carrying out a large-scale renovation work at the campus.the entire academic block is being repainted, the labs arebeing equipped with hi-tech material, the classrooms aregetting improvised furniture, the libraries are being furnishedwith best books of the world and entire campus is goingthrough a horticulture makeover with novel plants,enchanting floral beds and lush lawns.

this all is being done despite all the budgetary limitations.instead of availing their legitimate perks and privileges, theVC and all the other officers are spending the availableresources on the improvisation of the university. this isindeed the beginning of a new pakistan. g

Vision of the VC

Why to establish a new University?

University of OkaraAn emerging Center of Innovation & Academic excellence

Sharjeel ahmed

the VC spares no moment to discuss & deliberate on highpriority academic and administrative matters

Decent Place to Learn & Thrive

institutions are developed by merit & transparence; not just bybricks & stones

Like human child, institutions need constant care and concentration

UO Gets School of Law

Students’ Passion to Learn

Time to Celebrate the Differences

the VC is introducing Mr. Boeck with the uo faculty at thebeginning of the cross-cultural dialogues series

Mr. Boeck is presenting german language certificates to uo faculty

PAKISTAN is currently witnessing asevere wave of intolerance at masslevel. It is very unfortunate andshameful to state that despite

comprising of large number of passionatefollowers of Islam, we as a nation emerged asvery much intolerant to others. Contrary toteachings of Islam, Muslims all over the worldare increasingly becoming extremists andnarrow minded hence causing major problemsfor their own as well as their fellow Muslims.Followers of the most peaceful religion of the world(Islam) have failed to practice teachings of Islam and theirbeloved prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH).Unfortunately, Pakistanis are not left behind in the race ofcorrupt moral practices and largely practicing intolerance,terrorism and extremism. There is dire need of promotionof tolerance and equal human rights for every citizen.

Tolerance means ‘’to bear.’’ In Persian and Urdu, we use theword rawadari ( ) which is derived from rawameaning acceptable or bearable and dashtan meaning “tohold”. Thus it means to hold something acceptable orbearable. Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation ofthe rich diversity of our world's cultures, our forms ofexpression and ways of being human. Tolerance, the virtuethat makes peace possible, contributes to the replacement ofthe culture of war by a culture of peace.

Tolerance is a basic attitude for the respect of human rights.As established by the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance,promoted by UNESCO, this is based on accepting andrecognizing the diversity of cultures, forms of expression andways being in the world. To be tolerant, it is necessary toknow and dialogue with horizontality and openness of mind,although hardly without prejudice. This is not only a moralduty, as stated in the Declaration, "but also a political andlegal requirement." However, and above all, tolerance implies"an active attitude of recognition of universal human rightsand the fundamental freedoms of others."

It has already been established that states must complywith international human rights treaties that ratify,modifying their policies and legislation in order to guarantee

equal treatment and opportunities for all groupsand individuals in society. In this principle theredwells a condition for tolerance: equality.Likewise, UNESCO points out that education isthe most effective and fruitful means to preventintolerance. "The first stage of education fortolerance is to teach people the rights andfreedoms they share".

In the international human rights system, theright to education is universal and inalienable.

Treaties such as the Convention of the UnitedNations Organization for Education, Science and Culture onthe fight against discrimination in the field of education(1960), the International Covenant on Economic, Social andCultural Rights (1966) and the United Nations Conventionon the Rights of the Child (1989), point out that qualityeducation must reflect the values of human rights.

As UNESCO affirms, the right to education is an integralpart of human rights. In this matter, the work of thisorganization is aimed at promoting "values such as peace,non-discrimination, equality, justice, non-violence, toleranceand respect for human dignity. Quality education based on ahuman rights approach means that they are appliedthroughout the educational system and in all learningcontexts”. UNESCO also has competitions and recognitionsthat seek to foster a culture of peace and tolerance such asPeace Contest which is framed for primary and secondaryschool students wherein they can post audiovisual works suchas posters, photographs and / or videos about the concept ofpeace and violence. There is also the Madanjeet Singht prizefor the promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence. Thisdistinction was created in the mid-nineties, the same year inwhich the Member States of UNESCO adopted theDeclaration of Principles on Tolerance. In this regard,UNESCO points out: "the human being is characterized byits diversity, only tolerance can ensure the survival ofmulticultural communities in different regions of the planet".Further, in 1996, the UN General Assembly (by resolution51/95) invited UN Member States to observe theInternational Day for Tolerance on 16 November. g

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK February - 201904 | EDITORIAL

dr. aR Sajid

Editor-in-Chief

prof. dr. Shafiq JullandhrySenior Executive Editorprof. dr. Mujahid Mansoori,

Editor

Shabbir SarwarJoint Editor

a.R. Sajid Associate EditorMuhsen naseemExecutive Editor

dr. ifra iftikhar

News Editor: Khalid Shahzad Farooqui Resident Editor Boston (USA): Syed Qasim RazaResident Editor Germany: Muhammad ittefaq

Bureau Chief Sheikhupura: azhar iqbalBureau Chief Gujranwala: arsalan MughalBureau Chief Sialkot: Mudassar Mehdi

Bureau Chief Sargodha: Muhammad usman BaryarBureau Chief DG Khan: Hasnain Raza

Bureau Chief Kasur: abid Sharif Chadhar Graphic Designer: Muneeb ijaz

publisher and editor Shabbir Sarwar printed atintekhab-e-Jadeed press, 8 abbot Road and circulated

from 136-J gulberg iii Lahore.Website: www.educationist.com.pkEmail: editor@educationist.com.pk

DO we have adequate statistics to plan and develop thefuture of education system in Pakistan. Can we know theauthenticity of those statistics? It is very easy to say witha fancy accent that students have to hold the realm of

Pakistani society in future but modern world demands to behaving adequate information about how higher governmentofficials are going to be taking care of the unseen. Nothing reallychanges by merely uttering wishes about a dream system thatmay give us a perfect picture of how the future of our dreamcountry should look like. Having a passion and sense ofresponsibility to change what is not good is undoubtedly the firststep towards the better future yet the question which is mind-boggling, leaves every mindful person in a state of disquiet.

Do what to kill the worry? Be generous enough to build upengagement with the people of Pakistan. let them know you Carenot just by saying it but putting your thoughts along with Factsand Figures before them as to take them into the confidence. Afew Questions that are Bothering me and Possibly many like meout there who are so weak that they can't do anything other thanwriting it to the Powerful people and Institutions.

Firstly, I would like to shed light on the health sector and itsfacilitation to the People of Pakistan. More than 50 million peoplesuffering from mental disorders and to take care of them there areonly 400 well trained psychiatrists. Either the stats are incorrect orMore than 100 medical colleges are not able to produce sufficientback up for taking care of mental health problems of the people ofPakistan. but it should be told to the People in a very clear manner.We know you care but tell us what is being done and how it is beingdone as to provide us with a healthier future.

Secondly, I would like to voice the education system of Pakistanand this question is also linked to my first question. Educationalinstitutions. Do we have a sufficient amount of Lawyers,Policemen, Social Scientists, Poets, Artists, IT Experts and TrainedProfessionals of Modern Sciences? If yes that's very good, But dowe not have the right to know about it? There is no Harm insharing the stats officially, isn't it? Why on earth More people everyyear go abroad to get themselves a feather in their hat? Can We notprovide that level of education? Is there a need of introducingDegrees in New disciplines of Studies.

Thirdly, I have listened to a Higher Official of Police addressingto the Innocent people of Pakistan for how they should secure theirSocial media from other Pakistanis. Who are we left with? Pollsand Trees? Its people with people within Pakistan nobody fromanother part of the Earth. his speech has made me distressed inwhich he is expressing his Department's Incompetence to take careof the Social media and its usage in Pakistan. On top of that, therehas been an overburdened software program given to themPolicemen so that they could get themselves trained to earn respectamongst the people of Pakistan. This Software Program has it All,Human Resource Management System, E challan, CriminalRecord mapping, Police Official Profile management System,Payroll system what not. it has almost everything which a perfectsystem must have. I am glad about this endeavor. By Maaz Ahmad. g

A few straightforward questions!

