Category: Education

Punjab govt urged to immediately notify free and compulsory Education Act 2014

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Highlighting the significance of girls education towards nation building, stakeholders at an advocacy forum have called for allocating a substantial chunk of annual budget for girls quality education particularly at secondary level in Punjab as it would contribute a lot towards ensuring educated women population, a guarantee to economic and social stability.

The advocacy forum was arranged by the Awaz CDS Pakistan here with a major focus to highlight the importance of girls quality education at secondary level, get input from experts and stakeholders, and push the government to increase budgetary chunk in the upcoming provincial annual budget for this important sector.

Chief Executive Awaz CDS Pakistan Zia ur Rahman, Punjab MPAs Raheela Khadam Hussain (PML-N) and Ayesha Iqbal (PTI), Mina Umer Hayat from Human Rights & Minorities Affairs Department Punjab, Additional Secretary (Budget & Planning) School Education Department Punjab Qaiser Rasheed, Director General (Parliamentary Affairs & Research) Punjab Assembly Inayat Ullah Lak, Coordinator National Commission for Human Right Punjab Muhammad Khalid and NGOs attended the event.

In his opening remarks, Zia ur Rahman highlighted the significance of girls quality secondary education and explained the grey areas in the way of girls education in Punjab.

He urged the Punjab government to immediately notify the Punjab Free and Compulsory Education Act 2014 which was approved earlier. He stressed for increasing development budgets in school education as developments budgets are only being distributed to PEF and PEIMA rather development budgets needs to be utilized for the development of public schools especially for girls, where missing facilities and accessibility is still a major challenge. He also called for mainstreaming the people living with disability and transgender community to make education accessible for them.

During the discussion, Punjab MPAs Rahila Khadim and Ayesha Iqbal assured that efforts would be made to get this education Act notified without any delay as education is priority of all political parties.

Ayesha Iqbal suggested to take all PEIMA and PEF schools under one umbrella to minimize the expenses on bureaucracy and other unnecessary expenditures. It will also help in making systems accountable, she rearked.

In her remarks, MPA Raheela Khadam Hussain endorsed the girls education is not getting the level of seriousness required to ensure quality education for girls in the province.
In his remarks, Mian Umer Hayat said that their department is constantly working on this sector and said that they would make extensive efforts to sensitize more and more people on girls education in order to minimize girls schools drop out ratio.

Giving her input on the issue, Marium Amjad Khan, Campaign Manager-Awaz CDS-Pakistan, pointed out hindrances towards girls education particularly gender disparity, lack of accessibility, low budget, teachers improper training. She emphasized the need for putting extra efforts in education sector from allocations to spending especially in the post-Covid situation where the number of OOSC has already been exacerbated.

NCHR Punjab Coordinator Muhammad Khalid also shared his concern over this much delay in the notification of Act. He further committed to spread awareness among communities regarding this Act as awareness raising is one of their key mandates to support communities.

A panel discussion was also held which was joined by representatives of NGOs, media, teachers, head mistresses, members of Schools Council and lawyers. They highlighted the girls education as a grey sector which is affecting the national progress. They emphasized for immediate focus on the part of both public as well as private sectors so that girls quality education is ensured for socio-economic .

 

Lahore (Nut Desk)   A two-day workshop on “Substance-Induced Disorders” was organized from at Centre for Learning and Cultural Development at Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore. The aim of the workshop was to orientate the participants about disorders stimulated by substance abuse. Speaking at the workshop, Dr. Amir Mirza, a specialist in the substance-induced domain, shared how depressive, anxiety, psychotic, or manic symptoms occur as a physiological consequence of the use of substances of abuse or medications. The students of Professional Certification in Clinical Psychology participated in the workshop that was organized and supervised by Ms. Rukhsana Mehmood, a Clinical Psychologist and Course Facilitator of PCCP. While speaking at the occasion Director of Kinnaird Centre for Learning and Cultural Development Ms Maha Jamil said KCLCD is is imparting Quality Education among students with real time experience and Exposure of the industry based Knowledge. She also thanked the facilitators of The Workshop Session with token of Honorary Certificate.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Lahore Central Business District Development Authority (LCBDDA) also known as Central Business District (CBD) Punjab organised an on-site open house session for the final year students of Architecture Department from Beaconhouse National University. Young & inspiring architects were given a detailed tour of the site with a briefing about the project during their visit. The Technical Directorate of LCBDDA arranged a special session and briefed the students on how to bring forward their architectural perspectives and highlighted the positive aspects of the future in this degree. LCBDDA is profound towards the betterment and development of the country and considers the youth to be the future’s driving force. CEO-LCBDDA, Mr. Imran Amin while sharing his views about the visit said ‘’We at LCBDDA are always keen to facilitate the youth by giving them hands-on experience in the professional environment and improving their professional careers as they are pacemakers and future of Pakistan. CBD Punjab has a strong belief in providing youth a beacon of opportunities where they get life-changing experiences to grow further”. The students were quite excited to get the on-site learning experience. LCBDDA has not only facilitated the youth in the architectural learning or construction sector but also in the fields of IT, Marketing, Finance and Human Resource. CBD Punjab has always strengthened its core mission by adding dynamically to the development of the country. Every step that CBD Punjab has taken is directly proportional to the increasing rate of the country’s economic growth.

