Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Govt making efforts for Special children: Zakia

(APP)-Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab Begum Zakia Shahnawaz has said that the government is making all out efforts for the rehabilitation of special children. While talking to a delegation of special people in her office on Tuesday, she said that a committee has been formed on the directives of Chief Minister Punjab to facilitate special people and make efforts to improve things for them in society. The advisor said the Punjab government allocated special funds in the new fiscal year for the education of these children and the proposal of establishment of a degree college and school was also under consideration, stated a handout.(APP)

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

PEF Phase-7 of EVS scheme has launched

The Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) has launched 7th phase of Education Vouchers Scheme (EVS) and invited applications from private schools to provide free education to poor kids of Katchi Abadis and low income families. The PEF officials said on Monday that Katchi Abadis and urban settlements of the impoverished selected in Multan for this scheme included Bholay Shah, Bashir Abad, Ahmad Abad and Basti Maswana.
In Khanewal district, colony No 1, Marzipura colony No 3 and Abbas Nagar while Bhutta Pur and Batta Karim Abad were selected in Muzaffargarh district. Hashmi Wala locality, Basti Katchi, Bhutta Shadi Khan, Chak 9-WB and Chak 11-WB were selected in Vehari district under phase-7 of EVS scheme. While, The Health Department Jhang has established a District Polio Control Room (DPCR) to administer polio vaccine drops to those children who will remain unattended during 3-day anti-polio drive.—APP

Monday, July 18, 2011

Transfer Posting of EDO Education in Punjab

The Punjab School Education Department Has issued transfer/posting orders of EDOs Education and District Education Officers in the Punjab. These officers have been selected after interview and clearance of Departmental search committee. Mr. Shaukat Ali Sherwani DEO SE D.G. Khan transferred and posted as EDO Education D.G. Khan, Dr. Muhammad Javaid Muzaffar Iqbal EDO Education Mianwali transferred and posted as EDO Education Sial Kot, Ms. Tahir Pervin Chishti DEO (W-EE) Layyah transferred and posted as EDO Education Mianwali, Mr. Ghulam Nazik Shehzad Principal Govt. Higher Secondary School Mana Ahmadani transferred and posted as EDO Education Rahim Yar Khan, Rana Ghulam Nabi Senior Subject Specialist Govt. Higher Secondary School, Khan Bela transferred and posted as EDO Education Bahawalnagar, Mst: Fouzia Ejaz DEO SE Bahawalnagar transferred and posted as EDO Education Pakpattan whereas the services of Muhammad Alam Jafari present EDO Education Pakpattan has been placed at the disposal of School Education Department, Mr. Aizaz Ahmad posted as EDO Education Khanewal. It is expected that more transfer of officers.

Transfer Posting of DEOs in Punjab

The Punjab School Education Department Has issued transfer/posting orders of EDOs Education and District Education Officers in the Punjab. These officers have been selected after interview and clearance of Departmental search committee. Mr. Ali Ahmad Principal Govt. Higher Secondary School, Zahir Pir transferred and posted DEO Secondary Education Lodhran, Mr. Bashir Ahmad Ch: posted as DEO Male Elementary Bahawalpur, the services of Mr. Shaukat Ali Tahir DEO Secondary Education Vehari placed at the disposal of School Education Department and Rana Muhammad Shabbir DEO Male Elementary education Vehari transferred and posted as DEO Secondary Education Vehari, Ms. Misbah Tallat awaiting posting posted as DEO Women elementary Education Khanewal, the services of Rana Muhammad Akram Shahid DEO Secondary Education Khanewal placed at the disposal of School Education Department and Mr. Jamshed Iqbal Senior Headmaster Government High School Mandar transferred and posted as DEO Secondary Education Khanewal, Mr. Abdul Ghaffar Khan DEO Male Elementary Education Muzaffargarh transferred and posted as DEO Secondary Education D.G. Khan, Mr. Abdul Majeed Senior Headmaster District Sahiwal transferred and posted as DEO Male Elementary Education Rahim Yar Khan, Mr. Irshad Ahmad Principal, Government Higher Secondary School, Ghazi Ghat transferred and posted as DEO Secondary Education Rahim Yar Khan, Ms. Rukhsana Nighat Senior Subject Specialist Bhagatta Kallan transferred and posted as DEO Secondary Education Kasur. It is expected that more transfer of officer may be issued in this week. To see Orders Notification please click this.......Orders of DEOs