Tolerance, ultimate solutionfor a peaceful Pakistan

BY JAZIB KHAN

EGYPT was once an educational hub for allstudents mainly Muslims. It had such a unifiedsystem of education that rational studies andreligious studies were taught under a same roof

and an equal weightage was given to both of them. Thatwas one of the main reasons of the Muslims’ success inmiddle and late medieval ages. But as the time passed, oureducational system got tarnished and under the colonialrule of British, it almost got a death-blow. For thereformation of Muslims in India, Sir Sayyed Ahmad Khan,being a provident person introduced a parallel system ofacademia which was based on English educational systemas it was the need of the hour.

Since then, we never had a unified system of education tillnow; in fact, the gap between the stratification of thestudents is increasing gradually day by day- a very alarmingsituation. Initially at the inception of Pakistan, there weremainly two types of students i.e. madrassah going studentsand government school going students. At that time therewere about 300 madrassahs and 10,000 schools. But afterthe continuous lack of patronization of government schoolsby the state, the stratification further increased. Therefore,now there are number of madrassahs, government schools,middle-class private schools,

elite-class private schools and so forth; same is the casewith higher studies educational institutes in Pakistan. Amore menacing situation is that other than academicinstitutes, we have number of educational systems as wellwhich are being used analogously. In these 71 years, the statehas created a giant vacuum in the field of education, whichultimately filled by the parallel systems of education andprivate educational facilities. Despite having this diversity ineducational system of Pakistan, 25 million children are out-of-school according to a report of Alif Ailaan. Thus, oureducational system needs long overdue surveillance by state;otherwise it will be too late. According to another report ofAlif Ailaan there are almost 2,27,136 government schoolsand 68,848 private schools in Pakistan. Even though onlyone third of total schools are owned by private sector, still itspends more money in their academic institutes and

students than the government.Someone has rightly said, “If you want to destroy the future

of any nation, no need to wage war with them; defunct theireducation, they will remain no more live on the map of theworld.” The situation in madrassahs is much more vulnerableand appalling. There are more than 35,000 madrassahs with3.5 million enrolled students. Further, there are five sect-basedboards of madrassahs representing different schools of thoughtof Islam in Pakistan. Each of the boards has its own syllabusand policies according to its beliefs and interpretation of Islam.Almost 60% of madrassahs are representing Deoband schoolof thought. One cannot imagine the imperceptible divergencebetween an ordinary madrassah going student and a studentstudying in some elite private school. A large chunk ofmadrassahs is unregistered which is promoting culture ofsectarianism and jihadism in Pakistan. According to a report,among all students, madrassah going students are rigidtowards the religious, ethnic and other minorities living inPakistan. There is tendency in such students to get involved inriots and extremism activities which may led to terrorism. Inother states, education is just an educational subject butunfortunately, in Pakistan, it also falls under the domain ofnational security. The government really needs to regulate thecurriculum of all the madrassahs and put them under strictsurveillance; and promote the culture of tolerance in them.Madrassah reforms should be the foremost priority of the state.

One may see a beacon of hope as it seems like thatcurrent government is sincere and enthusiastic aboutunification of education, since, it is an integral part of theirmanifesto. Recently the federal government launchedNational Educational Policy 2018 which caters tounification of education thoroughly. Although after the18th Amendment, education is a provincial subject but stillthe federal government can bring positive reforms bybuilding a consensus with provincial governments and allstakeholders. To overcome one of the most vulnerable issueof Pakistan - national integration, we really need to unifyour educational system. g

The writer is a student of Development Journalism atUniversity of the Punjab Lahore Pakistan and can be

reached at jazibrehmankhan@gmail.com

unification of education!

details on www.educationist.com.pk

details on www.educationist.com.pk

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK February - 2019 OPINION | 05

IT’S very regretful to passunjust comments regardingSupreme Court (SC) of

Pakistan’s judgement about AsiaBibi case without getting into thedetails of the matter. I being a trueMuslim cannot bear the disrespectof Our Holy Prophet/an act ofblasphemy but is it right to giveeveryone the right to kill anyone

just on the basis of doubt of blasphemy?Asia Bibi was convicted in 2010 for allegedly insulting the

Prophet Muhammad and has been in solitary confinementfor the past eight years.

Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, who gave the verdict, said MsBibi could walk free from jail immediately if she was notwanted in any other case. Asia Bibi is a 47-year-old farmlaborer and mother of five from the Punjab Province.

She was involved in a row with other Muslim farm workersafter they refused to drink from a bucket of water she hadtouched because she was not Muslim. When they demandedshe convert to Islam, she refused, prompting a mob to laterallege that she had insulted the Prophet Muhammad.

At the time, Asia Bibi said the case was a matter of womenwho didn't like her "taking revenge."

Under the Pakistani penal code, the offence of blasphemy ispunishable by death or life imprisonment.

In 1860 under British Raj law, it became a crime to disturba religious assembly, trespass on burial grounds, insultreligious beliefs or intentionally destroy or defile a place or anobject of worship, punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

During the 1980s as Islamic influence in Pakistan grew, thelaw was expanded to include making derogatory remarksagainst Islamic personages an offence.

Since 1987, a total of 633 Muslims, 494 Ahmedis, 187Christians and 21 Hindus have been accused under variousclauses of the blasphemy law, according to the NationalCommission for Justice and Peace (NCJP).

Other Pakistani politicians have made efforts to amend theblasphemy laws. In 2010, Sherry Reman of the Pakistan's People'sParty (PPP) introduced a private bill with the intention ofchanging procedures of religious offences so that cases would beheard directly by the higher courts. The bill was withdrawn in 2011following pressure from religious forces and some politicalopposition groups. Whilst public support for Pakistan's blasphemylaws is strong, elsewhere the laws have attracted intense criticism.

Dr.Zeeshan Khan is a medical doctor by profession. He canbe followed on twitter: @DrZeeshanKhanA1

LALA Rukh’s mother, a poet in avernacular language and a teacher ofsocial science in a public school of Lahore,is not worried to notice that her daughter

is unable to understand her poetry. She is,however, content that Lala Rukh is anoptometrist practising in Wapda Town of Lahore.She was put through the path of studying basicscience subjects by her parents as all they caredabout is a secure future for their daughter.

A career in basic sciences is a ticket to enter job market andhence a lure for parents. Lahore was once known for itsservices to literature but this market mania has reducedliterature into being a luxury for the affluent. Since childrenof the middle and lower middle class think that they cannotafford studying literature, ultra-rich kids are given theotherwise coveted field of literature uncontested.

Lala Rukh’s case is not alone. Lahore is giving away to thenational focus – fostering STEM (science, technology,engineering and mathematics) among the boys and girls,leaving out literature and social sciences behind.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif would promise to turn adedicated chief ministe’’s complex into an informationtechnology university for women. The state-of-the-art ArfaKareem Tower stands tall inspiring people to study computersciences. The Higher Education Commission announceshundreds of foreign study scholarships for STEM graduates.The market has lucrative and an abundant supply of jobs forSTEM scholars. Punjab University spokesperson KhurramShahzad says every candidate for BS programme wants to getadmission to the STEM departments and those with around90pc of marks can secure a berth there.

Those who cannot make to STEM disciplines and still wantto have a higher education degree turn to social sciencesdepartments. Punjab University’s English LiteratureDepartment started its BS programme two years back and itsmerit was also high when the admissions were open last time.

In these circumstances, who would turn to literature andhow do Lahore schools cope with this problem?

