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

Senior Executive Editor: Dr. Mujahid Mansoori

National Conference onAgribusiness

"Education is the mostpowerful weapon which youcan use to change the world"(Nelson Mandela 1918-2013)

Faculty, infra-structure devpmy focus: Dr.Uzma Qureshi

Premiere Education Newspaper of Pakistan

BY ALI ARSHAD

LAHORE: reacting to issue of low rate QSranking of Pakistani universties, top educationgurus of the country have blamed less budget,student to PhD teachers ratio, missingindustrial link less number of foreign faculty.

In the recent QS ranking 2017, only onePakistani universities could manage to get intotop 500 universities of the world, while in2008 there were five universities in the list.Why this decline and low performance? Toknow the root causes of this decline in QSranking, The educationist contacted topeducation experts.

heC Pakistan Chairman Dr. MukhtarAhmad said, “it is appreciable that our sixuniversities are in asian ranking and NUST intop 500 but problem is quality of education.We should not move for number game. Weshould strengthen our base.”

he said arrivals of foreign faculty andstudents in our universities is the mostimportant thing and that is possible when ourcountry’s security will be good, now it is muchbetter. Dr Mukhtar said, “we have only 26%PhD faculty in our universities while our needis 36,000 PhD degree holders in our country.Students should do PhDs in market-need base

subjects.” eminent scientist and former Chairman heCPakistan Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman said, rs 90billion budget is not enough for highereducation. The government should increaseheC budget it if we want to compete with theworld. National University of Singapore has200 billion budget annually while our all 183universities have total budget only 80 billionrupees.

Dr atta said in 2008 five major universitieswere in top 500 ranking in asia, then Govtcuts heC budget massively. Many researchand development projects in universities wereshut down. The world’s ranking is based onresearch work, unfortunately we don’t haveideal ratio of student-teacher in PhD classes.one teacher should be for 20 PhD students.

900 students were doing foreign PhD in 2008.Now only 250 are doing because that time wasvery bad for heC. Now they going strong anddoing good work in the leadership of Dr.Mukhtar ahmad. Punjab heC Chairperson Dr. MohammadNizamuddin while talking to The Educationistsaid, “I have proposed an internationalconference on this issue. Universities don’tknow how QS are doing ranking. We have lackof foreign faculty and students in ourinstitutions. I have also proposed to select anyfive big universities for industries’ investmentthen they may check and evaluate varsitiesprogress and ranking. QS Rankings: The National University ofScience and Technology (NUST), Islamabadhas been included in the top 500 world

universities' list. only six universities fromPakistan are among the top 1000 universitiesfrom around the world. NUST Islamabad is at431st place. Last year, it was at 501. Therankings revealed that the country's bestresearch institution Quid-e-azam University(QaU) stood at second number among the sixothers domestic universities. It was followed bythe Lahore University of ManagementSciences (LUMS). Beside the above threeuniversities, the rankings included Universityof engineering and Technology (UeT) Lahore,the University of Karachi and the University ofLahore. all of three remained betweenindicators of 800 to 1000. The ranking revealed that like previous years,the leading US and UK universities hadretained their top positions. g

BY AR SAJID

LAHORE: The Punjab and KPK governments have decreasedtheir education budgets out of total budgetary allocations for thefinancial year 2017-18, while, the Sindh province has slightlyincreased it budget estimates as compared to the last year,according to The Educationist analysis. It seems that education is not a top priority of the provincialgovernments of Punjab and Sindh. The Government of Punjabhas allocated rs345 billion for education in the 2017-18 budget,which is 17.51 per cent of the total allocation. In comparison,Punjab had allocated 312.8 billion in fiscal year 2016-17, whichwas 18.61 percent of total allocation. Last five years education budget allocations by the ruling

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz show a downward trendfrom 23.41 percent in 2013-14 to 20.23 percent in 2014-15,further 21.43 percent in 2015-16 and 18.61 percent in 2016-17and now 17.51 percent in 2017-18. The Punjab governmentdecreased a total of 5.9 percent education budget in five yearswhich is very disappointing. although the government claimsincrease in budget amount but it hesitates to mention thepercentage of the total amount allocated to education out ofthe total budgetary outlay. The Sindh government although slightly increased share ofeducation budget, i.e. 0.61% but overall their share ofeducation budget in last five years decreased. In 2013-14share of Sindh education budget was 21.43 percent which wasdecreased to 19.58 percent in 2014-15, 19.49 percent in 2015-

16, 18.77 percent in 2016-17 and 19.38 percent in 2017-18.The Sindh government decreased 2.05 percent educationbudget in five years.The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK)government has earmarked rs127.91 billion for education in theprovince for the fiscal year 2017-18. The KPK governmentwitnessed zigzag trend in share of its education budget. In 2013-14 share of education budget was 19.36 percent which wasincreased to 27.42 in 2014-15. however, share of educationbudget decreased to 23.36 percent in 2015-16 which was againincreased to 28.40 percent in 2016-17. In current fiscal year2017-18 it once again decreased to 21.21 percent. The KPKgovernment, overall, increased its education budget by 1.85percent in last five years. g

Comparative Analysis of 5-Year Education Budget PuNjAb AND SiNDh ARe gRADuAlly DecReASiNg, KPK zigzAg

QS Ranking – Why Pakistani universities rank low?

Dr Atta-ur-Rehman Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Dr. Nizamuddin

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK june-july 201702 | IN FOCUS

gcu Vice chancellor Dr. hasan Amir Shah presents a shield toVirtual university Rector Dr. Naved Akhtar Malik at the Techand Art Show held at gcu.

Pu Vc Dr zafar Mueen Nasir presents a painting to governorPunjab Malik Rafique Rajwana after the cM laptop distributionceremony at Faisal Auditorium. Phtot credit: Sarfraz Ahmed

Punjab higher education commission chairperson Dr. Nizamud-din and then Vc lcWu Dr Rukhsana Kausar awards degree to aPhD student at the convocation.

iSlAMAbAD: 19 Pakistani secondary school counselors recentlycompleted a two-week professional development tour in Newjersey, New york, connecticut, and Massachusetts organized byeducation uSA at the united States educational Foundation inPakistan. A happy group photo. Photo credit: uSeFP

ISLAMABAD: Thirty young Pakistani professionals attended aPre-Departure orientation in preparation for a year of study atu.S. community colleges through the u.S. government-fundedcommunity college initiative Program (cciP).

State Minister for education engr balughur Rehman and iub VcDr Qaiser Mushtaq award medal to a student at the convocation.