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Revised Pay Scale Notification Punjab

Government of the Punjab has issued Notification of revised Pay scales for Government employees.
To see this Notification please click. Revised Pay Scales

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Khosa lauds health dept teaching cadre

PUNJAB Chief Minister s Senior Advisor Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa has said that the services of teaching cadre staff of Health Department regarding medical education are commendable.

The government will solve their problems with regard to regularisation and departmental promotion on priority basis, he said this during a meeting with a delegation of the Medical Teachers Association (MTA), Punjab, according to a handout here on Saturday.

Briefing the meeting, MTA Punjab General Secretary Dr Tahseen Riaz said that senior registrars of teaching cadre, assistant professors and associate professors were facing departmental delay in their promotion and service regularisation. He said that despite approval of summary by the chief minister and order of the high court, the matters had been lying pending due to which teaching staff of Health Department was perturbed. He demanded that Health Department be directed to ensure early implementation of the approved summary and the court order. Sirdar Zulfiqar Khosa said the government was serious in resolving the issues of doctors. He said the demands of the MTA were genuine and he would bring the demands to the notice of the Punjab chief minister.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Govt setting priorities for health,edu sectors: Khosa

Provincial Minister for Industries Sardar Dost Muhammad Khan Khosa said the Punjab government was setting its priorities for health and education sectors to provide latest facilities to the masses. Addressing the trustees of Faisalabad Development Trust (FDT) after inaugurating the Headquarters Office Building of the Trust in Commissioner Complex here, he said that Punjab was on its right direction for sustained development. The minister lauded the efforts of the FDT for execution of welfare projects in health and education sectors.

Divisional Commissioner Syed Tahir Hussain, chairman FDT Mian Muhammad Tayyab, vice chairman Shaiq Jawaid and chief of Industrial Police Liaison Committee (IPLC) Syed Omar Nazar Shah also addressed. MNA Abid Sher Ali, DCO Nasim Sadiq and FDT Trustees, Sheikh Hassan Munawar, Abid Kamal, Ahmed Shafi and Nazim Shahzad also attended the Meeting.

The minister said that the unemployment was the main issue in the country and said that the Punjab government was trying its optimum to resolve this issue. He asked the FDT Trustees and other Industrialists of Faisalabad to provide maximum employment opportunities to jobless people in their industrial units. He appreciated the steps of the FDT for the construction of houses to disabled families in Faisalabad, drastic steps in health and education sectors and plantation for greenery in Faisalabad and added that the other philanthropists should also pursue it.

He assured that the Punjab government would extend its full cooperation to FDT for implementation of welfare projects. He announced that the government would attach its top priority to the counseling by FDT. Commissioner Syed Tahir Hussain said that during the last year flood damages in Jhang and Chiniot districts, as much as 300 houses were constructed in the flood-hit areas with the cooperation of well-to-do people and FDT.

He elaborated that under this platform, a comprehensive and integrated programme for free supply of medicines and food to deserving patients in government run hospitals was being launched by the FDT while total educational expenses of deserving students belonging to four provinces, Azad Kashmir and other remote areas of the country will be borne by the FDT. Earlier, FDT chairman Mian Muhammad Tayyab ,in his welcome address.—APP