“Well, when I see grade III kids discuss feature of a newmobile phone brand, and not a story, I get really concerned,”says Syed Shamim Azam, an owner of a private school inLahore. He acknowledges that over the years, the trend ofreading literature in students has gone down.

“There’s need to investigate why students, especially boys,don’t love reading. In fact, they don’t find enough role modelsaround them.”His school has been trying to turn thingsaround by taking an initiative to promote a love for literatureamong the students since September last. The school daystarts with a session dedicated to reading. All students readsomething of their choice from an Urdu story book to Englishclassic and graphic literature. “I hope the initiative will bringabout a positive change in children.” Not many schools and

families, however, are interested in creating thelove for literature among their children.

Syed Moazam Ali Shah runs a tutor centre inDefence Housing Authority and supplies hometutors to affluent families.

“Of every 10 calls, eight clients demand a tutorfor science subjects, and two for Englishlanguage,” he explains tuition trends. My Urduand English literature tutors have to wait formonths to get a tutee.” Dr Asir Ajmal has seen a

decline in literary activities in the Government CollegeUniversity, Lahore. He was born in the college residence in the60s when his father, Dr Ajmal, was its principal. In those days,he recalls, they would not go out for recreation as the collegewas holding literary and arts activities almost every day.

Now, Lahore schools and colleges have no literary activitiesor popular ‘Bazm-i-Adab’ type sessions on their calendar.

The Shahbaz Sharif government tried to revive literaryculture through speech contests but failed as student wouldonly deliver crammed speeches. Prof Dr Mansoor Akbar Kundi,former vice-chancellor of the Gomal University, Dera IsmailKhan, says over the years, the city has seen the mushroom growthof science and technology institutes in both private and publicsectors. He explains the consequences of ignoring literature andsocial sciences. “You see frustration and intolerance among theyouth,” he says during an international conference in COMSATSUniversity of Technology in Lahore, pointing to a picture of thePunjab University students beating each other. “This is the price.”

Dr Kundi says literature and social sciences promoteharmony, love, coexistence and empathy.

Dr Huam Baqai vouches for his words. An associateprofessor with a premier business education institute, DrBaqai says they contacted several employers to know aboutthe productivity of their graduates. Their response wasshocking. “Many of the employers said the graduates hadgood content knowledge but that was not enough. Theworkplace can teach a raw beginner all the content and skillsrequired for the job in a few months. The graduates, however,lacked a sense of workplace coexistence,” she says whilespeaking at a workshop on conflict resolution in Lahore.

The feedback pushed the programme managers to increasethe number of humanities and literature subjects from threeto seven and 10. Dr Fatima Sajjad from the University ofManagement Technology also has similar views. She suggestsschools should have some subjects for learning andintellectual grooming only, not for grades.

She says evaluation of subjects like literature (humanitiesand social sciences) should be redesigned as STEM graduatesget 100 out of 100 which is impossible in subjects likeliterature for right or wrong reasons. g

The writer is a professional journalist and he can bereached at ahsanbudh@hotmail.com

ahsan Raza

dr. Zeeshan Khan

Blasphemy andexploitation ofreligious extremism

All articles are published in good faith. The views expressed by the writers do not necessarily reflect those of The Educationist. Objections, critique arewelcomed for publication. Send your Articles, Letters, Cartoons to editor@educationist.com.pk

fighting the war, literally

English Translation by : Amjad Izhar

TODAY the collective humanconsciousness of the world has reachedthe level, where human rights not onlyhave been acknowledged but also in

principle, the right of the nations, taken intoacceptance by all means, that aggression orexternal forced occupation is unacceptable. If wefind such examples in a particular region of theworld, then their experience will be done in the context of anumber of shortcomings and specifications. Now the time ofnaked aggression has already been destroyed. Justification ofeverything can be presented. For example in past SaddamHussein's dictatorship gave the US a legitimacy for Iraqinvasion. Many voices came from our Muslim world thatAmerica's invasion is illegal and illegitimate because the UShas not received its permission from the UN. However, whenSaddam invaded neighboring independent and autonomousMuslim country Kuwait, the sad thing is that such voices ofprotests should rise, but they kept protectionism forSaddam's forced occupation. We then raised our questions inour columns that about 1500 years back the same Iraq wasinvaded by us then we had not resorted to any UNO or anyCharter of the Nations. We not only occupied, but alsoannexed it with our land? In this bath, Muslims are notnaked, all are naked who are indulged with power.

The greatness of the Greeks could not have been able to

deter Alexander from the conquest of the world,but instead, it has given him the opportunity toexport this great civilization into the world. If inthis import export innocent blood sheds over,then may it be so? Here Hitler and HalakooKhan felt proudness to shed blood of the humanbeings. What was the ethical justification forCentral Asian Invaders or Afghanistan’s Khanswhen they occupied India. What was the moraleof Khilji, Tughlaq, Mohammad Ghori, Nadir

Shah and Sultan Mahmood, in essence these all invasionswere unjustified. All these gentlemen used to spread civilsupremacy in India or to shed blood and to kill innocentpeople? Today if they are heroes of Pakistanis, then on whatstance while they were all evil? Just because they wereMuslim dacoits? In this sense, Muhammad Khan dacoitshould also be our hero. Imran Ali Naqshbandi, the dirtyworm, should also be our hero, that he used to recite naats.

We very easily say that Hindus were very narrow minded.We can make fake stories in this regard, but if we do not mindthe truth, then we will say Hindu nation was very openminded, welcoming nation as compared with other nations,foolish people are found in every nation like who killedMahatma Gandhi. To solve the Indian problem wasseparation or United India by protecting domestic democraticrights? On this, a free debate in the current atmosphere of atleast the for groundwater is impossible, and it is unlikely aslong as we have not come out of its torments. It's a matter of

distinction here, we cannot even give logic on Kashmir issue.Invasion on other countries if is wrong today, then suchwrongdoings made in the past centuries should also belabelled as mischievous. But in recognition of this, there is nojustification for founding Mughal Empire. If Lodhi’soccupation was illegitimate then how should the attack afterthat can be legitimized? If the Mughal establishment wascorrect then how was the British rule was wrong? WhileMuslim aggressors were unable to serve the region's people inthe past 1000 years, which did British rule in just 90 years?Anyone can compare the performance of each of the two willfind the truth behind. Sir Syed wanted to extend the period ofthe British for the betterment of the people of Sub-Continent.Where they should be blessed with a high place for theirnation.

The rage and its consequences of the mutiny of 1857 may becondemned and blamed to the English rule, the fact isbetterment of the region is conducive to the slavery of thatperiod. Otherwise, our state of affairs would not be differentthan Afghanistan. If we compare the slavery period of 90years with the epoch of 70 years of freedom, then we find wegone to the downfall in freedom period rather then rise in theslavery period. Before we were slaves of White English Lords,after we remained slaves of Black followers of English Lordswho are more and more short minded prejudiced Lords.

Military dictatorship has taken us into slavery by riggingour legal, accountability, religious and political anddemocratic institutions.

The writer is a professional journalist and he can be reachedat arrehan@hotmail.com

Bliss emerging from aggression of history

afzaal Rehan

details on www.educationist.com.pkdetails on www.educationist.com.pk

details on www.educationist.com.pk

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK February - 201906 | INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW BY: SHABBIR SARWAR AND FATIMA SAJJAD

UNIVERSITY of Management andTechnology Rector Dr.Muhammad Aslam contributed inbuilding up the nuclear arsenal ofthe country. However, he

emphasized more on the positive aspects ofnuclear sciences. “Nuclear Medical Centers inPakistan are a proof that we are utilizing thisenergy for the betterment of the country. Thedoctors in these medical centers havegraduated from PIEAS as it also offersmedicine, nuclear medicine and radiationoncology.” The Educationist conducted adetailed interview of Dr. Aslam.