BY HASNAIN RAZA

D.G. KhanMedicalCollegewas

established in2010. Initially theclasses were

started at Quaid-e-azam MedicalCollege, Bahawalpur, which were shiftedto the D.G.Khan on November 28, 2011.The Government of the Punjab hasallocated 522 kanals of land for theconstruction of regular academic blockand hostel building and expansion ofattached 346-bed DhQ hospital ,whereall the major medical and surgicalspecialties are provided including,Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics,Gynecology, eNT, etcThe Educationist conducted interview

of Principal Ghazi Khan Medical CollegeProf Dr Muhammad Saeed. Followingsare the details of the interview:The Educationist: Sir, can you please givea brief account of your academicachievements & early life? Prof. Dr. M. Saeed: I have doneMatriculation from Divisional ModelSchool Mianwali in 1984 and FSc fromGovt. Degree College Mianwali in 1986and after that I did my MBBS fromNishtar Medical College Multan in 1992,then in 2000 I completed MCPS andFCPS from College of Physicians andSurgeons Pakistan.The Educationist: Where did you servebefore this prestigious position? Prof. Dr. M. Saeed: I was working asprofessor of eNT at Punjab MedicalCollege Faisalabad.The Educationist: every day we hearyoung doctors’ strikes in news, what isyour opinion regarding this? Is there anystudent politics behind this factor? Prof. Dr. M. Saeed: No, due to false andbad image created by media, people havedeveloped negative perception aboutdoctors and they do not give respect todoctors. on the other hand peopledemand protocol from doctors afteradopting such a humiliating attitude withdoctors, as a result, young doctors alsobecome reactionary and this results infight between doctors and patients.Secondly, as far as the student politics isconcerned, there is no students politics incolleges rather there are blood donorsociety, literary society, debating societywhich are positive healthy actives for

students so there is no enough time forthem to get involved in such negativeactivities. The Educationist: PMDC vice presidentProf Dr abid Farooqi says “There are moremedical colleges than required, affectingquality of education. Not a single medicalcollege in the country meets the criterionof PMDC.” What are your remarks onthis? Prof. Dr. M. Saeed: Well, in my point ofview there is need of more medical collegesand hospitals in the country as ourpopulation is growing very rapidly. Thereis also need of improving the standard ofeducation and training in colleges andhospitals as the medical field isprogressing very rapidly due tointroduction of new technologies. The Educationist: how many students areenrolled in GKMC and how many facultymembers are teaching?Prof. Dr. M. Saeed: In Ghazi KhanMedical College there are 500 studentsenrolled and more than 100 facultymembers are teaching.The Educationist: What is the strength ofGhazi Medical College & what is itsweakness? Prof. Dr. M. Saeed: The strength is thatthe teachers and students are hardworkingand talented but there is deficiency ofteaching staff in basic departments.The Educationist: What challenges youare facing on this position? Prof. Dr. M. Saeed: The most importantchallenges are recruiting the teachingfaculty, recognition of new departmentsfor postgraduate training andestablishment of new clinical specialities. The Educationist: What are your viewsregarding the existing education system inPakistan? Prof. Dr. M. Saeed: In my opinion theexisting education system should be morepractical based rather theoretical.The Educationist: Do you think thesyllabus at present is adequate to matchwith the topmost universities in the world,or are there any plans for upgrading thesyllabus? Prof. Dr. M. Saeed: The working is inprogress for the upgrading the syllabusgradually and shifting towards problembased learning. The Educationist: In this era ofglobalization and linkage, is GKMCplanning any collaboration with foreignuniversities? Prof. Dr. M. Saeed: Yes, the Ghazi KhanMedical College will be very soon

collaborating with foreign universities andfor this, the work is in progress througheducational commission for foreignmedical graduates via PMDC. Moreover,GKMC is listed in the world directory.The Educationist: how you compareGKMC with other Medical colleges inPunjab? Prof.Dr.M.Saeed: GKMC is competingwell with other medical colleges in allfields and getting positions in UhSexaminationThe Educationist: What steps did you takeafter taking charge as principal of GKMC? Prof. Dr. M. Saeed: after taking the chargeof Principal GKMC, I have inductedteaching faculty, conducted first ‘”ScientificoBG SUrGIMeD 2017” conference andstarted publishing a college magazine withthe name of “Ghazian”The Educationist: any plans you wish youwould fulfill during your tenure? Prof. Dr. M. Saeed: Yes, I have many plansin my mind but the main plan is toincrease the seats for MBBS students andestablishment of Dental College at GKMC.The Educationist: What’s the role ofGKMC regarding the uplifting of health inSouth Punjab? Please compare the averageprivate medical institutes with GKMC. Prof. Dr. M. Saeed: after theestablishment of Ghazi Khan MedicalCollege and upgradation of DhQ teachinghospital Dera Ghazi Khan it is providinghealthcare services to almost five millionpopulation of the city.The Educationist: how you see the futureof GKMC? Prof. Dr. M. Saeed: The college future isvery bright, our students are takingpositions in PMDC. our students’enrollment is high in other medicalcolleges of Pakistan. I hope that soon theGKMC will get the university status. Newprogrammes would soon be introduced inthe GKMC. The Educationist: What facilities areprovided to the students of GKMC? Prof. Dr. M. Saeed: We are providing bestfacilities to our students which includeshostel, transportation, online library,cafeteria and best security system.The Educationist: What message wouldyou like to say to our readers andstudents? Prof. Dr. M. Saeed: My message tostudents is that they should fullyconcentrate on their studies and keepthemselves away from negative activitieswhich can harm their education. g

‘Ghazi Khan Medical Collegestudents are very talented’GKMC PrincipalProf. Dr.MuhammadSaeed sayscollege is providinghealthcare to5 milion people of city

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK june-july 2017 INTERVIEW | 03