Promoted teachers felicitated

As many as 204 male and 125 female Secondary School teachers in BS-16 of general cadre have been promoted as headmasters and headmistresses in BS-17.
The Punjab Education Department has issued notification in this regard. Six headmasters - Abdul Majeed, Shakir Ali, Inamul Haq, Sanaullah Abid, Muhammad Ashraf and Shamsul Haq - and four headmistresses - Shaheen Sheerin, Hasina Baqar, Ghazala Faraz Khan and Najma Sultana - were congratulation over their promotion at Nankana Sahib government schools.
The Headmasters Association and Senior Staff Association jointly congratulated and gave warm welcome to the upgraded teachers in the district.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Punjab government fails to adjust promoted college teachers

The Punjab government s failure to adjust 165 female college teachers after their promotion/ selection as assistant professor, despite a lapse of a couple of months, has been irking the teachers and their family members.
Earlier, the Punjab Higher Education Department had posted hundreds of teachers, both male and female, after their promotion/ selection as assistant professor (BS-18) from Lecturer (BS-17), but many female teachers refused to join and got extension on the pretext that the new place of their posting was not suitable for them. Subsequently, a summary was moved by the department to the Chief Minister s Secretariat, seeking his approval to adjust/post these teachers after conversion and down-gradation of posts, etc.
Sources privy to the developments said that the summary was approved by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif last month but the issue has not yet been resolved. They said the Higher Education Department, in many of the cases, had recommended shifting of posts to adjust the female teachers but the same was tuned down by the Finance Department on the pretext the CM had not approved the same.
The sources said if the government failed to address the issue during the ongoing summer vacation, a large number of colleges of the province would be without teaching faculty, hampering academic activities and causing academic loss to students.
Talking to The News, a number of teachers awaiting postings said the delay was multiplying their troubles as, despite approval of the CM, the teachers were uncertain about their future. They demanded the chief minister take notice of the delay and provide relief to them so that they might resume their duties without any problem. The teachers seeking anonymity said many of the female teachers, after promotion to/ selection in the next grade, were transferred from their previous colleges to far away areas, which did not suit them according to the prevailing socio-economic circumstance.
It is pertinent to mention that the CM had formed a three-member committee comprising Punjab Higher Education secretary Haseeb Athar, provincial Minister for Education Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman and Punjab Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah Khan which had recommended adjustment of female teachers as one-time consideration keeping in view their problems.
A Higher Education Department official, seeking anonymity, said the department had prepared its reply over objection of the Finance Department, and expected that the issue would be resolved soon. However, he added, the teachers were also responsible for their problems. Being government servants, they should go wherever they are sent, he maintained.
When contacted, Higher Education secretary Haseeb Athar said posting of teachers was a regular issue and the department had so far posted around 1,100 teachers after promotion in the ongoing stint. He said the problem surfaces each time a faculty member shows reluctance to be posted as per directions of the department. He, however, claimed that the issue related to posting of the female teachers would be solved within a week.The news.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

New Revised Pay Scales Notification issued.

Government of Pakistan has issued revised Pay scale and Pension Notification vide No. F.1(5)2011-419 dated 4.7.2011. To see this notification please click this.....Revised Pay Scales Notification

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Posts of VCs: PhDs from abroad can be selected, says LHC