THE EDUCATIONIST: Please do tell usabout your early life and education.Dr. Muhammad Aslam: My schooling wasfrom Muslim High school, Tariq Abad,Faisalabad. After that I came to Lahore andenrolled in to F.C College for my F.Sc Pre-Engineering. After completing my Bachelorsdegree, I went to Islamabad for Maters inPhysics. After that I got a fellowship fromPakistan Tarbi Community Commission inM.S in Nuclear Technology. After completingmy fellowship I was offered to join theUniversity’s Faculty. I joined Centre forNuclear Studies in 1976.

In 1984 I did my PhD from University ofPurdue, US and came back in Pakistan toserve my country.

THE EDUCATIONIST: PIEAS, formerlyknown as Centre for Nuclear Studies changedits name. Why so?Dr. Muhammad Aslam: I think that thepolitical scenario of Pakistan in 1980’s wasskeptical and unstable. Where a country wasavailing benefits of nuclear technology, it alsohad to poise for an acceptable diplomaticdemeanor. That is why it was changed to thename of Pakistan Institute for Engineeringand Applied Sciences.THE EDUCATIONIST: What are yourprofessional achievements other thancontributing towards the excellence of PIEASand as the Rector UMT? Dr. Muhammad Aslam: I worked as ascientist and a teacher. I have beencontributing in building up of the nucleararsenal of the country. I have alsoemphasized more on the positive aspects ofnuclear sciences. For example, NuclearMedical Centers in Pakistan are a proof thatwe are utilizing this energy for thebetterment of the country. The doctors inthese medical centers have been graduatedfrom PIEAS as it also offers medicine,

nuclear medicine and radiation oncology.

THE EDUCATIONIST: Dr Hassan SohaibMurad, UMT’s founding father died in aroad accident. How this loss caused greaterchallenge towards fulfilling your role as aRector?Dr. Muhammad Aslam: Obviously, hissudden demise was a shock and above all,loss to all of us here. His visions and plans ofmaking the university a globally recognizedinstitution are in gradual motion. But webelieve that we would be able to do it InshaaAllah. The strive for quality education,excellent teaching and promoting aninnovative culture will always be a great anda consistent challenge but with hard work

and belief, we will tackle it and ultimately,achieve our goals Inshaa Allah.

THE EDUCATIONIST: What are the keystatistics of UMT?Dr. Muhammad Aslam: Total strength ofstudents is 14,000, larger portion isundergraduates who are 70% whilepostgraduates are 30% and more than 300people are pursuing their PhDs in UMT.

THE EDUCATIONIST: How many facultymembers does UMT have?Dr. Muhammad Aslam: We have nearly 600faculty members and around 122 are PhDscholars among them.

THE EDUCATIONIST: What potentialreforms do you want to bring in UMT?Dr. Muhammad Aslam: Well mostly ourfocus is on teaching and research. Qualityteaching and in depth research is whatmakes any institution globally recognizedand that is what I aim to do. It’s very niceto see that UMT has been included in top500 Asian universities ranking according

to the QS Asian university rankings andInshaallah we plan to take it on the top ofthe heap.

THE EDUCATIONIST: What is the numberof publications (research journals) from theyear 2017?Dr. Muhammad Aslam: The researchpublications, which have been published in2017 in authentic journals, are more than 150.

THE EDUCATIONIST: What is the numberof research journals that UMT publishes?Dr. Muhammad Aslam: Currently there areseven to eight journals but we plan to doublethem. In this case, the school of business andeconomics and the school of social sciences

have contributed a lot. These schools haveproduced much quality research over theyears. Our plan is to develop other schools ofUMT also like engineering and Law and topromote the culture of research above all.

THE EDUCATIONIST: UMT claims to betrust fund whereas the fee it charges is highby all standards. Why is that so?Dr. Muhammad Aslam: As UMT is a privatesector university, we don’t have any otherfunding except the fees. That is why it hassuch a stable infrastructure and facilities thatwe provide to our students. We invest allearnings on the university’s development.

Co-curricular activities are the backbone ofany institution and UMT hosts all the co-curricular activities with great zeal and zest.Fall semester is always a great time to indulgein different outdoor activities as the weatheris pleasant most of the time and students geta chance to enjoy and relax themselves.

THE EDUCATIONIST: The bulk ofundergraduate increases every year in Pakistanand you know that it is difficult to attain more

PhDs if you have less post graduates. How areyou tackling this situation?Dr. Muhammad Aslam: Well I would say thatwe have become more selective I ouradmission criteria now. We are morestringent and we have introduced some testswhich the students must pass to get anadmission. This is in order to get potentialstudents so that they can contribute to theuniversity with quality research.

THE EDUCATIONIST: University ofManagement and Technology has aprofessional nametag but the industrialsector blames the higher education notproducing the applied nature of research.How UMT is contributing in this regards?Dr. Muhammad Aslam: Here at UMT thereis a lot of effort going on so the students caninteract at their best with the industry. UMThas quite a few centers like Centre forEntrepreneurship and Office for ResearchInnovation and Commercialization. Theseoffices are meant to work out the best inshining out the students’ capabilities andmake them stand out with reference toprofessionalism and applied nature of theindustry. Also, we are lucky that Lahore is abountiful industrial state and we aim tomake it even better and booming with ourstudents’ raw talents.

THE EDUCATIONIST: How UMT iscontributing to the social problems ofPakistan according to your view?Dr. Muhammad Aslam: I think UMT realizesthe social problems and their impacts quiteseriously. In this regard, there have beenseven to eight conferences last year. All ofthem were subjected to the root causes ofdifferent social problems and what could bedone by the youth to eradicate them. Otherthan that UMT also has a in institute ofPsychology where mental health of the peopleis brought under focus and it is being realizedthat how crucial it is for a stable life.Gradually, I believe that we will contributemore because eventually it a responsibility ofevery citizen to stand up for their rights.

THE EDUCATIONIST: What messagewould you like to give the students andfaculty everywhere through the platform ofThe Educationist?Dr. Muhammad Aslam: I want to conveythat the purpose of education is theacquisition of knowledge to solve problems.These problems can be of any kind: social,political, economic, emotional and mental.Let’s use education for a better world, todayand tomorrow. g

UMT RECTOR SAYS DR. HASAN MURAD’S PLANS OF MAKING UMT A GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED INSTITUTION ARE IN GRADUAL MOTION

Pakistan using nuclearenergy positively: Dr. Aslam

purpose of education is theacquisition of knowledge to solveproblems. these problems can beof any kind: social, political,economic, emotional and mental.Let’s use education for a betterworld, today and tomorrow

‘‘ ‘‘

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK February - 2019 EVENT | 07

PUNJAB Minister for HigherEducation Raja Yasir Humayun hassaid that co-curricular activities arenecessary for polishing leadership

and creative skills among children andyoung students. He said that our educationsystem must have the capacity to improvedifferent skills among students along withimparting quality education.

He was addressing prize distributionceremony of 2nd The Educationist AllPakistan Co-curricular Competitions 2018at Al-Raazi Hall. The competitions werejointly organized by Punjab University,PHEC, The Educationist and NAB Lahore.Addressing the ceremony, Raja YasirHumayun said that personalitydevelopment was important part ofeducation. He said that an educated nationcould take better decisions regarding theirfuture. He said that Pakistan’s future wasbright and our nation was now on rightdirection. He said that the government wasfocusing on improving standard of degreesand graduates. He said that the governmentwas making policies and taking initiativesto provide excellent human resource in allthe fields according to modernrequirements of the industry. Appreciatingthe organizers of co-curricularcompetitions, the minister stated that theplatform had provided an opportunity tostudents from all the provinces to interact

with each other.Addressing the ceremony, Prof Niaz

Ahmad said that PU would extend supportto the government for improving quality ofeducation in Pakistan. He said that PU waspreparing economic and education policieswhich would be provided to the governmentsoon in order to cope with economic andacademic issues. He said that every organ ofPakistan was performing and contributing tocountry’s development. He said that ourforces and citizens had made great sacrificesin war on terror and achieved success. Hesaid that in 2018, PU gave a direction toensure good governance, merit,transparency, accountability and equality inthe country and now in 2019, PU wassuggesting to introduce National ActionPlan-style reforms in education sector. Hesaid that there was need to imposeemergency in education sector becausecountry’s development was linked toeducation. He said that PU would extend fullsupport to promote co-curricular activities.

