Karachi Blog

The Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) has declared some remote areas of the metropolis as highly sensitive for examination centres for the SSC Part-II examinations, sources in the education department disclosed.

The city areas, declared sensitive include Orangi Town, Korangi, Landhi, Gushan-e-Hadeed, some examination centres in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Lyari, Dumba Goth and other far-flung areas. These complaints were lodged by Sharf-uz-Zaman of Private School Management Association to the Controller of Examination. He also requested Special Vigilant Team for conducting raid to various examination centres of the metropolis.

The report presented to the Controller of Examination revealed that students were being harassed and the conduct of examination was not transparent. In their report, an SVT headed by Sharf-uz-Zaman, Abu Fazal Rahim and Mohammad Umer said that they received complains about the examination centre No-40 Pre-Grammar School Sector-16 Gulshan-e-Ahbab, Orangi Town that students were being harassed by the invigilators.

The SVT reached the said centre but were not initially allowed by the invigilators to visit the centre. After a protest, the team was allowed to enter the centre where they found a classroom locked from inside. The SVT found five students solving their papers in the room.

The SVT also learnt that students who do not accept the ‘golden offer’ will go first for a thorough body search by the personnel of law-enforcement agencies deployed at the gate. These students have to go under another body search by the invigilators and then by the principal himself.

The report disclosed that policemen patrolling in the examination rooms and corridors with TT pistols in their hands were a constant source of harassment for the students. It added that those who accepted the ‘golden offer’ and prepared to cooperate were taken to separate rooms and allowed to solve their papers there with complete freedom of cheating.

The written complaints against Royal Educational Grammar School, Orangi, Little Flower’s English Secondary School, Ghaziabad, Prime Model Secondary School, Aziz Millat High School, Orangi, were also received for encouraging unfair means in the examinations.

KARACHI: The Senate of the Federal Urdu University (FUU), Karachi in its meeting on Thursday has decided to appoint a high-profile committee comprising former Vice Chancellor (VC), Dr Ittefaq Ali, ex-registrar, Dr Aslam Farukhi, University of Karachi and Justice (retd) Ghous Mohammad to supervise the affairs of the university. The meeting was chaired by Aftab Ahmed Khan, who directed the acting VC of FUU to follow the instructions of the newly appointed committee. The senate has also decided to send the registrar of the university, whose appointment was found illegal, on a forced leave for three months.

The Adviser to the Chief Minister Sindh for Information Technology (IT), Nauman Saigal, has announced that the smart green energy project has been functional from Thursday. He said this while presiding over a meeting of the EDO of IT at his office. The representatives of the German firm FESH, who have invested in this project, were also present on the occasion.

In a press release issued on Thursday, Saigal said that the project will assist to generate solar energy through automation process which will provide cheap electricity to the people. Describing the project, he added that it will help to overcome the increasing demand of electricity in the prevailing crisis. He told the EDO present in the meeting that the project is a pilot enterprise and will provide electricity to small villages and far flung areas which are deprived of electricity. He also ordered IT sectors of every district to educate the area people.

Saigal stressed the need to obtain services of different banks and leasing companies to process easy loans to the low income class, enabling them to avail the facilty of the smart green energy project.

Karachi: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has initiated a Plagiarism Detection Cell that will monitor all the PhD theses and research publication by checking them against the international literature.

According to the HEC, it will acquire high quality software, which will automatically compare the materials against the existing international literature and quickly point out the plagiarised items. The past several decades have seen many cases of plagiarism in Pakistan but no action was taken due to unavailability of any special equipment that can check plagiarism.

The HEC has adopted a zero tolerance policy and instructed the universities to take strict action against faculty members involved in plagiarism by suspending them from service. In this regard, action has already been taken against some faculty members of the International Islamic University, Islamabad and Government College University Lahore. The HEC has warned the universities that if they fail to take disciplinary action against plagiarism, their financial aid will be discontinued.

Karachi: The first International Brain Research Organisation (IBRO) Associate School of Neuroscience that began on Sunday will usher Pakistan in the league of 112 nations, which are members of the IBRO, in trying to explore the mystery of human brain.

The Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Karachi, Prof. Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui said while welcoming the participants at the inaugural session of the IBRO School of Neuroscience. The event is being held at the auditorium of the International Centre of Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS). The six-day school is jointly organised by Dr Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research (PCMD), University of Karachi and Aga Khan University.

The VC expressed hope that the young scientists who will be trained in the IBRO School will be able to teach others in the field of neuroscience. The establishment of a Brain Bank was on the anvil and the neuroscientists can solve the unanswered problems of the brain after examining the brain tissue cultures. All the endevour in the field of neuroscience will be supported by the IBRO. The stress factor in Pakistan had increased manifold and the stress-related diseases such as Schizophrenia, Alzheimer and Parkinson’s in, which neurons in the brain were degenerated and the brain stops to function normally. The IBRO School will work to find solutions to check advancement in these diseases.

The holding of regular IBRO Schools for the students of neuroscience (MD and PhD) locally and internationally will be possible after the first IBRO School in Pakistan. The Pakistan Society of Basic and Neuroscience (PASBAN) that will look after all the developments going on in the field of neuroscience was launched after the inaugural session.

The acting Director, PCMD, Dr Iqbal Choudhary pointed out that the brain is too complex organ to be handle by one individual or even one organisation. The best way to know the vast but unknown last frontier of the brain was to pool the resources both locally and internationally. Scientists from various fields can research and share their knowledge to get better results in solving the brain puzzles.

Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world and stress had induced Epilepsy in 10 persons out of a total of 1000, while the world average was five persons out of 1000. It is a dangerous sign and the development in the field of neuroscience can check the advancement of the disease.

The Chairman IBRO, Switzerland, Prof. Laurence Garey, the chief guest spoke about the advantages of studying and enhancing the knowledge of neuroscience. The Chairman, Aga Khan University Research Council, Dr Zulfiqar Bhutta talked about the foetal and child mortality in Pakistan, which is at rise due to stress and malnutrition of the mother during pregnancy. Dr Ather Enam, Professor of Neurology highlighted the necessity of enlarging the scope of the neuroscience in Pakistan.

KARACHI: The Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST) has decided to conduct Bachelors and Masters examinations for the external candidates and the university syndicate has also approved the decision.

Dr Syed Kamaluddin, Vice Chancellor (in-charge) of the university broke this news while talking to a few journalists in his office, on Wednesday. The proposed examinations will be held in mid October and the registration will begin from April 20.

The culture of ad-hocism, according to the VC, has been eradicated and the Registrar, Deputy Registrar and Deputy Controller of Examinations and other non-teaching staff have been appointed after holding the meetings of the Selection Board.

The VC was flanked by Muhammad Abdul Aleem the Registrar, Prof Waqar ul Haque, the Controller of Examinations, Samra Zameer, the Deputy Registrar during his conversation with the reporters.

The VC said that the examinations for the external candidates were discontinued in the university due to the shortage of staff and the tendency of cheating among the students. Now the presence of adequate staff will allow the holding of such examinations while the method of codification of the examination scripts will reduce the possibility of cheating.

ìThe teachers will have to check the copies in a centre within the university instead of taking them to their homes and the results will be announced within three months. The employees of the university will not be allowed to take these examinations to preserve transparencyî the VC informed the media.

ìThe changes have been brought about after the consultation and advice from Prof Attaur Rahman, Chairman, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to end the uncertainty in the university.î Prof Waqar, the Controller of Examinations said that special vigilance teams will be constituted to check the cheating menace and the Rangers personnel will be put on guard.

KARACHI: The Examinations Department, University of Karachi has announced the schedule of Practical Examinations 2006, for the left-over candidates of B.Sc (Pass) First and Second Year Statistics.

According to the schedule, practical I will be held on March 19, practical-II on March 20, practical-III on March 21 and practical-IV on March 22. The tests will be held at the department of Statistics, University of Karachi at 9:00 a.m. The candidates must report on the date to the Chairman, department of Statistics, along with a payment receipt of Rs 250 per practical and original admit card.

The supplementary examinations of B.Sc Occupational Therapy Part-II will be held this month. According to a KU notification, the paper of Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation Paper-II will be conducted on Saturday, March 17, Occupational Therapy Treatment and Clinical Practice on Monday, March 19 and Surgery-II will be held on Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at the Department of Islamic Studies from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Meanwhile, the BSc (Pass) first year and second year’s Zoology practical examination for the leftover candidates will be held at the department of Zoology from March 22 to March 31. The practical exams will commence from 11:00am.

The BSc (Pass) first year and second year’s Botany practical examinations for the leftover candidates will be held at the department of Botany from March 22 to March 31. The practical exams will commence from 11:00am.

KARACHI: The university has extended the date for the submission of enrolment forms for MA students up to March 10 with a late fee of Rs500.

The exam forms and fee for BEd Supplementary Exams-2006 could be submitted in the respective colleges from March 03 to 13, without late fee.

Schedule for BA (Pass) First Year Library Science Practical-I for different colleges have been announced by the varsity. The practical exams of DA Degree College for Women will be arranged on March 05, Govt Girls College, Block M, North Nazimabad will have its practical on March 08, Abdullah Govt Girls College on March 09, Sir Syed Govt Girls College on March 12 and 13, St Lawrence Govt Girls College on March 15 while the Govt Girls College Saudabad on March 16 and 19.

KARACHI: The Board of Secondary Education (BSE) has announced the schedule of Class X annual examination, 2007. The exam will commence from April 17, 2007. English (Compulsory) paper I will be held on the first day, English (Compulsory) Paper II will be held on April 18; Pakistan Studies on April 19; Islamiat (Compulsory) on April 21, Chemistry (Theory, Class X) on April 23, Urdu Normal Course, Urdu Easy and Pakistan Geography paper II (for Foreign students) will be held on April 24. Biology (Theory Class X) on April 25, Mathematics on April 28, Computer Studies (Theory, Class X) on April 30, Physics (Theory) on May 2 and Sindhi Easy, Sindhi Normal, Urdu alternative in lieu of Sindhi compulsory, English Literature Compulsory in lieu of Sindhi Compulsory and Geography of Pakistan Paper I (for foreign students) will be held on May 3, 2007. The timings for the examination are from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

KARACHI: Vice Chancellor University of Karachi Prof Pirzada Qasim has said that Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai is not only a literary genius, but he encompassed a personality that seldom comes about for centuries.

He was delivering his presidential speech at the books launching ceremony, organised by the Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai Chair, University of Karachi, at a local hotel on Thursday. Prof Qasim spoke highly of the Sindhi language and literature that excelled in its sweetness and beauty of words structure, which captivates the readers.

“Bhittai’s unparalleled mastery of Sindhi language has always been recognised by the people who have good literary taste and books written on his accomplishments by authors, translators and others had contributed a precious literature to the already rich Sindhi literature,” he said.