Current Final

Tag: education

  • Punjab govt ‘pleased to announce’ school holiday tomorrow due to pink eye

    Punjab govt ‘pleased to announce’ school holiday tomorrow due to pink eye

    Government and private schools across Punjab will remain closed on Thursday after Punjab government issued an alert in the light of increasing cases of the viral infection, pink eye.

    The Punjab Education Department has issued a notification to announce the closure.

    Teachers have been instructed to thoroughly check students at the main entrance of schools from Monday in order to detect any patients suffering from pink eye and stop the spread of the eye infection.

    The Punjab Health Department has reported 85 new cases of conjunctivitis within the past 24 hours.

  • ‘Mastermind’ behind MDCAT cheating scam arrested

    ‘Mastermind’ behind MDCAT cheating scam arrested

    Peshawar police have arrested seven suspects on Friday, including the mastermind “facilitating” cheating in the recent Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT).

    City police issued a statement saying that they had received several complaints of some students cheating via Bluetooth devices and more.

    So far, 74 candidates, including men and women have been arrested and 19 cases have been registered at eight police stations in the provincial capital.

    The police claim to have arrested Zafar Khattak, the alleged mastermind of the scandal following the initiation of a formal investigation — a joint operation by the Peshawar and Kohat police led to the arrest.

    Khattak’s brother, along with Fahad, Fazal Subhan, Arshad, Fazl Wahab and Aminullah have also been arrested; all of whom are said to be highly-educated people.

    Electronic devices have been recovered which are to be sent to the Federal Investigation Agency for forensic examination.

    According to the police, other districts have also recovered 44 devices including microphones, mobile phones and a smart watch.

  • Karachi University Teachers’ Society boycott classes

    Karachi University Teachers’ Society boycott classes

    Karachi University Teachers’ Society (KUTS) held a meeting on Thursday, announcing a boycott of teaching classes from Friday (today), demanding the Chief Minister of Sindh to take immediate notice of the administrative crisis at the University of Karachi.

    Express Tribune spoke with KUTS secretary, Faizan Naqvi, who explained that regular and visiting faculty members have not received their evening program salaries for over a year and a half, and the total amount owed exceeds Rs70 million.

    This means that the evening program is operating at a loss.

    Naqvi highlighted that all university employees are being paid their salaries except for the teachers. Currently, there are around 250 permanent teachers for the part-time evening program.

    Demands

    Karachi University Teachers Association has announced a complete boycott of the teaching process from Friday. The decision to boycott was taken in a general body meeting organised by the teachers association.

    The teachers’ association has also demanded an investigation by the commission for the non-approval of the university budget for six years.

    The participants of the meeting expressed their anger over the appointment of part-time teachers at six hundred rupees per lecture and non-payment of salaries to them for more than six months and a year.

    They demanded that the dues evening classes should be paid in full and on an immediate basis.

    Moreover, they pressed upon the restoration of exemption in MPhil and PhD fees should be restored immediately.

    They highlighted that handling of administrative matters is the responsibility of the Sheikh-ul-Jamia and the management team, not the teachers. That being said, ad hoc Assistant Professor appointment of Ph.D. teachers approved by the syndicate should also be restored.

    The meeting demanded for immediate release of funds for the revival of research in the university; that the budget of the university, which has not been approved for the last six years, is financial corruption and must be investigated by a commission. The hike announced in Budget 2023 should be included in salaries without delay.

  • Senate orders restoration of student unions in Islamabad universities

    Senate orders restoration of student unions in Islamabad universities

    The Senate Standing Committee on Education has approved the Islamabad Capital Student Union Bill 2023.

    The Committee passed Capital Student Union Bill 2023 in ‘principle’ in a meeting held under the chair of Senator Irfan Siddiqui on Wednesday.

    The committee members were asked to submit suggestions in a week.

    Senator Behrmand Tangi stated that “problems” are created with the lack of student unions in educational institutions in the universities. He gave an example of the University of Peshawar which was closed for three months due to protests.

    “The purpose of this bill is to give rights to the students. This is not a political bill. With this bill, the problems of teaching in the university will be solved,” he said.

    Similarly, senator Jam Mehtab Dahar believes that unionisation can reduce student protests in universities.