Beaconhouse Founder Nasreen Kasuri honoured with SDPI’s Living Legend Award for unmatched services in education

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) In a ceremony held at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad, Mrs. Nasreen Mahmud Kasuri, Founder and Chairperson of Beaconhouse Group, has been presented with the honorary Living Legend Award by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in recognition of her invaluable role towards the development of the education sector in Pakistan over four and a half decades.

The award ceremony was moderated by Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director at SDPI and hosted a panel of distinguished speakers, including Shahid Hafeez Kardar, former Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan and Vice-Chancellor of Beaconhouse National University (BNU); Salima Hashmi, art curator, and former Dean of the National College of Arts; Dr Feriha Peracha, Director and Supervising Psychologist at Sabaoon Project; Sartaj Aziz, former Federal Minister and former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of Pakistan; Dr Ishrat Hussain, former Dean and Director Institute of Business Administration (IBA) and Chairman of the National Commission of Government Reforms; Dr Salman Shah, former Finance Minister of Pakistan and advisor to the Chief Minister of Punjab and Ambassador (retired) Shafqat Kakakhel, former UN Assistant Secretary General and Chairperson of SDPI. The award ceremony was attended by prominent diplomats, media persons, and representatives from the education sector.

On behalf of the Institute, Ambassador (retd) Shafqat Kakakhel, the former UN Assistant Secretary-General and Chairperson of SDPI Board of Governors, presented the award to Mrs Kasuri at the event.

SDPI’s Living Legend Award is bestowed upon those visionary individuals, who have achieved excellence in diverse fields, including sustainable development, educational and cultural advancement, and the promotion of democratic governance, justice and human rights. The selection of the award recipients is done without any political, ethnic, denominational or gender-based considerations.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Shafqat Kakakhel lauded the role of the living legend for introducing the quality learning system in Pakistan 46 years ago through the Beaconhouse School System. He said: “We have gathered here to pay tributes to Mrs. Nasreen Mahmud Kasuri in recognition of her outstanding and unique contributions to the promotion of high-quality education from primary up to the higher secondary and even university levels in Pakistan.

Speaking at the occasion, Mrs. Kasuri said, “I am truly honored to receive this acknowledgement from SDPI. It brings me great pride to see what started as a vision to provide quality education to the children of Pakistan over four decades ago is setting new benchmarks today. It has been a lifetime of learning for me and inculcating values of learning onto thousands of whom have passed out from the Beaconhouse system over the years. Education is fundamental for nation building and I remain committed to offering the skills needed to stand proud and play a role in the future of a prosperous Pakistan.”

Mrs. Nasreen Mahmud Kasuri established Les Anges Montessori Academy in Lahore in 1975 and set the foundation for the Beaconhouse network which has now developed into Pakistan’s largest setup of private educational institutions catering to over 315,000 students. Employing 62 percent women at Beaconhouse, Mrs. Kasuri’s role has remained pivotal in women empowerment in Pakistan in addition to quality education, offering these women economic opportunities and financial independence. In 2006, she was awarded the Sitaara-e-Eisaar by the Government of Pakistan for her philanthropic contributions to society.

