Category: Education

Lahore – Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) has successfully started Chinese language class in more nine cities. Upto 15000 will be trained in Chinese Language course during current year. Now, Chinese Language course has been started in 13 cities across the province of the Punjab.
It was stated by Chairperson TEVTA Irfan Qaiser Sheikh while reviewing the progress of Chinese Language Course at TEVTA Secretariat Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that Chinese Govt. has appreciated the contributions of TEVTA Punjab for the promotion of Chinese Language. Now, they have established state of the art Language Lab at Govt. Technical Training Institute Gulberg which the said lab will also establish in other cities of province of the Punjab. This course is helpful for the Pakistani youth who may intend to get job in Chinese Companies working in Pakistan and employment in China.
Chairperson TEVTA further said that Gujrat, Sheikhpura, Taxila, Sargodha, Khanewal, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Lahore, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Multan and Rawalpindi. Planning is being finalized to arrange language class at Okara, Kasur, Sahiwal, Layyah, D.G.Khan and other cities from next session because people of other cities are also contacting TEVTA to start the said course there, he concluded.

WAH CANTT –  Roots International Schools, Wah Cantt, celebrated Transportation Week in its nationwide Campuses depicted the theme of IB “How World Works.” The activity mainly focused on make students learn to do inquiry into the natural world and its laws, the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies how humans use their understanding of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.
The IB Primary Years Programme at Roots International School focuses on the idea that students’ learning is based on experiences and prior knowledge. Therefore, structured inquiry is the most common method used in the classroom.
Students brought all types of vehicles from their homes and they prepared presentations and made small project to display. They learned different parts of vehicles and they analyse their daily use in their livelihoods. This provided them firsthand knowledge of transportation technology and its advantages.

LAHORE – The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) has organised the grand finale of the FINANCE OLYMPIAD for its trainee students to test the professionalism, knowledge and aptitude of students.
The main purpose of the competition is to engage CA students for professional developments in a unique way and encourage them to discover their potential, exhibit their talent and celebrate their competence in a befitting manner. It will also provide an opportunity to trainee students to enhance their soft skills so that they can interact effectively with their coworkers and people inside and outside the organisation. Mohammad Hasnain and Muhammad Ahmed claimed victory amongst the 12 qualified contestants from all over Pakistan, whereas Izz Ghanaa Ansari and Khawaja Muhammad Asad were the runner-up. The winners of this all competition will represent “CA PAKISTAN” in the SAFA students’ Elocution and Quiz Contests, to be held in Dacca, Bangladesh, on January 22, 2017.

ISLAMABAD –  Beaconhouse Margalla Islamabad International Baccalaureate branch arranged a retreat for its year 1 and 2 students.

The activity ‘Back to Nature’ took place at Moor Jang, Kalar Kahar, where students and teachers stayed at camps in wilderness for three days. The objective of the retreat was to make students perform creativity, activity and service activity; a core component of the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma programme.

Students hiked uphill to conduct rappelling, an exercise in which they moved down a steep incline by means of a double rope secured above and paid out gradually in the descent. At base camp, they also had a chance to cut and collect wood logs for campfire, and learnt about types of wood suitable for fire.

On Day 2, the students built their own rafts in two groups and tested them for rafting down the hill in a serene fresh water pond. This creative activity was, ‘once in a life time chance’ elaborated few students. Students also carried out enjoyed cliff crossing as the last activity of exhilarating extreme retreat.

Lahore – Intel National Science Fair, an annual grand competition of pre-college students from all over Pakistan concluded at COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Lahore. The winning projects, selected by a renowned panel of judges, along with the young scientists will represent Pakistan at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2017, to be held in Los Angeles, California in May 2017. The event was graced by leading educationists Dr. Manzoor Hussain Soomro, President ECO Science Foundation, Islamabad, Dr. Moeen Uddin Ghauri, from COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Dr. Aasim Yusuf, Chief Medical Officer, Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital & Research Centre and Dr. Azhar Hassan, Chairman Scientific Review Committee.

