Two Xinjiang varsities to teach Urdu, Farsi

BEIJING: Two universities in China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region will add Urdu and Farsi (Persian) to their undergraduate curriculum.

The Shihezi University and Xinjiang Normal University based in Urumqi are setting up Urdu and Farsi departments, respectively, and will start enrolling students nationwide this summer, according to a Shihezi University press release issued on Monday.

Courier service to deliver, collect exam papers for technical education board

KARACHI: For the first time in the Sindh Board of Technical Education’s (SBTE) history, the examination question papers and answer sheets will be delivered to examination centres through a courier service.

“To cope with the menace of cheating in the technical exams, we have given a courier service the responsibility of delivering the exam papers and later collecting the answer sheets,” said SBTE Chairperson Dr Masroor Sheikh while addressing a press conference on Monday.

The matric technical examination will be starting all over Sindh from April 5 and continue till April 20. More than 3,500 students have registered for the examination that will be held at 13 different centres across the province. Five of these centres have been set up in Karachi.
Education emergency: Sindh govt to upgrade 10 technical institutions

Sheikh also announced that the examination for diploma in associative engineering will be held in May. The board offers a diploma in 24 different disciplines of engineering in which 15,000 students appear every year, he said.

Three main steps have been taken in this year’s examination in order to put an end to cheating, Sheikh said, adding that unlike the matric and intermediate boards, there is only one technical board in Sindh, which is responsible for the provision of examination papers and sheets to centres as far as Daharki and Chachro from Karachi.

“Earlier, we had to print and send the question papers a day before, which is why we chose a courier service to deliver it this time,” said Sheikh, adding that the courier service will be delivering the question papers an hour before the exam and will be collecting the answer sheets one hour after the exam finishes.

Before this, answer sheets usually reached the board office one week late but now the courier service will be delivering them the very next day.

Other than this, the board has also asked its five regional directors to visit their nearest centres during the examination process.

Complaining about the curriculum, Sheikh said that it is old and poses issues for students studying from the technical board when it comes to finding jobs.

Technical education is mostly for the lower middle class and is the second choice of most students, Sheikh said, adding that it is very rare for a student to opt for technical education as their first priority.

Sheikh was of the view that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project will bring job opportunities for students studying in the technical field. However, he said that the Chinese have certain standards which would need to be fulfilled by our students.

“Our students need training in their fields, but the centres are short of equipment and machinery,” he said, adding that the technical education centres should adopt the system of developed countries where students are given theoretical education in centres and learn practical work in industries.

Punjab University restricts media coverage after clash

LAHORE: Instead of providing security at the Punjab University, the administration has restricted media coverage to stop outsiders from learning of any untoward incidents or developments on campus.

In a meeting between deans at the Punjab University on March 24, Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zafar Mueen Nasir instructed that journalists be barred from entering the university.

Glossary of Management Terms

Affinity Diagram

A tool used to organize ideas, usually generated through brainstorming, into groups of related thoughts. The emphasis is on a pre-rational, gut-fell sort of grouping, often done by the members of the group with little or no talking. Also known as the KJ method after its creator, Kawakita Jiro.

Attributes data

Data that is counted in discrete units such as dollars, hours, items, and yes/no options. The alternative to attributes data is variables data, which is data that is measured on a continuous and infinite scale such as temperature or distance. Charts that use attribute data include bar charts, pie charts, Pareto charts and some control charts.

Sindh Government decides to change Altaf Hussain University's name

Karachi: On Monday, the Sindh cabinet has decided to rename Altaf Hussain University as Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah University.

This decision was taken during a cabinet meeting presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah at the Sindh Secretariat.

Windows 98 & XP Are Still Being Taught in Pakistani Schools

Federal and provincial governments are making claims of digitizing Pakistan and what not. All of this is good and some initiatives certainly do seem to signal at some interesting times ahead.

But there’s massive room for improvement. We are living in the 21st century after all, which is why there are certain things that are inexcusable in this day and age.

Govt to patronise talented youth: Ehsan Iqbal

SIALKOT - Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ch Ahsan Iqbal yesterday described the youth as most precious asset to the nation and future of the country, saying that the government will encourage talented youth at every stage to prepare true future architects.

He was addressing the participants of Istehkaam-e-Pakistan Youth Convention held at Narowal under the auspices of the Muslim Students Federation (MSF).

Prosperity linked to education promotion

NOORPUR THAL-The promotion of education is essential for the regional development thus special steps are being taken for the purpose in tehsil Noorpur Thal, an officer claimed on Thursday.

2nd phase of PM's Youth training programme begins

The government has started the second phase of Prime Minister’s Youth Training Program. During this phase, fifty thousand internships would be awarded to youth having completed sixteen years of education.

4th Islamic Science Exhibition held at Al-Huda Int'l School

Al-Huda International School Islamabad hosted its two-day Islamic Science Exhibition at H-11/4 campus. The theme of the exhibition, which is the 4th such exhibition, was Space–Beyond the Horizon.
The main objective of the exhibition was to show the connection of the Islamic teachings with the modern day Science and Technology and to provide a forum for children to pursue their natural curiosity and inventiveness to quench their thirst for creativity.

Education termed panacea for all ills

NOWSHERA: Speakers at a seminar on Saturday said that education was the only way to steer the country out of the prevailing mess.
They were speaking at the seminar organised by the district government in collaboration with the Pakistan International Human Rights.

Education leaders from Pakistan visit HCC, STCC

Holyoke- Government officials and educators from Pakistan are touring community colleges in the area including Holyoke Community College and Springfield Technical Community College as part of the Community College Administrator Pakistan project. Here they are at HCC.

Education problem

Pakistan is amongst those countries which are going through many problems of education. There are many flaws in the current education system of Pakistan that need to be resolved. Pakistan is among those developing countries where people are mostly deprived of good quality education as our educational system doesn’t meet the international standards.

First Global’s Robotics Challange Comes to Pakistan

FIRST Global organizes a yearly international robotics challenge to ignite passion for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) among the more than two billion youth across the world.

FIRST Global invites one team from every nation to participate in an international robotics event that bridges between high school students with different backgrounds, languages, religions, and customs.

HEC & Turkey Sign Agreement for PhD Scholarships

On the invitation of Turkish Council of Higher Education (COHE), a two-member delegation of Higher Education Commission, Pakistan led by Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC visited Ankara to sign the Document of Understanding for providing 80 PhD slots to Pakistani students in top ranked Turkish Universities.

As per agreement, COHE Turkey will allocate 80 PhD slots in top universities of Turkey and waive tuition fee or bring it to minimum, while HEC will facilitate travel and provide stipend to the selected scholars. Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed and Prof. M. A. Yekta Saraç, President COHE signed the DoU.