SDPI, established under the Pakistan National Conservation Strategy, is a non-profit organization that serves as a source of expertise for policy analysis and development, policy intervention, and policy programme advisory. The institute focuses on strengthening civil society through research and collaborations, and keeps the country’s development as its top agenda. Through this award, SDPI has earlier extended its gratitude to Madam Nisar Aziz Butt, Agha Nasir, Munnu Bhai, Mr. Shoaib Sultan Khan, Mr Iftikhar Arif, Mr Sartaj Aziz, and Syed Babar Ali Shah.

This recognition for Mrs. Nasreen Mahmud Kasuri by SDPI is a tribute to her efforts towards building generations of young Pakistani men and women into educated, progressive individuals.

 

FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan Limited (FCEPL) has organized a seminar on “Dairy is for life” at Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) in Multan to commemorate World Milk Day.

Karachi (Nut Desk) Speakers at the seminar highlighted the importance of milk in the nutrition of daily lives including various aspects of its consumption for the treatment of malnutrition among adults and senior citizens and the phenomenon of stunted growth among growing kids in the country.

The event was addressed by distinguished academicians and experts including Vice Chancellor (VC) of Bahauddin Zakariya University Prof. Dr. Mansoor Akbar Kundi along with former DG Prof Dr Nuzhat Huma, National Institute of Food Science and Technology, Prof Dr Khalil Ahmed Gul, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Nishtar Hospital, Multan, Prof Dr Hakoomat Ali, Dean Faculty of Agriculture, Prof Dr Saeed Akhtar, Director Institute of Food Science and Nutrition, Dr Muhammad Tauseef Sultan, Associate Prof, IFSN, Prof Dr M. Riaz, President Academic Staff, BZU, Dr M. Hanif, Chairman Dept of Economics, Col. Azhar Nadeem Buzdar, Manager, FCEPL, Mr Ahmed Zubair Mughal, Head Research and Development, FCEPL, Prof Dr Abdul Raheem, Islamic Studies, Mr Javed Iqbal, CEO, Doaba Foundation, Prof Dr Umar Farooq, Chairman Dept of Food Sciences, Prof Dr M. Zubair, Dean Faculty of Pharmacy, BZU, Prof Dr M Umar, Social Sciences, Dr M. Farooq, Director Quality Enhancement, BZU, Mr Shahid Mubeen, Quality Manager, Volka Foods, Dr Farukh Arsalan Siddiqui, Gen Sec, ASA BZU.

The seminar concluded with the MoU signing ceremony between FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan Limited (FCEPL) and Bahauddin Zakariya University. Under the MoU, various programs will be launched to promote the dairy sector which will include an internship program for the graduates of the university at FECPL, a health champions program for the professionals at the university, and the collaboration between the university and FCEPL for promoting research and publications for the dairy sector.

On the occasion, Dr. Muhammad Nasir, GM Regulatory and Scientific Affairs at FCEPL said, “The world is moving towards a new age of industrialization. The need for learning and developing skills are expanding at a swift pace. Coordinated efforts between educational institutions and the private sector need to be leveraged. Through this MoU, we aim to bridge the research gap for the dairy sector development.”

Prof. Dr. Mansoor Akbar Kundi, Vice-Chancellor Bahaduddin Zakariya University, said “Together with FrieslandCampina we will undertake various engagement activities which include joint research projects, a faculty externship program, dairy research scholarships, and awareness seminars. The collective aim is to grow together and reap the benefits for the awareness of the society.”

The daylong seminar also included various learning and engagement activities for the students. At the end, teachers, students, and experts participated in an awareness walk to mark World Milk Day.

The global event was established by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations to recognize the importance of milk as a global food, and to celebrate the dairy sector every 1st of June. Each year since, the benefits of milk and dairy products have been actively promoted around the world, including how dairy supports the livelihoods of one billion people.

Two Pakistani teams to compete in the Huawei ICT Competition 2021-2022 Global Finals.

• Pakistani teams ranked first and second place in the 5th Huawei ICT Competition Middle East.
• 8 teams from the Middle East will compete in the global event held in Shenzhen, China in June.

Pakistan (Nut Desk) Two Pakistani teams are participating in the global finals of the Huawei ICT Cometption 2021-2022 to be held in June and taking place in Shenzhen, China. Ranked in first and second place in the 5th Huawei ICT Competition Middle East region which was held in partnership with Higher Education Commission Pakistan, the teams will now proceed to the Global Finals in Shenzhen, China in June, part of an eight-team delegation that will represent the Middle East at the global competition. The event will be streamed live to a worldwide audience.

