Quran education will be compulsory in all schools: minister

The government has decided to declare Quran education compulsory in all public and private schools and a law in this regard would be enacted very soon by the parliament, said State Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Mohammad Baligh-ur-Rehman.

Addressing the annual prize distribution ceremony at Jamia Salfia Hajiabad on Saturday, he said that the federal government had already sanctioned Quran education compulsory, and it believed that all federating units would support the bill, which would be moved soon in the parliament.

Naval Chief emphasises on quality education for development

Education is indispensable for the progress and development of a society and basic right of every child, said Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah at the inauguration ceremony of Bahria Model School, at Younusabad, today.
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah was the Chief Guest of the inauguration ceremony. Minister for Food and Parliamentary Affairs Mr. Nisar Khoro was also present at the ceremony.

Pakistani pupils return to school in Swat amid atmosphere of fear

A Human Rights Watch report has found that attacks by the Taliban and other armed groups are having a devastating effect on education in Pakistan.

In Swat Valley, the Pakistani Taliban destroyed more than 450 schools and stopped girls from getting an education six years ago.

Successful outing: Students pass PEC exams with flying colours

LAHORE: The Punjab Examination Commission (PEC) announced results for Grade-5 and Grade-8, handing out prizes to the position holders on Friday. Grade-5 had a success rate of 82.7%, while 83.08% passed from Grade-8.

In both exams, public schools, showed better results than private schools. According to the pass percentage declared by PEC for Grade-5, 84.54% of students passed at public schools, while the percentage for private schools stood at 80.47%.

New school timings announced

The Punjab government has announced timings to be followed at all public and private schools in the new academic year beginning from April 1.

According to a School Education Department (SED) notification, the schools categorised by timing, shifts and levels were directed to follow the new timing for summer from April 1 to October 15 and winter from October 16 till March 31.

British Pakistani Girl Makes History By Passing Her O-Levels

Laiba Hussain from Oldham, UK has managed to pass the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams at the age of just 10. The British-Pakistani girl has done successfully what students usually struggle to do at the age of sixteen in Britain.

She gives all the credit for her achievement to her parents.

“All my success is due to my parents whom I would like to thank for their constant support.”

Her advice to other students is also to work hard and they will achieve their goals like she has.

Laiba Wants to Be a Dentist When She Grows up

Aspiring to be a dentist, Laiba took the GSCE exam for mathematics and managed to score a C grade, only narrowly missing a B grade. Her success at this age has overwhelmed her family while also making them immensely proud and happy.

Sajawal Hussain, Laiba’s father, while talking to Geo News said that:

“We should focus on our children’s education [as] that is the only way forward, to prosper in this society” and believes that the best gift to society is an educated child and that is the best thing that humans can do.

Laiba’s mother, too, had something to say to inspire all the other mothers out there:

“If we educate a girl, it will help us build an educated society. Money is not everything our priorities should be an education for our kids, as for integration into the society [here], education and upbringing will play a major role in future.”

Take Your PhD Research

Have you done exceptional work in your field of study? Is your PhD recognized and commended by major lecturers and universities? If yes then this is a perfect opportunity for you to take your area of interest further, and that too with the help of a world-class fellowship – the Einstein Fellowship.

Einstein Forum and the Daimler and Benz Foundation have announced this program for outstanding achievers who wish to pursue other fields. According to the Einstein forum,

The purpose of the Einstein fellowship is to support those who, in addition to producing superb work in their area of specialization, are also open to other, interdisciplinary approaches – following the example set by Albert Einstein.

What You Get With This Fellowship
Researchers will be able to receive living expenses for 5-6 months and that too in the picturesque garden cottage of Einstein’s summerhouse in Caputh, Brandenburg. The fellowship wants renowned researchers to experience the culture in Berlin, inspiring minds that wish to follow one of 20th century’s greatest thinkers.

The cottage is a short distance away from universities and academic institutions of Potsdam and Berlin, which makes it more attractive for those who wish to enjoy the academic freedoms afforded by the program.

In addition to this, you will also get a stipend of €10,000 and your travel expenses will be reimbursed.

After the fellowship ends you will be required to present your project in a public lecture at the Einstein Forum and at the Daimler and Benz Foundation.

Please note that this fellowship isn’t applicable for those who wish to complete an academic study that they have already begun.

Requirements for Applicants
This fellowship requires that you,

…demonstrate the quality, originality, and feasibility of the proposed project, as well as the superior intellectual development that your project requires.

You can apply for the Einstein Fellowship if you have a PhD, are working towards a PhD, or don’t have one in the first place.

However, applicants will not be given a fellowship for their dissertation or research. The project you pursue under the fellowship has to be significantly different from your previous successful project(s).

The candidates must be under 35 years old and should have a university degree in natural sciences, social sciences or humanities.

Your application must include:

Your CV,
Two-page project proposal,
Two letters of recommendation

Deadline and Application Details
There are two ways to apply for the program – either via snail mail or email.

The applications must be sent by mail to:

Prof. Dr. Susan Neiman
Einstein Forum
Am Neuen Markt 7
14467 Potsdam
Germany

Alternatively you can email your application to fellowship@einsteinforum.de

The deadline for submitting your applications is April 15th 2017. Keep in mind that these are applications for 2018.

You can call or fax the Einstein Forum for more information:

phone: +49-331-271780
fax: +49-331-2717827

120 IU students get scholarships

Iqra University (IU) Islamabad Campus on Thursday awarded scholarships to 120 talented students enrolled in the graduate and undergraduate programs of the university, says a press release.

In this a scholarships award ceremony was held at the main hall of the campus with Dean / Director Dr. Muhammad Islam in the chair.