Grand Winners – Intel Sponsored Projects: Mujtaba Sajjad Kamani from Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Karimabad, Karachi, Sadia Qadir from Punjab Daanish School (Girls) Hasilpur, Hassan Rizwan and Mansoor Ahmed from Pak Turk International Schools and Colleges, Gulistan-e-Johar, Karachi

Grand Winners – Self Sponsored Projects: Haseeb Ahmad from Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Karimabad, Karachi, Shahzaib Ejaz from Pak Turk International Schools and Colleges Lahore, Arqam Ali Khan from Islamabad Model College for Boys, Liaquat Ali, Ahmad Hassan, Naeem Hassan from Daanish Higher Secondary School, Chishtian

The National Science Fair showcased more than 96 science projects submitted by 196 young scientists from all four provinces after rigorous competition at district and provincial levels. Winners of the National Science Fair have qualified to compete in the International Science & Engineering Fair, showcasing their talent on an international platform for over $5 million in prizes and scholarships.

The number of students who have qualified for the National Science Fair and the oneswho’ve further secured a position to compete at the International Science& Engineering Fair in Los Angeles, California are proof that Pakistan has incredible talent. One of the core outcomes of education is to produce productive citizens and role models for tomorrow, which we can only achieve by enabling students in becoming acquainted with and excelling in technology.

About Intel ISEF
The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, sponsored by Intel since 1997 is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition, providing an annual forum for more than 1,800 high school students from about 70 countries, regions, and territories to showcase their independent research as they compete for over US $5 million annually. Student finalists, in grades 9 through 12, emerge from a field of approximately one million students who compete in more than 500 regional Intel ISEF-affiliated science fairs around the world.  Intel’s sponsorship of the ISEF is part of the Intel^® Education Initiative, which is focused on collaborating with educators and governments around the world to improve the quality of science and mathematics education and to help students develop the higher order thinking skills they need to participate and succeed in a knowledge-based economy.

FAISALABAD- A two-day third Faisalabad Literary Festival kicked off at the Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan auditorium on Friday and it attracted a large number of people.

The festival turned out to be a great opportunity for the citizens of the industrial city as the hall was packed at the inaugural session where Salima Hashmi and Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy addressed the audience while Bano Qudsia chaired the session.

District Coordination Officer Salman Ghani and Asghar Nadeem Syed inaugurated the festival.

The first day had a mushaira also where Munnu Bhai, Kishwar Naheed, Abbas Tabish, Anjum Saleemi and Khalid Masood recited their poetry.

People from all walks of life thronged the festival and heard the intellectuals and writers who had come from other cities.

Bookstalls have been set up there which are a special attraction for book readers.

The second and last day of the festival on Saturday (today) has more attractive sessions, including one on the late Intizar Husain where Asif Farrukhi, Kishwar Naheed and Asghar Nadeem Syed will talk on one of the legends of Urdu fiction.

There will be sessions with Zafar Iqbal, Dr Mubarak Ali, Tehmina Durrani, Irfan Khoosat, Attaul Haq Qasmi, Naeem Bukhari, Farooq Qaiser, Atiqa Odho, Zeba, Aftab Iqbal and Sarmad Khoosat.

LAHORE—LUMS Centre for Water Informatics and Technology (WIT) organized an informative training session regarding water science, policy, and governance in collaboration with Lead Pakistan and Nestle. The workshop lasted three days and discussed some key issues for Pakistan’s water security and creative solutions for water sustainability and efficiency.
The multi-disciplinary training workshops hosted over 130 participants from national and international universities including students and academia as well as professionals engaged with water management, climate science, and agriculture. Leading water experts including Dr.Pervaiz Amir (Global Water Partnership), Mr. Rao Irshad Ali Khan (Chairman IRSA), Dr. Arif Anwar (International Water Management Institute), Dr. Hassan Abbas (Lead Pakistan), Dr. Muhammad Javed (Punjab Irrigation Department), Mr. Feisal Naqvi (Haidermota BNR), Mr. Rafay Alam (Saleem, Alam & Co.) delivered talks on key scientific, legal and policy issues around water in Pakistan.
Students from LUMS, GCU, BZ University, Multan, University of Poonch (Jummu& Kashmir) FCC, University of Punjab, Kings College and University of Sussex, and water professionals from public and private sector, and from non-government organizations, including the Ministry of Climate Change, Punjab Irrigation Department, Lead Pakistan, Helvetas Swiss Pakistan, Nestle Pakistan and Coca Cola Export Pakistan participated in the workshops. According to Dr. Abubakr Muhammad, Director of WIT, “The Center for Water Informatics and Technology’s research and outreach activities have been critical for building capacity in the water sector, helping to bridge the gap between academia and practice, and establish a fruitful co-operation between the academic community and industry, development agencies, NGOs, public administration, local communities, and other relevant institutions.”