Addressing the ceremony, TheEducationist Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr.Shafiq Jullandhry said that co-curricularactivities were source of promotingcivilization among new generation. Heappreciated the minister on takinginitiatives for the welfare of youth andutilizing their energies in positive activities.Mr Shabbir Sarwar, Editor The

Educationist, said that the competitionswere not possible without the support ofPU Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad.

Later, the minister distributed cash prizesamong winners. As many as 350institutions and 1500 players from school,colleges and universities of Giligit Baltistan,Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,Balochistan and Punjab participated in thecompetitions which continued for five days.Punjab University clinched team trophyand Rs 100,000 cash award inuniversities/colleges category while The

Punjab School and Garrison AcademySarwar Shaheed Campus were in tie toshare (Rs 100,000) cash award and teamtrophy. After the 5-day long competitions in48 event categories, GCU Lahore and GCUFaisalabad shared the 2nd position and Rs50,000 cash award.

Minahil Shahbaz got 3rd position in Urdudeclamation contest representing The LandHalf School System. In schools’ category,Wapda High Schools Shalamar andDaanish School Boys Chishtian obtained2nd and 3rd positions respectively. g

Co-curricular activities a must forleadership, creative skills: raja Yasir

the punjab School team win team trophy and Rs 100,000 cash award. garrison academy Junior Sarwar Shaheed Campus wins team trophy and Rs 100,000 cash award.

Wapda Boys High School team wins Runners-up trophy and Rs 50,000 cash award.

pu VC dr niaz ahmad and dr. Saleem Mazhar receive the minister.

Mr. Shabbir Sarwar, editor the educationist dr. Shafiq Jullandhry, Chief editor the educationist dr. niaz ahmed, VC punjab university Raja Yasir Humayun, Minister Higher education

Children present flowers to the minister and the vice chancellor. Speakers listen to the national anthem.

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK February - 201908 | INTERVIEW

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK February - 2019 INTERVIEW | 09

BY HASNAIN RAZA

DR. Muhammad Tufail is a renownedprofessor of molecular biology andcivil award winner in the field ofeducation. Recently he joined The

Ghazi University, D.G.Khan as Vice-Chancellor.The Educationist had an exclusive talk withhim as per hereunder details:The Educationist: Sir, Please do tell us aboutyour early life and education.Dr.Muhammad Tufail: I have done BSC andMSc in Entomology from AgricultureFaisalabad University. After this, I got threeselection opportunities through PPSC but Ijoined as a lecturer. Because, for meeducation is a profession that makes all otherprofessions. Then, I went to Kobe UniversityJapan in 1997 for my PhD studies. Aftercompleting PhD, I completed Post-Doctoratein Molecular Biology/Biotechnology from thesame university. Then, I joined KobeUniversity as an Assistant Professor. There atKobe University I was the first non-JapaneseAsian faculty member. In 2012 I got an offerfrom King Saud University, Saudi Arabia as aProfessor. There I also got Civil Award. Iproduced five PhDs there. After spending 6years, I came back and joined as ViceChancellor Ghazi University, Dera GhaziKhan. Still I’m a visiting Professor at KobeUniversity Japan and adjunct professor atIslamia University Bahawalpur.The Educationist: How’s your relation withstudents of the university, very strict orfriendly?Dr. Muhammad Tufail: Whenever I teach mystudents, I ask them at the end what theylearnt from the courses and how they canexcel. This makes my relation very friendlywith them. Friendly relation can increasetheir interest in the course and learning. Thistype of relation is more promising.The Educationist:What was your firstimpression at Ghazi University?Dr.Muhammad Tufail: When I came here andvisited the university it looked like a collegeand its system looked like a high school.Nothing was established, no directorate wasestablished. In short, nothing was in line.

This area was already known to me to someextent, because some of my friends belong tothis region. I also observed that people of thisarea are very talented.Youth have talent but theyneed a leader who can lead and guide them.

In fact, I was excited to join this universitybecause it was a challenging task for me.Before taking charge, I got information aboutthe basic problems and issues of the university.The Educationist: What are your mainagenda points for Ghazi University?Dr. Muhammad Tufail: I came here to serve thepeople of Dera Ghazi Khan. For this, my mainagenda is to continue PhD programs. Ofcourse, when any university wants to open PhDprograms, HEC requires that the universityshould have all the facilities from infrastructureto faculties’ basic needs; labs etc. For this, wehave to build new buildings, labs, library etc.

This university has mush potential to excel.I also intend to utilize this potential, becauseit can help this university to be the top of theSouth Punjab. The Educationist: How you developedinterest to serve Ghazi University as VC?Dr.Muhammad Tufail: I had applied in threeuniversities, i.e. University of Okara,University of Sahiwal and Ghazi University,Dera Ghazi Khan. Luckily, I was shortlisted

in all three universities but I was appointedas VC for Ghazi University, D.G.Khan.The Educationist: How you compareeducation system of Pakistan with foreigncountries especially Japan?Dr.Muhammad Tufail: I have closely watchedinternational community that where theystand as compared to Pakistan. What I learntfrom Japanese education system is that,Japanese students are engaged and involvedin full time activities. For instance, if there isa lab, it is always open for students. They givefull and honest guidance to the students inMasters, MPhil and PhDs.

The Saudi University in which I workedwas 1st among the Muslim countries and hasan international ranking of 221. But, there isnot a single Pakistani university which isamong top 500 universities.

That’s why I came here with mission tobuild here world standard universities.

I was getting more salary in aboard butmoney was not my priority. I have achievedeverything in my life and now it’s time toreturn back to my country. The Educationist: Is Ghazi Universityoffering any scholarship for needy students?Dr. Muhammad Tufail: I want to create afund for Ghazi University, for that I will tryto meet different people of the city likebusinessman, landlords etc. I will requestthem to contribute for the university. It willhelp us to provide scholarships to the needystudents who cannot pay their fee.We willbuild a committee for this fund which willwork transparently. The Educationist: Quality of research inuniversities is an important issue; do youhave any goals for improvement of qualityresearch in this university? Dr.Muhammad Tufail: I want quality

research in Ghazi University becauseresearch is very important. I have a vision tomake this university a top research orienteduniversity among other famous researchoriented universities. For this, we areplanning to enable PhD scholars to publishthree papers in international impact factorjournals. For MS student, there will be arequirement to get publish one paper.The Educationist: Sir Students are facingseveral issues like there is no arrangement ofwater; fans are not working, no generators in theuniversity and so on, what you say about this?Dr. Muhammad Tufail: This is always theresponsibility of the executive of the institutionto facilitate the students. For this, I called mystaff on coming Sunday to visit each and everyplace of university. There were number ofissues but we are tackling with them.

The condition of mosque was alsodisappointing. There is no need of VC orfunds to maintain the mosque, we canmaintain with our own efforts. In someclasses there were no fans, no generator.Alhamdulillah, we resolved number of issueslike water shortage and electricity.The Educationist: What are the majorchallenges you are facing actually? Dr.Muhammad Tufail: The majorchallenge is that there is no proper websiteof the university. Website is a place fromwhere people can get informationregarding courses, carrier and universityrelated news. I want to establish an onlinesystem starting from admission to markingattendance. Secondly, our financial matterswill also be available online so thateverybody may know about our financialposition. For this I’m planning to hire aprofessional who can handle and maintainthe university website.