A student who spends five years in learning process of universities of Harvard, Stanford, John Hopkins, NYU, University of Southern California, Cambridge University, University of Virginia and many such seats of learning compete on merit with millions of students getting education from all over the world in such universities,” says an LHC single bench detailed order through which petitions questioning the process of VCs’ appointments and eligibility of search committee private members
were dismissed on June 24 last.
Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh in his verdict on the petitions observed that the PhDs of such universities needed to be given due recognition and if the same was denied to them it would be an act of discrimination against the highly-qualified persons.
He said the academic standards of these universities had been surveyed for determining their ranking the world over and this ranking had been given due recognition in the academic and education spheres. No illegality could be found to be attributable upon giving due recognition to the qualification of such foreign universities, he said.
“It is also a settled principle of law as recognised by the superior courts of Pakistan that where there is a reasonable classification made in a particular matter, this step is itself considered as sufficient in negating the allegations of discrimination,” the judge said and added that the arguments of the petitioners’ counsel that by allowing five additional
marks to an advanced learning undergone by PhD degree holders from top ranking 500 universities of the world was an act of discrimination had no legal force or factual strength and was repelled.
The counsel also challenged the evaluation criteria determined by members of the search committee but the judge rejected the argument as not sustainable in the eye of law.
The petitioners also questioned the eligibility of three private members of the search committee on the basis of the fact that they were not holders of PhD degrees. The three members are Syed Babar Ali, Sartaj Aziz and Let-Gen Muhammad Akram Khan (retired).
However, the judge rejected this argument as well, observing that the valuable services rendered by these private members of the committee in heading and successfully running the top universities of the country needed to be duly acknowledged.
Justice Sheikh observed that the petitioners had failed to attribute any mala fides to these members of the search committee.
The judge also reproduced antecedents of these three members in his order.
The judge held: “The process initiated, conducted and to be finalised for filling the vacancies in the posts of vice chancellors of the six universities in question does not suffer from any illegality, is on the face of it transparent and is being supervised by a search committee comprising well-known educationists of the country which is working under the guidelines of higher education commission and this court does not find any legal flaw in the course of being adopted by the committee for the purpose.
“No case for interference having been made by the petitioners in the matter, therefore, the instant writ petitions are accordingly dismissed,” the verdict said.
Dr Hassan Amir Shah, Dr Shaukat Ali, Dr Yousaf Hayat Khan, Dr Maqbool Hussain and Dr Bushra Khan filed the petitions. They were not shortlisted for interview by the authorities for, what the government argued before the court, felling lower in the merit list finalised by search committee.
Advocate Anwar Kamal addressed arguments in all petitions. An additional advocate-general, Muhammad Hanif Khatana defended the Punjab government. Higher Education Department Additional Secretary Ms Shama Zia and Deputy Secretary Ghulam Sarwar also appeared in the case.

Muzaffargarh suffers school dropout dilemma

A seminar was on Saturday held to spread awareness about rights of children and highlight their problems. 
They said that marriage in tender age, poverty, education, food, lack of health facilities and unfavourable social situations are main problems of children. So, they said, the government and civil society have to work together to solve these problems. Former EDO Malik Kher Muhammad Budh said in the district 250,000 children are not going to school sent going to school whereas dropout ratio of children from schools is 50pc. He said, “Children are our precious investment. To make their future safe, it is very necessary to implement compulsory education and Labour Laws.” World Vision provincial coordinator Farzana Parveen said that that her organization was doing work for the rehabilitation of flood victims. Mian Noor Ahmad urged the other social organisations to start programmes for the welfare of children. District sports officer Asghar khan Babar suggested that healthy activities should be organised for children. He also announced a grant of 25,000 from district government.

Govt fails to adjust promoted college teachers

The Punjab government s failure to adjust 165 female college teachers after their promotion/ selection as assistant professor, despite a lapse of a couple of months, has been irking the teachers and their family members.

Earlier, the Punjab Higher Education Department had posted hundreds of teachers, both male and female, after their promotion/ selection as assistant professor (BS-18) from Lecturer (BS-17), but many female teachers refused to join and got extension on the pretext that the new place of their posting was not suitable for them. Subsequently, a summary was moved by the department to the Chief Minister s Secretariat, seeking his approval to adjust/post these teachers after conversion and down-gradation of posts, etc.

Sources privy to the developments said that the summary was approved by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif last month but the issue has not yet been resolved. They said the Higher Education Department, in many of the cases, had recommended shifting of posts to adjust the female teachers but the same was tuned down by the Finance Department on the pretext the CM had not approved the same.

The sources said if the government failed to address the issue during the ongoing summer vacation, a large number of colleges of the province would be without teaching faculty, hampering academic activities and causing academic loss to students.

Talking to The News, a number of teachers awaiting postings said the delay was multiplying their troubles as, despite approval of the CM, the teachers were uncertain about their future. They demanded the chief minister take notice of the delay and provide relief to them so that they might resume their duties without any problem. The teachers seeking anonymity said many of the female teachers, after promotion to/ selection in the next grade, were transferred from their previous colleges to far away areas, which did not suit them according to the prevailing socio-economic circumstance.