Huawei ICT Competition 2021-2022 is the culmination of a one-year journey that started in June2021, beginning with the national preliminary competition followed by the national finals and, finally, the regional finals. This year’s competition provided training and competition tracks in advanced technologies such as intelligent applications, cloud computing and big data. Worldwide, over 125,000 students, 2,000 universities and 85 countries/regions participated in this year’s contest.

The Pakistan team ranked in first place included Bhagchand Meghwar and Sateesh Kumar from Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro, Syeda Iqra Fatima from Islamiya University Bahawalpur, and Faheem Yar Khuhawar from Mehran University of Engineering & Technology. The Pakistan team ranked in second place included Hafiz Muhammad Rizwan from Government College University, Faisalabad, Adnan Ali from Virtual University, Islamabad, Mukhtar Memon from Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro and Muhammad Salman from UET Lahore, Al-Khawarizmi Institute Of computer Science.

Mark Meng , CEO Huawei Pakistan said, “We are delighted with returning to the physical-style ICT competition where we again celebrate innovation and creativity. As digital transformation accelerates, we want to support the communities where we serve with the opportunity and platforms to develop impactful technologies that will change lives. Teams from Jordan and Pakistan made it to the podium in last year’s global competition finals and we are confident our teams from Pakistan will perform as admirably this year.”

The Huawei Innovation Competition was held for the second consecutive year parallel to the ICT Competition. The Innovation Competition empowers undergraduate students and their teachers to use innovative technologies – such as artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and big data – to create valuable and impactful applications for society.

With the theme of “Connection, Glory, Future,” the Huawei ICT competition bridges the gap between Huawei and universities/colleges, education, and the ICT industry, students and enterprises’ talent requirements, and promotes competition, learning, and development. The competition provides an international stage for up-and-coming students, giving them recognition, and raising the industry’s profile of teachers and universities/colleges. The contest allows participants to grow in the process, improve the start point of their career, benefit from digital technologies, and develop towards a better future.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) The Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi, and University of Utah (UU) as a partner of USAID, signed an agreement to facilitate the implementation of capacity-building activities under the Higher Education System Strengthening Activity (HESSA) project. The signing ceremony was held at the IBA Main Campus. 

Dr. S Akbar Zaidi, Executive Director, IBA, and Dr. Aslam Chaudhry, Research Professor, Dept. of Economics and Chief of Party, USAID/Pakistan HESSA Project, University of Utah, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective institutions. 

The IBA team included, Dr. Saima Husain, Assistant Professor and Director QEC; Dr. Shakeel Khoja, Dean, School of Mathematics and Computer Science; Dr. Asma Hyder, Dean, School of Economics and Social Sciences; Dr. Abdullah Zafar Sheikh, Professor, School of Business Studies; and other faculty members. The UU was represented by Mr. Naveed Ali, Admin and Finance Manager, USAID/HESSA. 

Dr. Saima Husain apprised the audience about the HESSA project, explaining that the UU has been awarded a grant by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement the HESSA Project in Pakistan. The HESSA Project will provide technical assistance to several Pakistani universities in delivering high-quality, market-driven education and research. Furthermore, IBA, Karachi has been selected as one of the HESSA partner universities in its Tier 1 category. This project will primarily focus on facilitating public-sector universities. 

Under this collaboration, HESSA intends to provide capacity-building support to the IBA in areas including, leadership development including women leadership, strategic planning, resource mobilization, institutional governance, faculty development, curriculum reform and modernization, research management, and student support. 

Welcoming Dr. Chaudhry, Dr. Zaidi said that out of around 245 public-sector universities in Pakistan, the IBA was one of the five institutions to be selected from the top tier universities. Under the program, around thirty IBA faculty members will be mentored in areas including, leadership, academic and research management. Dr. Zaidi further added that as a leading public-sector institution, the IBA can play the role of a mentor and facilitate other universities in terms of pedagogy and academic best practices. 

Dr. Chaudhry stated that under this project, five universities had been selected in each of the three tiers, and together these fifteen universities will work with the higher education system and collaborate to develop strengths and overcome challenges. He said that the project will be targeted towards developing the leadership, faculty development and students support services. 