The Educationist: Did you face any otherproblems about this university? Dr.Muhammad Tufail: Yes! We are facingseveral problems because we don’t haveenough classrooms. Believe me when I seethe condition of some buildings and think ifanything happened then who will beresponsible because the condition of thesebuildings is very bad and they are old too.

I’m very strict on this issue becausestudent’s life and safety is our primaryresponsibility. For this I took immediatenotice and now we are working on this toovercome this issue. The Educationist: What are your futureprojects for the university? Dr. Muhammad Tufail: My goal is topromote extra-curricular activities for thestudents in order to engage them in healthyactivities. Like, I intend to initiate a debatecompetition among students twice in asemester. I will also conduct conferences andseminars in the university.The Educationist: What initiative you willtake for students who belong todisadvantaged backgrounds?Dr. Muhammad Tufail: Management wantsto increase the fee but I denied saying thatmostly people of this region are poor. Manystudents are from tribal areas of southernPunjab and cannot afford it. We also look forsupport from HEC and people of Dera GhaziKhan for the success of this university.The Educationist: How do you continue torecruit and retain the very best staff?Dr.Muhammad Tufail: Teachers quality isvery important. I will try to recruit new andtalented professionals in upcomingrecruitment drive. There is notion thatfaculty is hired through favoritism. But, nowpeople will come through a transparentsystem to serve this university.The Educationist: CM Punjab belongs to thisregion. Is he supporting your university? Dr.Muhammad Tufail: I’m planning to meethim to discuss the current situation of theuniversity. It is learnt that CM is very keen todevelop institutes.The Educationist: During our visit indifferent departments we saw some results onnotice boards that almost every student gotabove 3.00 GPA, what you say about this?Dr.Muhammad Tufail: I’m new and I don’tknow exactly about this. But, if this is the caseand it happened in some departments, I willcheck it out. I believe, when a proper systemwill develop then it will not happen again.The Educationalist: How you see the role ofmedia today in education?Dr.Muhammad Tufail: Media plays a veryvital role today in education and I see it’s avery important part in education. Todaythrough media students get information andknowledge about whatsoever happening inthe world. I also like to request you and yourteam to kindly visit the university and meetwith students and faculty members, and askthem personally whether they see any changeafter the arrival of new VC. They will tell youthe rest and you can share it with me, it willhelp me to improve myself. The Educationist: Sir! Would you like to giveany message for our readers and students?Dr.Muhammad Tufail: My message is veryclear that Education is power today; we canuse research and quality education to shapeour future. For this we have to fight andstudy hard to excel in the world ofknowledge. g

INTERVIEW OF VICE CHANCELLOR GHAZI UNIVERSITY DERA GHAZI KHAN

My goal is to promote extra-curricularactivities: Dr. Muhammad Tufailg “We have planned to hold First Convocation of ghazi university. Students are very much excited.” g Luckily, i was shortlistedin all three universities, i.e. university of okara, university of Sahiwal and ghazi university g My goal is to promote co-curricularextra-curricular activities among students g Management wanted to increase the fee but i denied

February - 201910 | SUPPLEMENT WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK

STAFF REPORT

SKARDU: University of Baltistan establishedon August 25, 2017 with publication of itsCharter, “University of Baltistan Order 2016”in Special Gazette of Pakistan. The thenprime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasiformally inaugurated the university onOctober 25, 2017. With notification of theUniversity Order, the KarakoramInternational University (KIU) SkarduCampus was reconstituted as ‘University ofBaltistan, Skardu’. All the staff and studentscontinued in the new university.

After the joining the first and foundingVice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad NaeemKhan on June 7, 2018, the university formallystarted functioning speedily. In a tripartitemeeting Karakoram International University(the parent institutions), university ofBaltistan Skardu (the daughter institution)and HEC decisions about distributions ofassets, award of degrees to continuingstudents. In this meeting, both theuniversities agreed to award degree fromKIU to those graduates who completeddegree requirements before Aug 25, 2017 anddegree from UOBS to those who completeddegree requirements after this transition

date. This decision was endorse and notifiedby HEC.

There was a tentative plan of visit of thePresident of Pakistan to Gilgit-Baltistan, whois the Chancellor of the University ofBaltistan. The university quickly plannedevents including the first convocation of thenew university to award degrees to 103

graduates who completed degreerequirements after notification of the charter.The first anniversary date of October 25 wasset for the first convocation expected to bechaired by the Chancellor, President ofPakistan. All preparations were madeaccordingly however, later the schedule ofPresident’s visit was changed and the

Presidents arrived Skardu on October 24morning where the Vice ChancellorUniversity of Baltistan Skardu Prof Dr.Muhammad Naeem Khan called upon him atairport VIP lounge. The one-on-one meetinglasted for about 15-20 minutes.

The Vice Chancellor briefed the Presidentabout the progress, future plans, scope,opportunities and potentials of the university.He also updated the Chancellor about the firstConvocation and seek permission. TheChancellor President Islamic Republic ofPakistan Dr. Arif Alvi expressed his fullconfidence upon the leadership of ViceChancellor and expressed his best wishes forthe first Convocation. He also consented topreside over the next Convocation of Universityof Baltistan. After rescheduling of the visit ofthe President, quick deliberations were madefor the Chief Guest of the Convocation, andamong the invitees, Major General Dr EhsanMehmood GOC Force Commander NorthernAreas (FCNA) graciously consented to be theChief Guest of the First Convocation. MajorGeneral Ehsan Mehmood has a PhD degree inStrategic studies and his doctoral thesis is aboutGilgit-Baltistan. His book on ‘Human Security’has acquired global fame.

103 graduates get degrees at first convocation of Uob

uoB VC dr. naeem Khan gives briefing to president arif alvi about the progress,future plans, scope, opportunities and potential of the university.

guests sit on the Convocation stage

Maj. general dr. ehsan Mehmood Chief addressing

Chief guest donates cheque of Rs one million for scholarship endowment Fund. Vice Chancellor presents sovenier to the Chief guest

Senior Minister gB adressing Vice Chancellor gives welcome address Chief guest awards degree to a graduate

academic procession ready to move national anthem

Convocation participants participants keenly listen to the speakers guests pose for a photo on the stage

details on www.educationist.com.pk

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK February - 2019 NATIONAL | 11

BY AROOSA KHALID

THOUSANDS of Pakistani students, who plan to pursuetheir career in law education, are facing seriousproblems due to decrease in number of seats inuniversities and law collages. The Supreme Court of

Pakistan has decreased the number of LLB 5-year to only 100seats in every university/collage while many affiliated collageshave not offered admission in five-year program

Furthermore, compulsory entrance test by HigherEducation Commission (HEC) without proper planning andre-checking mechanism has multiplied the problem. Theoverall number of admission seats of LLB three-year programhas also been reduced this year. Those institution whichoffered admission to three-year program they did so due tosome ambiguity in SC ruling.

The Supreme Court (SC) was moved recently against PakistanBar Council’s (PBC) notification restricting three-year degreeLLB program and enforcing five-year program, which thelawyer-petitioner claims, had deprived thousands of studentsfrom attaining legal education and joining the legal professionacross the country.

Barrister Zafarullah Khan of Watan Party filed theconstitutional petition with the Supreme Court Lahore registry.The petitioner claimed that the ban on graduates/BA Honorsfrom obtaining admission in three-year LLB program isunlawful and unconstitutional. He said that lowering downadmission to the students of FA/ Intermediate instead ofgraduation is against the law. The petitioner conjointlychallenged new amendments introduced in Rule four Sub Rules(i) (ii) (iii) within the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Bar Council’sLegal Education Rules, 2015. He submitted that modification inthese on top of rules was discriminatory, unlawful and up to theviolation of basic rights. The lawyers submitted that Rule Ten ofLegal Education Rules, 2015, placed restriction on attainment oflegal education that is mala fide, discriminatory and basedmostly upon ulterior motives whereas Rule thirteen ispresumptive since no academic infrastructure is out there in themarket is accessible of this level as neither lectures/ teachers norbooks are available that may facilitate in analysis in PhD. He saidthe legal community is ever learning profession whereasintermediate students have hardly abundant data and commandon English to require lectures of the legal education in it whereasgraduate students, particularly people who do BA Honors thatpreviously was 2 years graduation program are more competentand additional knowledgeable. However even then they're beingdeprived from admission in 3-year program of LLB.