INTERVIEW BY SHABBIR SARWAR & ALI ARSHADPHOTOGRAPHY BY ABDULLAH QURESHI

L ahore College for Women University’s newlyappointed regular vice chancellor Dr. UzmaQureshi has decided to focus on infrastructure andfacutly development, shifting to solar energy,

establishing a world class globally linked central librarywith bringing in openness to the universityenvironment by inviting student feedback. her exclusive talk with The educationist team during arecent interview follows as: The Educationist: Please tell us about your early life andeducation? Dr. Uzma Qureshi: I have spent my early life in Sargodhaand my Schooling is from Convent School then I joinedKinnaird College. I did one of my degree from NCa in artsthen worked as a freelancer artist. My PhD is in educationmanagement and planning from Birmingham University,UK. I did my post-doctorate from Cambridge University onthe topic of higher education and Gender equity as focus ofmy research. I am serving in LCWU since December 2010and in March 2015 was become a dean of education faculty. The Educationist: earlier you served as an acting VC ofLCWU and now you have been appointed as a regular vicechancellor for a four years’ term. how do you feel? Dr. Uzma Qureshi: I feel great sense of responsibility. Ihave understood this university more in depth in last fivemonths (when out of VC office). My priority would beacademics and academics, whatever goes around that. First

of all we should be honest in our work and there is noshortcut. Those who adopt shortcuts they don’t get a longlasting success. The Educationist: What practical steps should be taken oncharacter building of our students? Dr. Uzma Qureshi: I feel personally the first practical stepis to demonstrate good values. I plan to have quality circlesaround the students. I want to see my students to feelcomfortable to feel empowered and when they speak truththey don’t feel negative consequence. University is open tocriticism, it will invite students’ feedback. Secondly,curriculum is not just a textbook and classroom. It is allabout around the university (we will also focus on informalmeans of education out of the interest of students). In thisyear we would shift to solar energy. I am negotiating withdifferent companies. Initial investment is 1.5 million to gosolar. We are also collaborating with some Chineseuniversities as a part of CPeC. The Educationist: What would you say about previous actingvice chancellor’s decisions. Would you upheld or stop,especially decentralization of the examination system in thecollege?Dr. Uzma Qureshi: Decentralization of examination systemwas just an idea. In case of decentralization of examination,it would be difficult to maintain quality. I was alsowounding about this idea. It was just talked about. The Educationist: What are your top three priorities forLCWU as a vice chancellor? Dr. Uzma Qureshi: I will improve classrooms andinfrastructure. We don’t have central library, we will

establish a world class central library with globalconnections and worldwide research data excess. We willfocus on faculty development, we are going to conductselection boards very soon. We will prefer PhD teachers’appointment as per the heC criteria. The Educationist: how we can produce quality research inour universities? Dr. Uzma Qureshi: We can get quality research and we haveto do away with our focus on numbers merely. I willencourage our faculty members to go for the research whichis relevant, connected with society and productive also. Itshould not sit on the shelves, while it should be applied anduseful research. Good environment is most important forresearch. We need to bring equity and equality in ourculture. That will determine the quality of research also. Weare going to start the old-New academics Group. Seniorfaculty members who are retired they will come back forsharing their experiences with students and faculty. The Educationist: Many public sector vice chancellors faceteacher unions’ pressures, what about LCWU?Dr. Uzma Qureshi: We are very blessed with good peoples.It all depend on institutional head, how much he/she islike. Lahore College for Women University don’t have anyteachers’ politics. The Educationist: What message would you like to deliverto LCWU teachers and students? Dr. Uzma Qureshi: My message is work with integrity anddo hard work. If you want to become successful in your life,integrity and hard work would take you far ahead in life, asnothing else. g

FACULTY AND INFRASTRUCTUREDEVLOPMENT MY FOCUS: DR. UZMA QURESHI

g Newly appointed Vc says there is no politics in lcWu g Starting selection boards soon; PhDs would be a preference as per hec criteria

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK june-july 201704 | EDITORIAL

oN april 13th the U.S. tested aMassive ordnance air Blast(MoaB) weapon inafghanistan. MoaB weapon

was dropped on what was claimed to be anetwork of caves. according to JamesCogan MoaB “ was not only intended totest the effectiveness of the bomb, but todemonstrate that the US military doesnot need to use nuclear weapons to attackunderground bunker complexes [19].after the MoaB test Trump gloated: “Idon’t know if this sends a message toNorth Korea. It doesn’t make anydifference if it does or not.“ he added thatNorth Korea “is a problem - the problemwill be taken care of.”

The United States has proceeded tomake full preparation for an attack onNorth Korea. on Friday april 14, JamesCogan has described in detail the state ofU.S. preparedness for the North Koreanwar. We quote him at length so that thereader may be able to form an informed

opinion about how far things have gone[20]

"hundreds of thousands of SouthKorean troops, and some 30,000americans, are in a state of highreadiness, using the annual Foal eaglemilitary exercises as the cover for theirpreparations. among the american unitsin South Korea is the elite assassinationsquad that killed osama bin Laden in2011. “Decapitation” raids to assassinateNorth Korean dictator Kim Jong-un andother senior regime figures are an officialpart of US military planning.

Naval destroyers and an unknownnumber of nuclear submarines arehovering off the Korean coast, armedwith the same Tomahawk cruise missilesused to attack a Syrian airbase one weekago. The aircraft carrier Carl Vinson andits strike group has been dispatched tojoin them. Dozens of US strike aircraftare based at airfields in Japan and SouthKorea. B-1 strategic bombers areoperating from Guam, where the obamaadministration deployed them last year. asquadron of 12 F-22 “Stealth” fighterswere quietly moved in February tonorthern australia, from where theycould deploy rapidly to the peninsula

on Friday 14th april the ChineseForeign Ministry issued, what the NewYork Times called an “unusually blunt”statement on the U.S.-North Korea

standoff. Quoting the Chinese newsagency Xinhua, the New York Timesreported that the Chinese ForeignMinister Wang Yi had said [21]]: “TheUnited States and South and NorthKorea are engaging in tit for tat, withswords drawn and bows bent, and therehave been storm clouds gathering. If theylet war break out on the peninsula, theymust shoulder the historical culpabilityand pay the price for this.”

The arrogance, the hubris of those whocontrol america, and of those who act astheir mouthpieces, is revolting. The U.S.representative to the UN, Nikki haley,told a CNN interviewer that nothing was“off the table” when it came to sanctionsagainst russia and Iran. So nothing is offthe table when it comes to dealing withrussia and Iran and with China! In fact,Nikki haley also said: “I was trying towarn the Security Council and theinternational community that (Trump)won’t stop here. If he needs to do more hewill do more.”