 

 

 

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) UNDP Pakistan, in collaboration with the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi, has initiated a pilot study on urban resilience for Karachi’s informal communities of Azam Basti and Rehri Goth. The project seeks to strengthen the inclusion and resilience of migrants, displaced people, and host communities in informal urban settlements across four dimensions: livelihoods, participatory urban planning and development, social cohesion, and climate change adaptation.

As part of this study, a Challenge Cup was held in Karachi to identify innovative community solutions to urban resilience challenges. This Challenge Cup – the second of two in a series – followed a competition-based process with the participation of the residents of Rehri Goth and Azam Basti. The themes aligned with the competition were water sanitation, education, women employment and livelihood, environment, and basic amenities and services. The adjudication panel comprised of Mr. Umer Malik, Policy Analyst, UNDP; Mr. Azfar Hussain, Program Manager, NIC Karachi; Ms. Saman Jafri, former MNA and consultant UNICEF and Ms. Hira Malik, a consultant for Meta and program manager for FEMPROW.

A panel talk was also organized at the event by the implementing partner, Concepts Unlimited, and included Ms. Aqsa Javed, IBA; Ms. Zehra Mehdi, K-Electric; and Mr. Nadeem Sheikh; WWF Pakistan. The panel explored the problems faced by the informal settlements in Karachi and ways in which they can be addressed through community ownership and the active participation of all relevant stakeholders involved.

A day prior to the event, a rigorous bootcamp was also conducted to refine the ideas and model them with reference to sustainability, social impact, inclusion, and community initiatives. Mentors were invited to aid this, and included Mr. Adeil Durvesh, CEO ParhaoSabaq and Learningbite; Ms. Hira Wajahat, Stimulus; Ms. Huma Jabeen, Educationist; and Mr. Sadeed Mirza, Trainer and Coach, Social Enterprises.

Ms. Ammara Durrani, Assistant Resident Representative and Chief, Development Policy Unit, UNDP Pakistan, in her address to the audience, emphasized the importance of innovation and co-creation in bolstering urban resilience in Pakistan. Dr. S Akbar Zaidi, Executive Director, IBA Karachi and Lead Investigator of the UNDP-IBA research study, highlighted the role of data-driven approaches in development studies and policy initiatives and the important role played by academic institutions to achieve the same. Mr. Ghulam Mohiuddin Asim, Program Director, Sindh SDGs Unit by Government of Sindh, appreciated the collaboration of UNDP, IBA and Government of Sindh on this project. He was particularly impressed by the community eagerness to do well for their neighborhoods and their willingness to spend personal time and energy in improving their surroundings.

The themes for the first and second Challenge cup were informed by research work carried out by IBA Karachi and UNDP Pakistan in the informal settlements of Rehri Goth and Azam Basti. This challenge Cup will prove itself pivotal towards enhancing the quality of life in these settlements. This would specifically contribute towards developing social cohesion, economic independence, and urban resilience in some of Karachi’s most deserving informal communities, with the aim to shape the way forward for future interventions.

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

A one day workshop on Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Nutrition was conducted at Kinnaird College on 23rd May 2022. The workshop was organized by Kinnaird Centre for Learning and Cultural Development. Students of Food and Nutrition department participated in the workshop. Dr Sidra Farooqi from Shalamar Medical and Dental College led the seminar which concluded with students having an insightful understanding of the topic. The session was interactive and the participants had a good time asking questions from Medicine and beyond.

IBS is a chronic disorder that affects the large intestine and causes symptoms such as abdominal pain, cramping, constipation, and diarrhea. It creates immense physical and social difficulties for the patients affected with this condition. Stress and certain foods etc may trigger symptoms in people with this disorder. Researchers have investigated probiotics and a variety of dietary supplements for IBS.

The workshop focused on the standard and complementary management of IBS through lifestyle changes which was mostly about dietary modifications.
It was centered around all the new diets that have been recently introduced for IBS patients and every food that they could avoid to lead a healthy life.
The students found the workshop interesting and had a prudent outlook for more such workshops in the future.

Director of Kinnaird Centre for Learning and Cultural Development Ms Maha Jamil shed the light on the need of Practical Exposure for Professional development and appreciated the passion Young Women who were attending the workshop to being a positive change in the society .

This Workshop is a series of Activities to Achieve the UN Goal for Zero Hunger and Healthier Lifestyle.

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