This will enhance the quality of standard education if studentswere permissible in Bachelor of Laws courses for three years periodafter BA Honors,” he added. On the opposite hand, the petitionercommand, the government has been spending little in educationthat is currently expected to rise from 5% to 20%. He stated thatPBC blamed the mushroom growth of law colleges and universitiesfor poor standard in legal education and education generally.Zafarullah Khan said, In fact, this can be not so, as a result of allthe students have passed their examinations and so will be part ofprofession and there's large competition to become successfullawyer and also stay moral. “Once an individual qualifies andattains a degree, there's no need of entry test,” he contended.

He more declared that there's no academic infra-structure inview within the legal community as lawyers’ libraries from highcourts to SC gift miserable sight and none of the foreign journalsand books are provided there, and if there's any out there thatmight be 30 to 40 years old so. The petitioner requested thecourt to line aside the Rule no 4 (i)(ii) and Rule No 5 (ii), RuleNo 6, Rule No 7 whereas Rule No 10 and Rule 13 beingdiscriminatory and presumptive be declared null and void. Heconjointly prayed to the court to permit graduates (degree ofholders of BA Honors) beallowed to induce admissionin three-year LLB program.He more prayed the court toline aside the notification ofPBC increasing amount of 3year LLB degree to 5 years.In January 2016, PakistanPBC extended the lengthof LLB’s course lengthfrom three years to fiveyears, with strictdirections to the non-public law schoolsand universities to shutevening programs for law students.

PBC dominated that the period of the LLB course shall not beless than five years; no more admission to LLB. (3 yearsprogram) are given by any University/Law school.However, the current 3 years LLBprogram shall discontinue once three

years of enforcement of those Rules. The PBC additionallyadvised that the amount of students admitted in first year LLB.Program by a University/Law school shall not be over a hundred.Lecturers and students of various law colleges and universitiesadditionally showed mixed reaction over extension in LLB’scourse period from three years to five. They said that the lengthof five years was already in observe as many students, after theirintermediate got admissions in five years program of LLB.However, they said the PBC took this decision in haste as nosuggestions were given concerning curriculum development.

HEC can take the matter of the affiliation of colleges withuniversities in its own hands. The decision more declared that noprivate faculties are going to be given any special treatment orcontinue the matter of law schools, citing that the standard of theeducation by colleges holds the utmost importance.

The court further ordered that the Islamic Republic ofPakistan PBC and HEC ought to file a performance report ofthose colleges and failure of the submission of this report by anycollege should lead to suspension of that exact institute. It hadbeen further ruled that a sitting judge must teach at theseauthorized law schools and therefore the affecters of the barcouncils and HEC should resort to SC directly.

According to the new rules the number of aspirants admittedto the primary year LLB by a recognized university or a schoolshall not be over one hundred which there shall be only morningclasses. A university or the college progressing to impart the laweducation for LLM or Ph.D. program shall look out for theprevious approval of the PBC. The institutes that are alreadyoffering LLM or Ph.D. program shall obtain for approval ofthose courses from the PBC as well as from HEC among sixmonths of the announcements of the new rules . No university orthe degree-awarding institute shall associate any law schoolfollowing the prosecution of the institutions. The bar declaredthat the colleges as well as the degree-awarding institutionsproviding law education, shall certify and inform the PBC inwriting, at the start of each academic year that every and eachprivate law school affiliated together with them, is implementingand following the institutions in letter and spirit. No institutionsshall work beneath international or external or distance learningprogram of any foreign university without obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) from PBC. The institutions alreadydoing so shall take an NOC within six months of theimplementation of the rules.

Keeping in sight the issues faced by thousands of students, theLegal Education Committee of the Punjab Bar Council hassuggested the Pakistan Bar Council to increase the 3-year literallyLegume Baccalaureus (LLB) program for an additional two years.Consistent with a press release released by the Punjab Bar Council,chairperson Legal Education Committee Farah Ejaz Baig chairedthe meeting. Different members Syed Azmat Ali Bukhari, SheikhAbdul Ghaffar and Rana Intezar Hussain also attended thesession. The committee unanimously determined that the PBC aregoing to be requested to continue the 3-year Bachelor of Lawsprogram for the students who are set to complete their bachelor’sdegrees in 2016 and 2017, so the academic years of thousands ofthe students listed in regular BA degree aren't wasted.

Meanwhile students blocked the Mall road to protest againstthe decision to discontinue the 3-year bachelor of Laws program.They demanded the PBC to right away withdraw its notificationduring this regard, so the precious academic years of thousandsof law students across the Pakistan aren't wasted.

On January 24th (PBC), during a new policy on legaleducation within the country, said: “No any admission to lawdegree (3 years program) are going to be given by anyuniversity/law college” and “the period of the law degree courseshall not be less than five years”. As a result, the previouslyeducated 3-years law degree program was immediatelyinterrupted at all the universities and colleges in Pakistan.

The PBC had additionally directed all of the law universitiesand schools to admit solely up to a hundred students within the

5-year law degreecurriculum annually, whilean education of 12 years

was set as a minimumeligibility criteria for the

admission.The decision of PBC

directly affects the poorand socio-economic classsegments of the society.

They’re prolonging thelength of the degree

by two years,dynamical the

evening classes,limiting the amount of students while leaving loopholes thatpermit the elite to bypass all the principles and regulation with

sheer disdain. According to the report, Majid Bashir a corporatelawyer and senior associate ABS & Co said,

Policy shift in LLb education!LEGAL EXPERTS EXPRESS THEIR CONCERNS

dr. umbreen Javedappointed pu dean

BY BILAL NAVEED

GOVERNOR of the Punjab, ChuadharyMuhammad Sarwar has appointed Prof. Dr.Umbreen Javed, Chairperson, Department of

Political Science, as Dean, Faculty of Behavioral and SocialSciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore. According toletter no. ED/HEC/TTS-105/04/78 Prof. Dr. UmbreenJaved apponted dean for a period of three years.

Prof. Dr. Umbreen Javed is also Director, Centre forSouth Asian Studies, University of the Punjab, Lahore.She also studied at Harvard University, USA. HerResearch areas include extremism, militancy andterrorism; she also specializes in South Asia, Pakistanpolitics, regional studies, security studies, and peace andconflict studies. She is Editor of Journal of PoliticalStudies, (HEC Category “X”) and she is also editor ofJournal of South Asian Studies (HEC Category “X”).As,Head of the department. Dr. Umbreen Javaid introducednew programmes i.e., BS (Hons.) in Political Science,M.A. (International Relations), M.Phil. (InternationalRelations) and regular Ph.D. (Political Science),University of the Punjab, Lahore. She has organized andconducted 11 national conferences and has alsoorganized 173 seminars, workshops and lectures. She hasattended and presented papers in a number ofinternational and national conferences. She has twicereceived Best Teacher Award (2011) by University of thePunjab, Lahore. She has published 06 research articles ininternational and 81research papers in national reputedjournals. She delivered lectures at Columbia University,USA, Berkley University, USA and SOAS UK.

president uMt callson CM punjabuMt would give away scholarship tothe students of backward areas ofsouthern punjab

P RESIDENT of the University of Managementand Technology (UMT) Ibrahim Hasan Muradcalled on Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman

Buzdar in his office here on Thursday. Murad gave anoverview of UMT to the chief minister about the keyachievements of the varsity, its foreign linkages,excellence in teaching and research program,scholarship program, PhD faculty and that how within15 years of receiving the charter from the PunjabAssembly, the university had grown into a formidableforce on the academic scene of Pakistan. “It is a proudmoment for the nation that the varsity has been rankedamong top 500 in QS Asia Universities Ranking 2019and also top 250 in Academic and EmployerReputation”, he updated the Chief Minister. He toldthe CM that the university under the umbrella of ILMTrust was tremendously contributing to socioeconomicdevelopment and human resources improvement inPakistan. Ibrahim briefed the Chief Minister about theservices of Late Dr. Hasan Sohaib Murad in theknowledge economy of the country as well as theinternational world. details on www.educationist.com.pkdetails on www.educationist.com.pk

1327 graduates get degreesat UMT’s 16th Annual Convocation

publisher and editor Shabbir Sarwar, printed at intekhab-e-Jadeed press, 8 abbot Road, and circulated from 136-J gulberg iii, Lahore.