    A representative of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), however, suggested establishing councils instead of students’ unions.

  • Students pays four lacs to kill exam director for not leaking tests

    Students pays four lacs to kill exam director for not leaking tests

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police have arrested four people, including an employee of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Service Commission (KPPSC) on Tuesday on suspicion of killing a director of the commission, AAJ TV has reported.

    This was confirmed by SSP Operations Kashif Aftab Abbasi. Allegedly a KPPSC employee was also involved.

    Arshad Khan was KPPSC director of the examination.

    The case is still being probed as some suspects have been traced and additionally, mobile data has also been recovered from them.

    According to SSP Abbasi Khan was killed as he did not leak the paper to the students.

    In a post on X (formerly Twitter) journalist Iftikhar Firdous shared an AAJ TV clip reporting that the student paid Rs400,000 to a target killer to kill the Director Examination.

    Case

    Arshad Khan was shot on July 24 while he was on his way to Peshawar from Charsadda.

    He died on the spot from bullet wounds.

    At the time, police was unable to find the reason for the murder while the body was shifted to a hospital for post-mortem examination.

  • MDCAT results withheld by Peshawar High Court

    MDCAT results withheld by Peshawar High Court

    Results of the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) have been withheld on the orders of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday following petitions filed by students in the light of cases of cheating via Bluetooth devices in examination halls.

    The court issued orders to the chief secretary, executive director of the Education Test and Evaluation Agency (ETEA), and the registrar of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) to provide responses regarding these allegations.

    The court has asked the Education Test and Evaluation Agency (ETEA) to not publish the official results on its website for now as the investigation is underway.

    The hearing was chaired by Justice Syed Arshad Ali who passed orders that the online release of the results must be halted till September 21, the date of the next hearing.

    The case

    Dozens of candidates had been caught cheating in the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) MDCAT exams conducted in a number of cities on Sunday.

    Over 40 candidates, including 20 female candidates, were arrested in Peshawar while 10 were taken into custody in DI Khan.
    All of the detainees were said to be using Bluetooth to cheat in the test. And as reported by Geo, DI Khan police sources claimed that VIP passes were issued to the candidates for which a hefty amount was paid to take the exam through dishonest means.

    Students and parents filed complaints to the Human Rights Cell in Peshawar regarding the results and integrity of the system which were then sent to the PHC chief justice.

    The applicants asserted that approximately 200 students were caught using Bluetooth devices during the examination.

  • Drugs recovered from principal’s house charged with raping, blackmailing women

    Drugs recovered from principal’s house charged with raping, blackmailing women

    Drugs recovered from principal’s house charged with raping, blackmailing women

    A case has been filed against the principal at the Steeltown police station on the complaint of the sub-inspector.

    Previously, the principal was taken into custody after allegations of raping and blackmailing women after videos of the rapes appeared on social media.

    The principal has reportedly admitted to raping women after promising them job opportunities, then recording their videos to blackmail them.

    Additionally, it was made known that the school was not registered with the relevant authority, functioning without any legal status. Consequently, it has been sealed.

  • 31 cities accommodate more than 180,000 MDCAT candidates

    31 cities accommodate more than 180,000 MDCAT candidates

    Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) conducted this year’s MDCAT on Sunday. The paper-based exam took place in centres across the country.

    PMDC President Professor Dr Rizwan Taj said that a total of 180,534 students from Pakistan appeared in the MDCAT exam. 180,151 registered candidates appeared in national venues whereas 382 candidates appeared at two international centres; 185 candidates in Dubai and 197 candidates in Saudi Arabia.

    Punjab hosted 66,875 candidates, Sindh 40,528, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 46439, Balochistan 9,230, Gilgit 926, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 4,036 and Islamabad 12,118.

    The candidates were accommodated in 31 different cities including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Sahiwal, Sialkot, DG Khan, Sargodha, Gujrat, Faisalabad, Karachi, Jamshoro, Dera Ismail Khan, Malakand, Nawabshah, Swat, Swabi, Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat, Bannu, Abbottabad, Quetta, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, Huripur, Larkana, Mansehra, and Mirpur.

    Dr. Taj pointed that special assistance had been provided to candidates with special needs or handicaps to fill out answer sheets.