To be continued

The writer is the vice chancellor ofUniversity of South Asia and he can be

reached at [email protected] [email protected]

Editor-in-ChiefProf. Dr. Shafiq jullandhry Senior Executive EditorProf. Dr. Mujahid Mansoori,

EditorShabbir SarwarJoint Editor

A.R. Sajid Associate EditorMuhsen NaseemExecutive Editor

Dr. ifra iftikharNews Editor: Khalid Shahzad Farooqui

Resident Editor Boston (USA): Syed Qasim RazaResident Editor Russia: Azhar iqbal

Resident Editor Germany: Muhammad ittefaqBureau 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

Email: [email protected] - 136-j gulberg iii, lahore

PaKISTaN recently unveiled its budget for the government’slast fiscal year for its last term before the next generalelections. While it was good to see that the governmentchoose to put aside a good chunk for education in the

budgetary allocations, however, the sad fact remains the same. Thegovernment, like always, managed to save a hefty amount from theprevious year’s allocations. on the one side, the government touts itscommitment towards education. For proof, the government proudlyshares the money allotted to education every year. But on the otherhand, the sad reality is that the majority of the allotted budget is leftunutilized. The governments, federal and provincial, do not releasethe allotted amounts in time, while the concerned departments alsofail to use the money. another tactic employed by the government isthat is releases a huge chunk just before the next budget is about tobe announced. By doing this, they know that the money won’t bespent and they will be able to show it in the budget documents.

This shows the level of seriousness for the youth of the country.The government’s commitment to education is only limited to justfigures in the annual budgets. Because of this, Pakistan is far behindthe world and even the countries of the region in terms of education.

The people of this country are being scammed by all thesenumbers being thrown around and the real problem remains thesame, the declining state of education in the country. a recent reportrevealed that overall, in the past year, the literacy rate in the countryhas gone down by 2%. This is an alarming situation for everyone.

another proof of this is that Pakistan missed the target of theMillennium Development Goals (MDGs), while many countries,some far behind economically from Pakistan, have achieved thetargets pertaining to education and moved on to the SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, those who we call literatearen’t doing any good either. Many academics have shown concernsover the quality of graduates produced by the country every year. Thesame concern is shared by the industry, which despite their need, findit hard to find ideal candidates for various openings. on the otherhand, fresh graduates and parents complain the lack of jobs available.

The truth of the matter is that the government needs to revise itsstrategy, while the burden of responsibilities also lies with everycitizen of the country no matter where there are living. a serious andrealistic look into the problem is needed, and actions based on thisare needed if we want to achieve anything in the world.

PaKISTaN has suffered a prolongedenergy crisis since last many years.The unpredictable supply ofelectricity, with numerous and

capricious loadsheding, disrupts theeconomic background of a country and alsoits social condition with respect to residentialelectricity consumers. The major aspectbehind this prolonged energy crises is thecircular debt.

Circular debt has become a burning issueunder the current scenario thus challengingthe achievements and efficiencies of presentGovernment in the power sector. It has not

only raised a big question mark on theimprovement of energy situation in thecountry but at the same time has alsohighlighted the financial vulnerability of theGovernment. Currently, circular debt ishovering at around rs. 250 Billion and hascreated a crisis situation as the few IPPs and oilcompanies are on the verge of default due tonon-payment of their dues by the government.This has also led few companies to knock theCourt’s door for their rights and recoveries oftheir dues owed by the Government. at thetime when government is claiming significantaddition in power production capacity and hasvery aggressive plans for capacity addition incoming years, which is also evident fromongoing energy projects, alarming level ofcircular debt has become a matter of veryserious concern for everyone and requiresimmediate measures from government toresolve it on permanent basis.

This is important to mention here thatcircular debt has surfaced again and showingsignificant high figure of around rs. 439

billion although the present governmentmade payment of circular debt for rs. 480Billion when it came into power in 2013. Thisshows that despite constant focus on energysector government failed to resolve the matterof circular debt, which is posing severe threatto permanent solution of energy crisis. Thisrequires immediate measures fromgovernment side which include power sectorreforms, tariff rationalization, elimination ofsubsidies and focus towards cheaper energysources. as per our current energy mix, majorsource of energy production is thermal, whichis very costly as compared to hydro powerproduction. Thermal power production notonly increases the oil imports puttingpressure on import bill of the country but thatis also one of the most expansive source ofenergy production. With the increase of oilprices, cost of thermal power productionincreases and if the government doesn’t passon its impact to end users, this leads toincrease in circular debt.

Currently when oil prices are hovering at

around US Dollar 55 per barrel, circular debtis becoming uncontrollable and what wouldhappen if this touches around US Dollar 90to US dollar 100 as the oil prices also touchesthe historical high levels of US dollar 150 inthe past. Pakistan electric PowerCompany(Pepco) and Pakistan Stateoil(PSo),the two state run organizations andIndependent Power Producers(IPPs) are bigstakeholders in the inter corporate circulardebt. The amount keeps on fluctuating fromrs.100 billion to more than 250 billion as thegovernment keeps addressing the issue on acommercial basis from time to time.according to an estimate, Pepco’s daily buildup of amount overdue is almost rs. 300million because of a extensive breachbetween payments for power supplied andcost received.

For More Details visitwww.educationist.com.pk/opinion

The writer is a Lecturer at Department ofEconomics in GCU Faisalabad.

Prof. Dr. Mujahid Kamran

A WORLD WAR III SCENARIO?

Spending on Education

by Anisa Shamim

Circular Debt and Looming Energy Crisis in Pakistan

By Rubas Tallat, student of LCWU English Department

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK june-july 2017 OPINION | 05

agood education haslong beenrecognized as one ofthe importantfoundations in life;

facilitating future employmentand providing access to a fulfillingadult life. The more liberaldefinitions of education, where itis understood as development andrefinement of one’s personality,without necessarily an eye toeconomic advantage, have beenout of use for long, and one findsonly scattered instances of thepractice of education with suchaims. The educational system of agiven society can say a lot aboutsociety itself as it often reflects thedominant values of that society.Sometimes it is the just asimportant to consider how you arebeing taught as well as what youare learning. educational systemsare not just about teaching peoplesubjects, they are also aboutsocializing people and transferringthe value systems of the society inwhich they are situated. Withouteducation the development of aPermanent Culture would beimpossible. education is needed totransmit the newly evolved ideasand practices that emanate fromdifferent streams of thought anddisciplines.