25TH Convocation of University ofEngineering & Technology (UET) Lahorewas held at main auditorium of university.Governor Punjab and Chancellor of

University Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar presided over theconvocation. The then chairman Pakistan Higher EducationCommission (PHEC) Prof. Dr. Muhammad Nizamuddinand Chairman Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) Engr.Jawed Salim Qureshi participated as guests of honor.

While addressing to faculty, students and parents GovernorPunjab and Chancellor of University Chaudhry MuhammadSarwar said “At the occasion of convocation the enthusiasm ofstudents is reflecting that they are committed to their future,these lucky students are the future of our nation. Theeconomy of Pakistan is related to engineering sector.Acquisition of development goals from engineering candefinitely be made possible.

The present government is having the vision that everychild of this nation should get the degree to brighten thename of the country, so now students have got degrees andaccording to the Prime Minister's vision, they will get goodjob opportunities.” Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwarcongratulated the graduate students and advised them towork hard in every field of life so that they could participate inthe economic transit of Pakistan.

He further said, “Pakistan is facing many complicatedchallenges which can be resolved through collective wisdomand long-term decisions with the assistance of latest skillsand comprehensive strategies.” He admired the role of UETin developing Pakistan from many decades by producingrenowned professionals and maintaining the efforts forgetting more progress. At this occasion Vice Chancellor UET

Prof. Dr. Fazal Ahmad Khalid said, “Universities play vitalrole to build a nation on scientific base with the help ofresult-oriented research and other ways of learning.” Hehighlighted the output of the university with importantstatistics in capacity building, new pedagogical techniques,laboratory and research centers, up gradation of courses,construction, expansion and memorandum ofunderstandings with academic and industrial institutions atnational and international levels.

The convocation comprised under 7 different faculties atleast 2263 Degrees including 19 PhD degrees, 564 M.Phil/MS degrees, and 1680 undergraduate degrees to B.Sc.session 2018 and Architecture 2018 and 71 Gold Medals weredistributed among students.

Undergraduate degrees were awarded in UET main andsub-campuses of UET followed by the number of at least 1139degrees in UET Lahore main campus, 222 in UET kala ShakKaku (UET-KSK) campus, 157 degrees in UET Faisalabad(UET-FSD) campus, 87 degrees in Rachna College ofEngineering and Technology (UET-RCET) campus, 75degrees in UET Narowal (UET-NWL) campus. In this event,members of syndicate, Deans of University including Prof. Dr.Abdul Sattar Shakir, Prof. Dr. Nadeem Feroz and Prof. Dr.Ghulam Abbas Anjum, Registrar Muhammad Asif, ControllerExamination Muhammad Zargham Nusrat chairpersons ofacademic and administrative offices with big number ofstudents were present. At the end of convocation the then vicechancellor Prof. Dr. Fazal Ahmad Khalid presented thesouvenir to honorable guests Governor Punjab and Chancellorof University Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, Chairman PHECProf. Dr. Muhammad Nizamuddin and Chairman PEC Engr.Jawed Salim Qureshi. g

THE annual convocation of the University ofManagement and Technology (UMT) was held onTuesday. As many as 1327 students were conferredupon degrees, gold medals, special awards and cash

prizes. Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwarpresided over the convocation ceremony. As per detailsissued by UMT’s Department of Public Relations, 721Bachelors, 177 Masters, 423 MS.M.Phil and 06 PhD degreeswere given away among the students. As for the specialawards and medals, this year 12 Patron’s medals, 11 Rector’smedals, 04 Rector’s Academic Excellence Awards, 02Khurram Murad awards 04 certificates of excellence, 02Mrs. Sadaqat Aslam medals, 01 Mubarak-un-Nisa medal, 01Dr. Muhammad Ahmed medal, 01 Haji Taj-ud-Din medal,01 Khalid Saeed medal, and 01 FAST excellence award weregiven away. Total 820 male and 507 female studentsgraduated through 16th annual convocation of UMT.

Addressing the convocation gathering, ChaudhryMuhammad Sarwar, Governor Punjab said that theimportance of higher education could not be denied but wealso need to address the issue of 22 million children whowere out of school. He said higher education closely linked

to national economy and without focusing on universitygraduates, the dream of development couldn’t be fulfilled.The Governor said that the government was trying its bestto deliver to the nation as promised during electioncampaign. He said besides education, agriculture was alsoone of the priorities of the government. Paying tribute toUMT’s founder late Dr. Hasan Sohaib Murad, Sarwar saidthat he personally knew Dr. Murad who was a man ofpassion, commitment and dedication. He said his suddendemise was a great loss for the country. The governor saidthe government was trying to uplift national economy byboosting up national exports and supporting the industryso that GST plus gets improved and our exports reach toEuro Zone. He urged all public and private sectoruniversities to prepare manpower for the mega project ofCPEC which he said was vital for national development andadvancement in all sectors.

Shading light on key achievements of the university,Rector of the varsity Dr. Muhammad Aslam said due tohighly qualified faculty and excellent infrastructure theuniversity was moving toward a right direction and itsranking had improved. g

25th Convocation of uet Lahore

PU alumni to work fornational development

THE grand ceremony of first ever meeting offormer graduates of Punjab University wasorganized at Faisal Auditorium on Saturday inwhich the alumni have pledged to contribute for

development of the country and play their role to cope withissues being faced by the nation.

A large number of politicians, judges, journalists,industrialists, bureaucrats, academicians, scientists andrenowned personalities from all walks of life participatedin the event. Former PU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr RafiqAhmad presided over the ceremony. Dr Mariam Zahoor,who did her MA in Geography from PU in 1948, AllamaIqbal’s daughter in law Justice (r) Nasira Javed Iqbal,Lahore High Court’s Justice Ali Akbar Qureshi, PU ViceChancellor Prof Dr Niaz Ahmad, renowned personalitiesincluding Qamar Zamar Kaira, Riaz Fityana, FareedAhmad Pracha, Gulam Abbas, Dr Mehdi Hassan, HafeezKhan, Raghib Naeemi, Mujeeb ur Rehman Shami, HafeezUllah Niazi, Salman Ghani, Sajjad Mir, Dr Mujahid AliMansoori, Hamid Mir, Touqir Nasir, Asghar Nadeem Syed,Amjad Islam Amjad, Dr Najma Najam, Qazi Afaq, AnwarRasheed, Dr Shahzad, Rasheed Loon, Shahid Salim Baig,Ishtiaq Ahmad Khan, Dr Mahboob Hussain, G.A. Sabriand many other prominent personalities participated in theceremony.

Addressing the ceremony, Qamar Zaman Kaira said thatPakistani nation was facing several political, economicaland social challenges. However, he said, those nations wholack wisdom and appropriate ideological and intellectualguidance faced debacle.

He said that confusion over national issues wasdeepening in our society too. He said that the universitiesmust provide guidance to our nation and we need toprogress intellectually. He said that student unions hadprovided leadership to the country and now there wasneed to practically restore student unions for providingpolitical leadership to the country. g