AIOU Launches M.Phil Degree For Accredited Journalists

Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has launched special M.Phil (Professional track) degree programme for the accredited journalists from the current semester. Admission for programme has been opened and the practicing journalists, holding master-degree in Mass-Communication/Journalism could apply for the admission till March 6, said an announcement of the University's Admission Department, a news release said Thursday.

The M. Phil degree for the journalists' community has been introduced on the personal initiative of Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Shahid Siddiqui who wished to facilitate the journalists in enhancing their academic qualification and professional skill, the announcement added. As per plan, already approved by the University's Academic Council, senior media practitioners will be invited to share their knowledge and skills with their fellow colleagues as visiting resource persons.

Besides this,the University's Department of Mass Communication has developed short-term courses in various media disciplines that will also be introduced soon. The AIOU, being media-based institution providing education to the people through distance-learning is keen to serve the journalist's community by meeting their professional requirements. AIOU has provided bachelor, Master, M. Phil and PhD level education in journalism to a large number of youth since 1987, who are now working in various media houses in senior positions.

The working journalists get preference in the admission in merit-based Master degree-level programme. The University has also already introduced two-year degree program in TV production. Dr. Shahid Siddiqui attached high importance to media, which has now emerged as most strong social institution to service the society through education. AIOU is also actively engaged in disseminating research-based knowledge to the public and the end users through the support the journalist community.

Technology and Innovation Support Centre to be set up

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) in collaboration with the Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) Pakistan and World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) organised a workshop on Access to Technology for Innovation and Establishing a Technology and Innovation Support Centre (TISC) Network in Pakistan.

HEC Executive Director Dr. Arshad Ali was chief guest in the closing ceremony held at the HEC Secretariat on Wednesday. The workshop provided hands-on practices and awareness about technical tools and strategies on patent databases as well as intellectual property. The awareness sessions were attended by over 70 participants/focal persons from higher education institutions and R&D institutions across the country.

The workshop covered different topics including Promotion of Innovation: The Usefulness and Value of Patent Information for the public and private sectors, WIPO’s Project on Establishment of Technology and Innovation Support Centres (TISCs), Search Tools and Strategies for Patent Search, Patent Filing Trend in Pakistan, International Patent Classification (IPC) for Searching, Searching Patent using PATENTSCOPE, Searching Patent using Espacenet, and Overview of TISC Resources: Website, e-TISC Platform, E-Tutorial, WIPO Academy Distance  Learning Courses, Patent Landscape Reports.

AIOU launches new student-friendly website

ISLAMABAD: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) launched a new student-friendly version of their official website on Wednesday which provides academic records and other relevant information of the studentsincluding their profiles.

“It is for the first time in the university’s history that the students were being facilitated in a comprehensive manner, giving reply to their frequently asked questions,” said Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Shahid Siddiqui while inaugurating the website. He said that the missing points of students’ interestshad been added in the website.

Students of all academic programmes will have online information about their allotted tutors, study centers, assignments and workshops as well as examination schedules. Information about the books’ dispatch will also be available on the website.

It also facilitates the students to get access to the university’s newsletter “AIOU News and Views”, besides its ongoing literary and social activities. It also provides links to the university’ssocial media accounts in order for visitors and students to communicate with the university.

All Pakistan TechFest concludes at GIK

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UoG students 'rough up' VC

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Classes starts for Spring Semester in Abbottabad University

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HEC Overseas Scholarships for Balochistan Province (Batch-III) Announced

​​​​​​The project is focused towards providing opportunities for access to higher education to under privileged candidates of Balochistan, who despite possessing academic merit are unable to overcome the obstacle of funding, which is not only restricted to tuition costs, but extends to accommodation and living expenses.

The program is meant to provide 600 Master leading to PhD scholarships (200 overseas and 400 indigenous) to talented students of Balochistan. The current project is in line with the overall objectives of the sector and closely linked with the other development projects under implementation for the promotion and development of Province.

Establishment of new universities and development of existing universities are amongst the main functions of the Higher Education Commission under Rules of Business.  The current scheme would in future be providing manpower for public sector universities

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KP Govt Finalizes Bill on Free & Compulsory Education

According to officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Elementary and Secondary Education (E&SE) Department of KPK has finalized the proposed bill on providing free and mandatory education at the primary and secondary level for children under 5 to 16 years of age.

E&SE said that it was a constitutional obligation of the provinces to provide education for the children and for that purpose this law was formulated. The other three provincial governments have already passed legislation in this regard from their provincial assemblies.

However, successive governments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have so far failed to fulfill this constitutional necessity, they said.

Article 25A of the Constitution states:

“The state shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to 16 years in such a manner as may be determined by law.” This article was merged into the Constitution through its 18th amendment.

Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan have already passed similar laws.