People in all the times and in allthe communities do fetch for thekeys for success and with theirexperience and exposure they havederived several keys to the successthrough adoption of those keyfeatures one get be successful inattaining success in the life.amongst those many keys one ofthe most basic and the mostcrucial key is education which canopen the doors of development,success and humanity for thepeople who interested and will forit. education inculcates themanners and the attitude of livingfor the people and while it makes

you a good professional it alsocontributes in making you a verygood human being. Withouteducation we have seen peoplegetting success in the past butunfortunately at some point soonor later they become stagnantbecause of the deficiency ineducation,and there they realizethat the key to greater success isthe education, without one canable to get the short-lived gloryand temporary success but if oneis looking for the divine successthan education becomescompulsory feature for thatconcern. Nelson Mandela said:“education is the most powerfulweapon we can use to change theworld ”

early childhood educationfocuses on “learning through play”by providing a hands-on,interactive atmosphere wherechildren learn about themselvesthrough playing with otherchildren. as a teacher of youngchildren, you become somewhat ofa surrogate parent, their firstsource of guidance in playing withothers and forming friendships.You teach them how to share, howto take turns, how to havemanners–lessons that stay withthem and evolve with each crucialphase of their life. Dr. hiamGinnot says: “Children are likewet cement. Whatever falls onthem makes am impression.Teachers play an important role ineducation they bring hidden innercapabilities inside a child.

First of all, the reason why

formal education is important forus is because we need to learn newskills and new courses in order tosurvive in a workforce. Forexample, we have to learntechnology, like Internet becausewe know that it always evolvesevery time. We have to improveour skill in mastering technology,so we are not left behind fromother people.

education in Pakistan isoverseen by the Federal Ministryof education and the provincialgovernments, whereas the federalgovernment mostly assists incurriculum development,accreditation and in the financingof research and development.Theeducation system in Pakistan isgenerally divided into six levels:Preschool (for the age from 3 to 5years); primary (grades onethrough five); middle (grades sixthrough eight); high (grades nineand ten, leading to the SecondarySchool Certificate or SSC);intermediate (grades eleven andtwelve, leading to a higherSecondary (School) Certificate orhSC); and university programsleading to undergraduate andgraduate degrees.[4]

Pakistan has one of the lowestliteracy rates in the world. Thepicture of educational condition isgrim in Pakistan.at most all theurban areas of Pakistan are repletewith developed institutes,universities but in spite of thismost of the citizens seem to beunemployed.Inaccessibility ofeducation in Pakistan, especiallyin backward areas is a result ofdistance, child labor, scarcity ofteachers, local leaders, frequentpolicy changes and fear of losingpower.

The writer teaches at GarrisonAcademy Junior Sarwar ShaheedCampus. She can be reached at:

[email protected]

Women Education in Pakistan

All articles are published in good faith. The views expressed by the writers don’t necessarily reflect those of The Educationist. Objections or critique to the editorial, articles or newsstories are always welcomed for publication. Send your feedback, Letters to Editor, cartoons and sketches for publication to: [email protected]

ramadan transmissionsnowadays are showingwhat they aren't meantfor. They seem more likea game show or a comedyprogram rather than atransmission depicting

the essence of the holy month of ramadan.People are just running after the so calledratings and the business being made by theseshows rather than focusing on the contentthat should be the part of an actual ramadantransmission. You can see an artist, a cricketer,a singer, a player, an actor, a makeup artist butoccasionally an Islamic scholar. I wonder what the world of poor childrenwould turn into if the money invested on thepomp and show of the sets of these ramadantransmissions is rather harvested into theirfortune.It’s time to change, time to come up with acontent that actually benefits the society inthis holy month, time to come up with ideasof the right ways to preach the masses withteachings of Islam and to tell the world howramadan is actually spend in Pakistan!!

Sincerely, Ramal Ijaz

Cantt. [email protected]

by bushra Abrar Shah

HoLISTICdevelopmentof a society is

considered to be directlylinked with highereducation of thecountry. There havebeen certain educationalmodels followed bydifferent universities ofthe world. Some of such models hadbeen elaborated by eminent historianDr Tahir Kamran in his series ofcolumns entitled ‘The idea of aUniversity’ published in ‘The Newson Sunday’. It was an interestingseries of columns and the initiativetaken by Dr Kamran wascommendable. Today, more thanever, we need to explore andinvestigate different aspects of highereducation of our country.

Unfortunately, none of thesemodels is introduced in ouruniversities and other highereducational institutions. What isbeing acted upon in our country, likeother third world countries, is the‘Banking Concept of education’. Thisconcept was unearthed by Brazilianeducationist, Paulo Freire (1921-1997). he was author of somegroundbreaking works in the field ofeducation e.g. ‘education for CriticalConsciousness’, ‘The Politics ofeducation’ and ‘Pedagogy of theoppressed’. his works on pedagogymakes him a pioneer and ideologistin the education field.

according to Freire’s concept,Students are falsely considered to beempty vessels that must be filled withsome type of passive information. Inthis view, teacher is assumed to be adepositor and a student as a receptor.role of the teacher is to talk and thatof the pupil is to listen meekly.Ultimately, the teacher is the Subjectof the learning process while thestudents are mere objects.

Banking concept ofeducation instead ofmaking students,creators and producersof knowledge, helpsthem to become passiveconsumers ofinformation. The morestudents work at storingthe deposits entrusted to

them, the less they develop thecritical consciousness and resultantlytheir creative power is perished bytheir own teachers. In Pakistan, notonly at school level but also incolleges and universities, education isbeing delivered under the foresaidparadigm.

actually, Paulo Freire was a bigcritic of this type of approach in theeducation field. he spent most of hisearly career to introduce a systematicpedagogy in the western world. as hefamiliarized a classroom whereteachers and students had equalpower and equal dignity, his workhas emerged as a model foreducationists and policy makersaround the world. Freire, no doubt,has a profound influence on theteachers and educationists of thelater time. heC Pakistan also needssome visionary educationists whomay follow and introduce the bestmodels of education in our academicinstitutions.

a valuable book ‘education Policiesin Pakistan’ authored by a well-known educationist Dr ShahidSiddiqui, has come to the market lastyear. It is an attempt to criticallystudy and evaluate the educationPolicies in Pakistan from 1947 to thecurrent years.

For more details visitwww.educationist.com.pk/opinionThe author is a teacher based in

Islamabad and he can be reached at:[email protected]

Critical ConsciousnessThrough Education

Dr Qaswar Abbas Khan

LETTER TO EDITORMy one hand caged within my father's hold

I walked the streets of Lahore at night.Laughter surrounded me, lights dazzled me.

People crowded at every stall,Busy buying badges, cards, and more.

I saw, I saw on the mighty looming rodThe green emblem with a shy white

had a star hanging in the lap of a crescentmoon.

The air blowing teased the flagMaking it flow like rapid waves in

progression.It held me still yet continued to flap with a

grace unbeknownst.It was love at first sight for a child of five.

another day, and I am out with my mother.The sun is scorching but I didn't know the

heavens will too.The times have changed, the streets too.