It is pertinent to mention that the CM had formed a three-member committee comprising Punjab Higher Education secretary Haseeb Athar, provincial Minister for Education Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman and Punjab Law Minister Rana Sana Ullah Khan which had recommended adjustment of female teachers as one-time consideration keeping in view their problems.

A Higher Education Department official, seeking anonymity, said the department had prepared its reply over objection of the Finance Department, and expected that the issue would be resolved soon. However, he added, the teachers were also responsible for their problems. Being government servants, they should go wherever they are sent, he maintained.

When contacted, Higher Education secretary Haseeb Athar said posting of teachers was a regular issue and the department had so far posted around 1,100 teachers after promotion in the ongoing stint. He said the problem surfaces each time a faculty member shows reluctance to be posted as per directions of the department. He, however, claimed that the issue related to posting of the female teachers would be solved within a week. 

Education needs political will


THE recent allocations for education in the budget for 2011-2012 of Sindh (Rs26.80 billion) and Punjab (Rs64 billion) have shown an increase in the education sector. It shows a rise of 15 per cent in Sindh.
However, the fact is that education, despite being on the top priority of each government, practically has not been seen in deprived and wanted areas. Progress is being made but at snail’s pace. So we remain in the position of mark time.
This status quo, though, has never been compromised by the people at the helm of affairs and that is why education, despite its slow progress, always remains a top priority. As a vibrant nation, we are alive to a low literacy rate in the country.
In every subsequent annual budget, therefore, an increase in the allocation of education sector is reflected.
Unfortunately, owing to the telling factors from time to time in the country, the education budget could seldom be utilised in full.
The other factor is that poverty in the country has continued unabated over many decades, therefore the parents, mostly illiterate ones, prefer their children to start doing menial jobs instead of sending them to schools.
Education for all is good, but now the time has come for schools to disseminate quality education. Media and computer in unison have immensely given a great boost to information and knowledge, now easily accessible to many in the country.
In the teaching and learning process new thoughts, approaches and attitudes are being developed rapidly every now and then. Schools can occupy an important place, leading to the spontaneous growth and prosperity of a country if curriculum, textbooks and teaching methodologies are up to date.
Quality schooling for the young ones is essential to create an understanding of the country’s real problems, filtering the process for betterment.
Different segments of society are coming forward in the propagation of education, and some of the chains of reputed educational organisations have set a praiseworthy standard for quality education.
It is pertinent that the HEC, provincial education departments, universities and boards should monitor education activities in the country with the latest techniques and tools. Education needs priority at all times.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

100pc enrolment after vacation:Punjab Eduction minister

PUNJAB Education Minister Mian Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman has claimed that 80 percent target of primary enrolment campaign has been achieved while the rest will be achieved after summer vacation.

He was talking to a thee-member delegation, led by acting British High Commissioner Peter Tibber, which called on the minister regarding Education Sector Reforms Programme. Alistair King and Mr Mackenzi were other members of the delegation.

The education minister and schools secretary informed the delegation about the reforms being made in the education sector. Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman said Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif had declared education and health his top priority.

He said important steps had been taken for improvement of education sector in the province during the last three years which included setting up of computer labs, recruitment of teachers on merit, cash prizes and organizing ceremonies in honour of high achievers, provision of quality education to the poor students in Daanish Schools, establishment of Punjab Educational Endowment Fund, Model Schools and imparting training to the teachers.

The delegation was also informed that political interference had been eliminated in education sector and appointments on all administrative posts had been made on merit through search committees in education department.

The delegation was also told that educational budget was also being spent in a transparent manner. 

SSC Result will be announced on 21 July BISE Lahore

THE Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE), Lahore, will announce the results of matriculation annual examinations 2011 on July 21. BISE controller of exams Prof Manzur ul Hassan Niazi said class 10 result would be announced on July 21 while result of class 9 would be announced on August 4.

Friday, July 1, 2011