The proposed bill has already been scrutinized by the provincial law department and is ready to be further discussed at the next cabinet meeting for approval, the officials said. Later on it would be tabled in the provincial assembly.

They said that the proposed bill was on the agenda of the previous cabinet meeting held on Jan 24, but was dropped as Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Mohammad Atif Khan was abroad.

As per the officials; under the draft bill, parents who don’t send children to school would be subjected to punishment with imprisonment up to one month, or a fine. This may extend up to Rs. 100 for every day they don’t send children to schools or with both.

Section 5 of the proposed bill states:

“Government may, by notification, constitute a School Attendance Authority (SAA) for each school for the purpose of this act and shall consist of members, as may be determined by government.”

It further states that SAA would make sure that every child shall attend a school under its power and shall take such steps as it may consider necessary or as may be stated by the government.

Justifiable excuses for not attending the school by a child (for a short time period) are also listed. They relate to the incapability of a child to attend school due to sickness, weakness, mental incapacity or where there is no school within a distance of two kilometers radius of the child’s residence.

The proposed bill allows the SAA to launch a Taleem Fund. This fund will be maintained at an organized bank for the welfare of the students.

Section 7 (2) of the draft bill states:

“The Fund (Taleem Fund) shall consist of grants made by the federal, provincial, district governments and all voluntary contribution from the philanthropists, alumni, students and parents.”

When asked how the law would be executed in areas where the government schools are unavailable, as per media, they would establish the exact number of out-of-school children through the ongoing survey of the education department which will be completed approximately by the end of February.

“The provincial government will enroll the out-of-school children in private schools in the areas where there are no government schools.”

When questions were raised about the private schools in an area, the official said that the next option with the education department would be to establish a community school. According to him ” over 1,436 community schools had already been functioning in the province”.

The said law is binding the provincial governments to provide all the citizens with basic compulsory education free of cost at the same level of educational exposure.

Coursera & PM Youth Program Partner for Online Education in Pakistan

This week, during the ‘Coursera for Governments and Nonprofits’ programme ,the massive online open course (MOOC) provider Coursera announced a partnership with the Prime Minister’s Youth program.

Consul General Engages with Students at Mehran University in Jamshoro

Hyderabad– In her second trip to Jamshoro, U.S. Consul General Grace Shelton met with students at the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) who had recently returned from an exchange at the University of Utah in the United States.As participants ofthe U.S.-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water (CAS-W), a U.S.-government funded program,CG Shelton lauded them as leaders in sustainable water development.

International Conference on Research and Practices in Education (ICRPE) 2017

International Conference on Research and Practices in Education (ICRPE) 2017 @ Islamabad , Islamabad Capital Territory

Ashfaq Ahmed Road, H-8/2، Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Date:
24-02-2017 - 25-02-2017
Opening Hours:
9:00-16:00

The major aim of 2nd ICRPE 2017 is to provide an opportunity to rethink about the educational impact in bringing social change

Event URL:
http://icrpe.aiou.edu.pk/
http://icrpe.aiou.edu.pk/

​Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) having large number of prospective teachers across the country representing all sections of the community may have more potential to reach community. In this context the conference invites researchers, scholars and professionals across the globe from all fields of education and allied disciplines to present their work in various forms i.e. Oral paper presentations, round table discussions, and poster presentations. We are inviting researchers from all modes and levels of education. Proceedings of the conference will published and selected papers will go through blind peer review process for the publication in following AIOU Journals:

• Pakistan Journal of Education
• Pakistan Journal of Distance & Online Learning (PJDOL)
• Journal of Contemporary Teacher education

Major Goals of the Conference: 

1. To initiate an analytical and critical discourse among the researchers and scholars of the field that may lead to social change.
2. To provide opportunity to scholars across the globe for dissemination of their research work for addressing the social phenomenon. 
3. To highlight innovative methods and modes of research around the world that focus social integration and consolidation.
4. To explore the practices of technology integration that may help to align the teaching learning context with the societal demands. 
5. To project practices that may contribute towards inclusive society.

PMDC changes exam format for graduates

Islamabad: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has changed the pattern of its registration exams for the foreign graduates and decided that the exams will be based on multiple choice questions (MCQs) only in line along with the advanced trends.

Modern Education

Singapore achieved its status of a developed nation by allocating adequate government resources on education and giving the sector top priority. Teachers in Singapore enjoy a special status. However, in Pakistan, the opposite is true. In our country, the government allocates literally ‘peanuts’ to the cause of education. ‘Teaching’ is considered as one of the most unpopular professions with teachers running from pillar to post to get recognition for their services. In fact, neither parents nor a

Rethinking Education

Although the Muslim world is facing many crises today, probably none has more far reaching consequences than the crisis of education. If in every area we find that our affairs are not being run properly, the problem ultimately lies with the system that produced the people responsible for running those affairs. For the same reason its solution offers the greatest promise for the future.

The Foolish Quack by Folk Tale