It’s a dangerous feat to cross now.I sit in the middle of the road

People are shouting,But the sound of the ambulance's siren

overpowers.People are running,

With their hands clasped around othersSome are being lifted, carried on stretchers

and on shoulders.Some are left lying behind as dead weight.

The stench is horrid,

The ground uneven.Smoke has blackened the view,

Though red everywhere contrasts sharply.I sit there in the middle of the street

Calling for my mother.She always replies but now it's only silence.

I call again, again and again.My throat is dry and my voice, hoarse.

She knows I am crying but she isn't wipingmy tears.

Not this time. Not anymore.I sit there in the middle of the street withmy unmoving mother cradled in my arms.

Gunshots are being fired,This time the target won't beMy brothers but my enemies.

I learnt to hold arms, to defend.I didn't want to, but had to keep the

nightmares at bay.I became a soldier

Not to lose the mother I fell in love with atfive,

Because the loss will be too great, I havealready lost once.

Many more do still, each day.I take defiance in stride,

against all those planning harm against mymother land

I am ready to lay my lifeSo a child won't lose a mother,

a father won't lose his son.I wait for a day

When I go out on a street againWith my children beside me.

only with happiness ringing in airPeace brimming everywhere.

Where they become amazed by the beautyour mother land holds

The sacrifices it conceals.Where a glance is enough to take pride in

what we have achieved.We shall achieve the best we wish to see.

I wish to see this day,When no son cries for a mother lost, not

again.

Maryum Nazish (winner of poetrycompetition) is a student of English

Literature at Lahore College for WomenUniversity. [email protected]

My Mother-My Land

by Maryam Khokhar

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK june-july 201706 | CONFERENCE

NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AGRIBUSINESSSTAFF REPORT

LAHORE: Federal Minister for National FoodSecurity and Research Sikandar hayat Khanbosan has said that agriculture is central torobust our economic growth, development andalleviation of rural poverty. The country's futurelies in agribusiness and we should not only try toadd value but create value as well. he was addressing the first Nationalconference on Agribusiness organized by theinstitute of Agricultural Sciences, university ofthe Punjab at Pearl continental hotel lahoreon 10th May, 2017. chief executive Panjab Agricultural Researchboard (PARb) Dr. Noor-ul-islam, Membercoordination PARb Prof (r) Dr. Muhammadyounas, President lahore chamber ofcommerce and industry (lcci) Dr. Abdul basit,chairman Pakistan crop Protection Association(PcPA) Mr. Saad Akbar Khan, Director generalAgriculture Research Punjab Dr. Abid Mehmood,Director institute of horticultural Sciences,university of Agricuture, Faisalabad, Prof. Dr.Aman ullah Khan, Mr. Naseer ullah Khan fromFatima Fertilizers, Dean Faculty of Agriculture,university of Sargodha, Prof. Dr. MuhammadAfzal, chief executive SAcAN Services PakistanMr. Mushtaq gill, Ms. Nighat jawad from yums

industries, Dean Faculty of life Sciences,university of the Punjab, Prof. Dr. MuhammadNaeem Khan, Dean Faculty of islamic StudiesProf. Dr. Tahira bashrat, President PuASA Mr.javed Sami, Vice chancellor Punjab universityProf. Dr. zaffar Mueen Nasar, experts andresearchers from various parts of the countryand a large number of students were present onthe occasion. The event was organized tohighlight the opportunities in the field ofAgribusiness and building partnershipscontributing to a green Pakistan. Main theme ofthe event was “green Punjab and cPec”.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Sikandarhayat Khan bosan said that the Ministry ofNational Food Security and Research continuesto help boost sustainable agriculturaldevelopment in collaboration with allstakeholders. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif isvery keen for the development of agriculturesector. heavy budget has been allocated for thelivelihood, uplift and betterment of thecountry’s farmers. Mr. bosan also appreciatedthe efforts of the university of the Punjab andits institute of Agricultural Sciences for creatingawareness about this much needed subject.

Pu Vice chancellor Dr. zafar Mueen Nasarhighlighted the importance of Academia andsaid that in the twenty first century, theparadigm of higher education institutes has

shifted from traditional aspects of learning andeducation towards building societies,economies and patterns of leadership.university of the Punjab being the oldestinstitute of its kind in this country is striving hardto play its role in raising socio-economic levels ofthe country. We emphasize to produce jobcreators not job seekers as we feel this is theneed of our society. The university is also re-orienting itself in terms of the performance andproductivity. These changes may not becomfortable but are indispensable in times ofrapid change to meet the needs of the future.he also congratulated the institute ofAgricultural Sciences on the establishment ofAgribusiness incubation center and added thatthis center will help bridge the gap betweenindustry and academia.

Representing the Punjab Minister forAgriculture Dr. ghazanfar Ali Khan AdditionalSecretary Agricuture (Planning) also praised thevision of institute of Agricultural Sciences,university of the Punjab in the present scenarioand their efforts for highlighting the need ofsupporting agribusiness for a green Punjab. hestated that the Punjab government has amission to develop a science-based, vibrant andinternationally linked agriculture sector that cannot only meet the food security challenges butalso compete in domestic as well as in

international markets. Pu Dean Faculty of life Sciences Prof. Dr.

Muhammad Naeem Khan emphasized the roleof academia in the economy of Pakistan. hesaid that cPec is an opportunity and everysector should play its role to make Pakistan thebest of its beneficiaries. he suggested thatrecommendations of the experts should beforwarded to the Planning commission ofPakistan and office of chief Minister Punjab.

Director institute of Agricultural Sciences,university of the Punjab Prof. Dr. MuhammadSaleem haider welcomed the conferenceparticipants and highlighted the objectives ofthe conference. he said that we see this as ahigh time to work out policies directing us to theconcept of “turning green into gold”. We areprepared to play our part and seeking forcommitted partners to maximize energies. healso announced the establishment ofAgribusiness incubation center in the instituteof Agricultural Sciences, university of thePunjab. On behalf of the organizing committee,Dr. Saleem haider thanked all the sponsors ofthe event including PARb, PcPA, SWAT Agrochemicals, Fatima fertilizers Nice internationalcrop excellence, and evyol group of industries. The opening ceremony was followed by a seriesof presentations from experts of diverse fieldsand interesting question answer sessions.

chief guest of the conference, Federal Ministerof National Food Security and Research; Mr. Sikandar

hayat Khan bosan

Welcome address by Vice chancellor of Punjab universityDr. zaffar Mueen Nasar

Director, institute of Agricultural Sciences, Punjab university,Prof. Dr. Muhammad Saleem haider, highlighting the

objectives of the event.