"I am delighted to see such bright students who have dedicated themselves to a life of learning, scholarship and service, " said Dr Muhammad Islam.

He added that Iqra University high-ups are confident that the seeds being planted today through these scholarships would bear fruits for the benefit of the country.

The ceremony was attended besides others by heads of all departments and faculty members from the departments of Management Sciences, Fashion and Textile Design, Software Engineering, Electronics Engineering and Social Sciences.

The recipients of 3.5 and above CGPA were granted upto 60 percent waiver on the tuition fee. Parents and families of students also attended the awarded ceremony and celebrated their children's success with joy. 

ACCA students allowed training at ICAP-approved firms

The Lahore High Court Thursday allowed students of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) to gain professional training experience in accounting firms/training organisations established in Pakistan.
However, the court held that preference would be given to students doing local qualification of Institute of Chartered Accountant of Pakistan (ICAP).

UoG faculty learn usage of digital library

GUJRAT: Higher Education Commission (HEC) library experts on Thursday showed the ropes to more than 100 faculty members at the main IT lab in Al Farabi Block of University of Gujrat’s Hafiz Hayat Campus.

Experts Muhammad Rashid Pervez and Javed Murtaza Lodhi held three sessions in which they provided hands-on training to the participants, including MPhil and PhD scholars, from various departments.

The participants learned how to effectively use various software tools and techniques to get access to the treasure trove of knowledge stored in the HEC digital library, as well as download, copy and store the targeted material in different formats and locations.

The experts told the participants that the e-database set up by the HEC would go a long way in facilitating the researchers in country’s different universities to accomplish their projects.

UoG chief librarian Kazim Ali Syed said the entire concept of library had changed during the current technological age.

“E-books and other digitalised material, which can be accessed from anywhere on the internet, have given a new impetus to various research methodologies to help establish new concepts and theories and set the pace of technological progress at unprecedented levels,” Kazim Ali Syed said.

ACCIDENT: An employee of the University of Gujrat was killed after a UoG bus hit his motorbike along Gujrat-Jalalpur Jattan Road near Shah Bhula village on Thursday.

Reports said 22-year-old Saeed, an attendant at the varsity’s economics department, was on his way to the Hafiz Hayat campus by a motorbike when the university bus carrying at least 80 students hit him, killing him on the spot.

Earlier, Saeed’s father had also died in a road accident whereas an uncle of the deceased also works at the university as a bus driver.

The incidence of accidents on Gujrat-Jalalpur Jattan Road has increased during the last some years owing to the surge in volume of traffic.

Most of the accidents occurred on this road involved motorbikes as a good number of educational institutions apart from the UoG are situated along the thoroughfare.

As many as 70 official buses of the university use this road daily, transporting faculty members and students. Apart from the university fleet, public buses, vans, cars and trucks also use this road for travelling from Gujrat to Jalalpur Jatan, Tanda, Karianwala and Marala Headworks, Sialkot.

The Punjab government has already been requested by the Gujrat distirct administration, the UoG management and the elected representatives of the area to construct a dual carriageway as traffic would further increase following the construction of Shahbazpur Bridge over the Chenab linking Gujrat with the Sialkot International Airport.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2017

Rural schoolgirls to be made computer-literate

ISLAMABAD: A project to turn 33,000 schoolgirls in the rural areas of the federal capital “computer literate” was launched by the Ministry of Information Technology on Thursday.

Finance Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, State Minister for Information Technology Anusha Rahman Khan and Minister of State for CADD Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry watched the signing ceremony of two agreements to establish computer labs in more than 100 government schools for girls which launched the project.

State Minister for Information Technology Anusha Rahman Khan said her ministry’s Universal Services Fund (USF) signed one agreement with the Federal Directorate of Education for setting up computer labs and another with Microsoft for training over 90 teachers to run the computer labs.

Welcoming the project and the signing of the two MoUs, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar praised the efforts of the people and institutions involved in promoting ICT amongst girls from rural areas. He said progress was being made to build a digital and financially inclusive Pakistan.

Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the project will help in bridging the IT and education gap between the urban and rural areas of Pakistan Under the project, state-of-the-art Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilities and trained human resources will be provided to the selected girl schools at primary, middle and secondary level in rural areas of Islamabad, the gathering was told.

In addition, these schools will be ensured operational and maintenance support for three years.

This special project aims to train schoolgirls of rural background in digital coding skills and building early stage aptitude for ICT related careers. The project is expected to empower them by equipping them with modern IT knowledge and opening the doors of the IT sector to them.

Centre for advanced studies set up UET in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: The University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Peshawar, with the financial assistance of the USAID, has established a centre for advanced studies in energy sector.

A team of experts and media professionals paid a visit to the centre,

Young students perform at bilingual drama festival

PESHAWAR: The Beaconhouse School System, Frontier Campus for Girls in Hayatabad, on Thursday organized a bilingual drama festival to promote creative skills of students and familiarize them with their culture, traditions and values.

The spring festival was organized at the end of the academic session in the school to get its students engaged in co-curriculum activities.Dr Fatima Shaheen, wife of Inspector General Frontier Corps (FC), was the chief guest on the occasion.

Khyber Agency students demand scholarships

JAMRUD, 13 February: The students of Khyber Agency on Monday staged a protest demonstration against the suspension of ‘political agent scholarship’ and demanded of the federal government to release political scholarship for the students of the tribal region.

Candidates allege anomalies in appointment of VCs

PESHAWAR: Showing dissatisfaction over the procedure adopted for appointment of vice-chancellors at various public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a number of candidates have urged the government to declare it null and void. Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, many candidates led by Dr Shafiqur Rahman questioned the process and procedure adopted by search committee for appointment of vice-chancellors.