    As per the spokesperson of the Sindh Medical University, MDCAT results will come out after around one week.

  • Principal rape scandal: is it part of a bigger conspiracy?

    Principal rape scandal: is it part of a bigger conspiracy?

    As stated by the investigating authorities, the police has not been been able to find any victim in the rape scandal of the principal of a private school located in Gulshan-e-Hadeed area of Karachi.

    Jang reports that according to the investigating authorities, the mobile phone of the victim who approached the court yesterday is switched off since yesterday.

    It has been decided by the police to take help from the FIA Cyber Crime Wing for technical support. The DVR of the school and the mobile phone of the principal have been sent to Lahore for forensics.

    Investigating authorities have disclosed that the owner of the CCTV installation company in the school has been detained.

    Moreover, no evidence has been found supporting the culprit’s claim that he was blackmailed by the technician who installed the CCTV.

    Court hearing

    The principal has been remanded to police custody for seven days by the Judicial Magistrate Malir after he was produced before the court on Tuesday.

    Express Tribune reported that the court asked the investigating officer (IO), “Who is Irfan, and has a statement been extracted from the accused?” To which the IO stressed on a thorough inquiry of the suspect and procuring more evidence.

    It has also been revealed that more than 45 women have been identified in connection with the case. Irfan allegedly blackmailed the women in order to commit these crimes.

    The public prosecutor contended that the case is indicative of a planned scheme.

    The IO has requested a forensic analysis of the mobile phone recovered from the accused while the court approved a seven-day physical remand of the principal while also requiring a report from the IO at the next hearing.

    School sealed

    IGM Education System School has been sealed on the order of Additional Director of Registration for Private Institutions in Sindh Professor Rafia Javed. This step was prompted by Provincial Education Minister Madam Rana Hussain. The school was reportedly unregistered.

    The focus at the moment is to ensure the fulfilment of educational interests of the children from this school. Private educational institutions close by have been directed to accommodate the students.

    The process of the admission will be assisted by a five-member committee, established by Professor Rafia, which will work with the parents of the students.

    According to the Express Tribune, the committee is chaired by Abdul Sattar Memon, Director of Private Schools and the Secretary is Gulab Rai, Deputy Director of Private Schools. The committee will be available on September 6, 2023 at 9am at Abdalien School in Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Phase II.

    Parents have been urged to reach out to the committee to get their children admission in other schools and ensure that their education is not deferred.

  • ‘Impressive, beautiful’: Social media lauds Shehzad Roy for introducing music education at Zindagi Trust school

    ‘Impressive, beautiful’: Social media lauds Shehzad Roy for introducing music education at Zindagi Trust school

    Is there anything Shehzad Roy can’t do? A phenomenal singer, pro at the youthful glow (we’re still convinced he’s a vampire) and a philanthrope working towards changing the education system of Pakistan are just proof that he’s the G.O.A.T.

    Recently the singer wowed social media with a new education initiative at his Zindagi Trust where students from working class families are given the best education. A clip, showing three young students playing violins in the music program of Fatima Jinnah government school, has gone viral.

    “This isn’t an elite private school,” the ‘Laga Re’ singer wrote. “It’s Fatima Jinnah government school adopted by @ZindagiTrust Here V also run a world-class music program in professionally designed studios. Young girls play everything from Beethoven to Eastern classical & there is no fee. We are driving change.”

    The short clip has recieved praise from politicians like Sherry Rehman and other social media users who attended institutions run by Zindagi Trust, confirming that the organisation was making sure their students are well provided for, and are giving them quality education.

    Digital Rights activist Hija Kamran wrote:

    “As an all-time fan of ZindagiTrust, I just want to say that this particular school can easily beat elite private schools based on how it looks, managed and taken care of. I miss the few mornings I spent here for work. Did you know that they also have their own vegetable garden?”

    Another user wrote:

    “I’ve been to the Fatima Jinnah School on two occasions: once to judge an inter-class dramatics competition (in which a Chacha Chakkan rendition was particularly delightful) and once to judge oratory. Roy and his team are doing such good work there—and they keep aiming higher!”

    Social media users lauded how the education initiative continued to take progressive steps that even private schools could not provide, and hoped more schools could introduce arts programs to their students.