President lahore chamber of commerce industry (lcci)Mr. Abdul basit, sharing some significant information

regarding halal Food industry in Pakistan.

chairman Pakistan crop Protection Association (PcPA),Mr. Saad Akbar Khan, talking about opportunities in

pesticide industry in Pakistan.

Dean Faculty of life Sciences, university of the Punjab,Dr. Muhammad Naeem Khan sharing views on the

importance of academia-industry linkages.

Mr. Mushtaq gill, chief executive, SAcANServices Pakistan; talking about Agribusiness

opportunities in Pakistan.

Ms. Nighat jawad from yums industries’is talking about entrepreneurship

with reference to cPec.

Vice chancellor of Punjab university; Dean Faculty of life Sciences,university of the Punjab, and Director, institute of Agricultural

Sciences, Punjab university, moving towards the conference hall.

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK june-july 2017 CONFERENCE | 07

Vice chancellor of Punjab university Dr. zaffar Mueen Nasar; Dean Faculty of life Sciences, university of the Punjab, Dr. Muhammad Naeem Khan and Director, institute of Agricultural Sciences, Punjabuniversity, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Saleem haider, with the organizing committee of the event.

Distinguished guests of the event

Participants of the conference, Farman Ahmed ch., PuASA President javed Sami, Dean islamic Studies Dr. Tahira basharatand others.

Participants of the event.

Vice chancellor of Punjab university Dr. zaffar Mueen Nasarvisiting sponsor’s stalls.

Shield presented to the focal person of Punjab AgriculturalResearch board (PARb) as token of remembrance.

Vice chancellor of Punjab university presenting conferenceshield as souvenir to the chief guest Federal Minister of National

Food Security and Research; Mr. Sikandar hayat Khan bosan.Dr. Noor-ul-islam, chief executive Panjab Agriculture Research

board (PARb) talking about the importance of cPec

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK june-july 201708 | OPINION

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK june-july 2017 INTERVIEW | 09

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK june-july 201710 | COMPETITION

LAHORE: In this era oftechnology where youthare seen technologytrapped, students mustspare some time to focuson co-curricular activities topolish their talent andinbuilt abilities.This was stated by thespeakers of HEC-PU-TheEducationist All Pakistan Co-curricularCompetitions 2017 during the Cash

Awards ceremony held at PUInstitute of Education andResearch (IER). Rs 5,14, 000cash awards weredistributed among 74winners in the categories ofDebates, Naat, Qiraat,Poetry, Essay Writing,painting and Daramacompetitions.

Daanish Schools, The Punjab School,DPS School children won various

positions while among universities PU,UVAS, LCWU, UOL and GCU wereprominent. 1275 students acrossPakistan participated in the event.IER Director Prof Dr Rafaqat Ali Akbar,Huawei representative Mr. Du Da Tong,The Educationist Editor Shabbir Sarwar,Daanish School Girls Mianwali Principaland Daanish School Girls Mianwaliprincipal, Dr Abdul Qayyum Ch. andThe Educationist Joint Editor Mr. ARSajid, students, their teachers and

parents were present on this occasion.IER Director Dr. Rafaqat Ali Akbar saidthat students must focus on theirfuture and participation in co-curricularactivities improve their skills andtalents and they learn a lot throughpracticals. He said The Educationist incollaboration with PU, NAB and HECprovided a platform to the studentfrom all provinces of Pakistan toexpress themselves and test andimprove their talent.

ALL PAKISTAN CO-CURRICULAR COMPETITIONS 2017

Pu ieR Director Prof Dr Rafaquat Ali Akbar awards cash prize to uVAS student Safa Kamranfor her position in english essay Writing

Punjab university student Mubashar Syed Talish receivescash award for winning position in urdu poetry.

Punjab university student huzaifa Tur Razzam receives hiscash prize for winning 1st position in Qiraat competition.

ueT lahore student Nayab hussain receives her cash prize forwinning position in urdu poetry.

Punjab university student Sadia Ashraf receives her cash prize for winning 2nd position in Naat competition.

Punjab university icS Studenthafiz Muhammad Shahid Fida re-ceives his cash prize for winningposition in Naat competition.

Pu Pharmacy student Romesa ghani receives her cash prize for winning 1st position inThe educationist All Pakistan urdu essay Writing competitions 2017.

The educationist editor Shabbir Sarwar and joint editor A.R. Sajid present a shield to Mr. Du DaTong, huawei representative, at The educationist All Pakistan co-curricular competitions 2017.

Pu career counselling center head Dr. Qayyum chaudhry awards Pu student Masooma Fatima with a cash prize for winning first position in All Pakistan english Declamation 2017.

by zarva Nabil

WWW.EDUCATIONIST.COM.PK june-july 2017 NATIONAL | 11

�By Dr. Mahboob Hussain

LAHORE: The Federation of All Pakistanuniversities Academic Staff Association(FAPuASA) on Wednesday May 24, 2017 tookout country-wide protest rallies to expressdismay over reduction in tax rebate onincome tax granted to teachers, research andacademic staff.

The rebate of faculty and teachers hasbeen reduced from 75 per cent to 40 per cent.

A large number of faculty members ofdifferent universities in all four provinces andfederal capital gathered for token protest intheir respective universities campuses anddemanding restoration in tax rebate forteachers/faculty. According to reportsteachers representatives said that the rebate

is one of the few incentives granted toPakistani academics by the government. it isobserved that while the government hashundreds of billions of rupees to waste onsubsidizing corrupt and inefficient stateowned enterprises or granting subsidies tofailing non-competitive and cartelizedsectors. They said, in spite of this, Pakistan’shigher education has shown consistentgrowth and development and in this processthe research contribution of the academicand research staff has been central. “it wouldappear that the government wishes topunish those who perform better and rewardthose who are an unsustainable drag on theentire economy,” they said.

Federation of All Pakistan universitiesAcademic Staff Association (FAPuASA)

central leadership President Dr. Kaleemullah, Vice President Dr. M. Shoeb, generalSecretary Dr. Shakeel Farooqi, Punjabchapter’s President Dr. javad Ahmad, Sindhchapter’s President Dr. Naimat ullah laghari,islamabad chapter’s President Dr. ShahzadAshraf ch. KPK chapter’s President Dr.hamyun, and bolochistan’s chapter PrsidentDr. Fareed Khan Achakizi said that, ifteachers have not been given their justdemand it may call for strike in all universitiesof Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Academic Staff Association ofinternational islamic university islamabad(ASA) said that, in almost all public sectoruniversities of the country teachers are givenrepresentation in decision making forums likesyndicate, academic council and board of

governors but teachers of iiui have beendeprived of this democratic right.“universities are autonomous bodies andteachers are their main stakeholders. howcould a university run without faculty’sparticipation in policy making forums,” theyinquired.