Lahore—Federal Minister for Planning and Development Prof Ahsan Iqbal has said that the challenge of the present age is that whatever we are teaching and whatever research work we are doing should be according to our needs.
He was addressing the concluding ceremony of 4th International Conference on Research in Education at Faisal Auditorium here on Friday.
PU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran, Vice Chancellor University of Education Prof Dr Rauf-e-Azam, Dean Faculty of Education Prof Dr Mumtaz Akhtar, Conference Secretary Prof Dr Abid Hussain Chaudhry, Prof Dr Rifaqat Ali, Prof Dr Rizwan Akram, Dr Abdul Qayyum Chaudhry, delegates from various parts of country and the world and a large number of students were present on the occasion. Addressing the ceremony, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that we were passing through the era of knowledge revolution and if we did not change ourselves with the changing time, we would meet our end. He said that we must explore new horizons of knowledge and must see how we could utilize knowledge according to our needs. He said that our youth must believe in their abilities and Pakistan because our country was progressing rabidly. He said that our universities must find out solutions to the problems being faced by all sections of our society. The federal minister said that cut and paste knowledge was responsible for our destruction. He said that we were deciding 6 new standards for evaluating universities i.e standard of education, standard of research, academia-industry linkages, university’s contribution towards community, relationship between learning and technology and how socially responsible the university product was and creation of entrepreneurship opportunities. He said that 11 thousand megawatt electricity would be added to the system in the next two years. Talking to media, Mr Ahsan Iqbal said that General Raheel Sharif would be remembered as one of the greatest commanders of army in the history. To another question, he said that the difference between General Musharraf and General Raheel Sharif was that the former violated Constitution and now facing downfall while the later upheld law and reached new heights.
Addressing the ceremony, Dr Mujahid Kamran said that Ahsan Iqbal had always supported research projects in Planning Commission and had played key role in providing funds for various projects at PU. He said that in 2014, the Planning Commission provided Rs840 million grant for various projects at PU, out which some had been completed and some were near completion. He said that in 2016, the commission had sanctioned Rs 980 million grant for establishing energy centre at PU due to support of the federal minister. He said that Mr Ahsan Iqbal was a hardworking minister and always supported research activities. Addressing the ceremony, Prof Dr Mumtaz Akhtar demanded of the government to allocate 4 percent of GDP to education and 3 percent to research and development. Later, souvenirs were presented to the guests of honor and foreign delegates.

LAHORE: Beaconhouse’s School of Tomorrow (SOT) series of events-A World of Tomorrow-culminated on Sunday.

Crowds thronged the Royal Palm Golf and Country Club on the third and final day to participate in various activities.

The day began with a panel discussion focusing on the question, ‘If media controls global thinking, who controls global media?’ The panelists felt that as opposed to the general perception of the media savvy, the so-called free media gives an ‘illusion of choice’. The sessions on issues relating to transgender people and one entitled ‘Shayari 101’ drew the largest crowd in the morning. The transgender speakers in the former session called on society to make room for them and allow them opportunities to make them economically viable citizens, by giving them representation in the population census and electoral forms.

In the latter session, poets and personalities such as Munnu Bhai, Kishwar Naheed, PPP Senator Aitzaz Ahsan and Attiya Dawood enthralled the audience with their poetry. Munnu Bhai emphasised the role of poetry as a catalyst of change in social attitudes.

Apart from these, there were a multitude of concurrent sessions on topics ranging from moral policing, a conversation with the women’s football team, cyber-crime, global security, the upcoming US elections, private-public partnership in education, the arts and popular culture and fashion for the future.

Celebrities like Ali Azmat, Adnan Malik, Tina Sani, Tapu Javeri, Jimmy Nelson, Deepak Perwani, Sheema Kirmani, Mubasher Luqman and Munizae Jehangir were part of various sessions. They felt that such opportunities for intellectual debate allow people to get multiple perspectives on thought-provoking topics in order to arrive at their own conclusions. This was also one of the intended aims of the event.

Beaconhouse-Newlands, TNS Beaconhouse and Beaconhouse Liberty Campus hosted concurrent sessions with a continuation of the foreign film festival and the enjoyable and informative Bitsy Brainy Food with SCAFA and the renowned Zubaida Apa.

Another highlight of the day was ‘An Evening with Zia Mohyeddin’ in which the maestro of Urdu recitation hypnotised the gathering with his usual wit, eloquence and humour. The three-day festival ended on a melodious high with a concert by Atif Aslam who mesmerized the audience with his unique vocals and popular tunes. The next in the School of Tomorrow series of events is planned for February 2017 in Islamabad.