Teacher’s representatives said that theFAPuASA fully supports protest campaign ofiiui Academic Staff Association for teachers’representation in decision making forums likeboard of governors and academic council.

The writer Dr. Mahboob Hussain is AssociateProfessor, Department of History & Pakistan

Studies, University of the Punjab, Lahore,Pakistan. He is also former Secretary PU ASA

and Secretary FAPUASA.

TEACHERS PROTESTFOR EXTENTION IN TAX REBATE

leaders and members of ASA bzu Multan leaders and members of ASA bzu MultanASA Agriculture university Tando jam leaders and members

PU ASA leaders and members Dr Mahboob Hussain, Dr Azhar Naeem, Dr. Kamran Abid, Dr Shafiq ur Reman, Dr Shafiq, Dr. Nadeem, Prof Dr Sajid Rasheed and other protest.

leaders andmembers of ASA

university ofbalochistan

leaders and members of ASA in Sindh

Publisher and editor Shabbir Sarwar, printed at intekhab-e-jadeed Press, 8 Abbot Road, and circulated from 136-j gulberg iii, lahore.

PReMieRe eDucATiON NeWSPAPeR OF PAKiSTAN

STAFF REPORT

LAHORE: The amount of aid allocated to education has beenfalling for six years in a row, shows a new policy paper, aid toeducation is Stagnating and Not Going to Countries Most inNeed, published by UNeSCo’s Global education Monitoring(GeM) report.

Total aid to education stands at US$ 12 billion - 4% lower thanin 2010 - while total development aid over the same periodincreased by 24%. aid to basic education – which includessupport to pre-primary and primary education as well as adulteducation and literacy programmes – stands at US$5.2 billion,up from USD 4.8 billion in 2014. This amount is still 6% lowerthan in 2010. aid to secondary education, meanwhile, amountsto US$2.2 billion, representing 19% of total aid to education.

The analysis is based on newly released data from the oeCDDevelopment assistance Committee.

“aid remains far short of what is needed to achieve SustainableDevelopment Goal 4, putting our commitments at risk,” saidIrina Bokova, Director-General of UNeSCo in a press statement.“aid would need to be multiplied by at least six to achieve ourcommon education goals and must go to countries most in need.Yet, we see that donors to education are shifting their attentionaway from the poorest countries,” she cautioned.

The United States and the United Kingdom remain the twolargest donors to basic education, but reduced their allocations by11% and 9% respectively between 2014-2015. Norway and

Germany, meanwhile, increased their allocations to basiceducation by 50% and 34% respectively.

aid is not being allocated according to need. Sub-Saharanafrica, home to over half of the world’s out-of-school childrennow receives less than half the aid to basic education it obtainedin 2002. This amounts to 26% of total aid to basic education,barely more than the 22% allocated to Northern africa andWestern asia, where 9% of children are out-of-school.

In contrast to trends in bilateral aid to education, the GlobalPartnership for education (GPe), allocated 77% of itsdisbursements to sub-Saharan africa, and 60% to countriesaffected by instability and conflict. The paper provides country-specific examples of donors’ biased resource allocation. Itdemonstrates that aid is not allocated according to out of schoolrates so as to meet the cost of achieving the universal education ineach country concerned.

While humanitarian aid to education has reached a historic high,increasing by 55% from 2015 to 2016, it still receives only 2.7% oftotal aid available, amounting to 48% of the amount requested.The paper draws attention to three major proposals for donors toreverse the move away from education: The GPe replenishmentcampaign is seeking to raise $3.1 billion for the period 2018-20,aiming to reach $2 billion annually by 2020, or four times morethan the current funding level.

Finally, The education Cannot Wait fund established in 2016aims to raise $3.85 billion by 2020, which would transform thedelivery of education in emergencies.

convocation of islamia university bahawalpur

BY HASNAIN RAZA

BAHAWALPUR: Degrees and medals were conferred on 1958graduates ranging from PhD to undergraduate level at the 11thConvocation of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur on 19May2017 at Baghdad ul Jadeed Campus.

as many as 99 gold and 77 silver medals were given to thedistinguished students.

engineer Baligh ur Rehman, Minister of State for educationand Prof. Dr. Qaiser Mushtaq, Vice Chancellor Islamia UniversityBahawalpur awarded degrees and medals to graduates ofacademic session 2015.

Speaking on the occasion the minister said that universitiesbeing centers of excellence have responsibilities to impart quality,preparing students to confidently faced the global challenges. Thegovernment of Pakistan is committed to ensure quality educationat all levels.

recently, heC funded building of University College ofagriculture and environmental Sciences at the IslamiaUniversity of Bahawalpur completed and inaugurated at a cost ofrs. 421 million which is part of three mega projects provided tothe university including buildings for Bahawalnagar and rahimYar Khan Campuses. he expressed his satisfaction over the recentfinancial, academic and administrative steps taken by theUniversity leadership.

In his address Prof. Dr. Qaiser Mushtaq, Vice Chancellor saidthat the university has organized four convocations during thelast two years to deal with the backlog of degrees from session2010 to 2015. The university has shown remarkable progress ineach sector and the heC has declared IUB the 11thrankeduniversity in Pakistan by jumping 40 points in a year. Similarly,the university has obtained 6th position in research among 21universities in Punjab.

INBRIEF

hec chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed presents a shield at a trainigon intelectual capital. executive Director Dr Arshad Ali is alsopresent.

Punjab education Minister Raza Ali gilani addresses Soft expo2017 in Punjab university on May 14.

chinese consul general Mr. long Ding Don inaugurates cPecbusiness and Research center at university of Management andTechnology, lahore. uMT ilM Trust chairman Dr. hasan SuhaibMurad and uMT Rector Dr Muhammad Aslam also present.Photo credit: Mehar yaqoob

gcu lahore Treasurer Abdi Shahzad Aslamreceives his certificate after completing atraining workshop in Turkey.

ScOTlAND: PTi senior leader and formergovernor Punjab ch Muhammad Sarwar nowbecome a doctor after receiving an honorarydegree of PhD from the university of theWest of Scotland.

International commitmentto education dwindling