Author: Arsalan Haider

Admissions in the e-Rozgaar Training Program, an initiative of the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, has started as PITB is receiving applications for its next phase.

The unemployed youth bearing Punjab domicile can submit applications for training in 7 different fields including Mobile App Development, Technical Content Marketing, Creative Designing and e-Commerce. In order to secure admission in the said program, the age limit is 35 years and the required educational qualification is a Master’s.

It is pertinent to mention here that as many as 45 e-Rozgaar Centers are operational across 41 districts of Punjab. More than 51,000 students, of which 56 percent are women, have earned more than Rs. 3.5 billion through the Internet after the completion of their training. This program is not just a training program but a revolution that will help generate employment and prepare Pakistan to run in the race for the future of work around the world. Candidates can register for admissions in PITB e-Rozgaar through the website for on-campus or online training.

E-Rozgar Program was launched by the Punjab government and was aimed at providing training and career opportunities, and necessary resources to earn respectable employment for young professionals. The vision is to reduce unemployment and drive economic growth in Pakistan by increasing the inflow of foreign currency.

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The 86th Convocation of Kinnaird College for Women (KCW) Lahore was held on Thursday. Governor Punjab Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman was the chief guest at the Convocation.

At the convocation, 673 students of BS and MPhil were awarded degrees in the fields of Language, Literature, Education, Social Sciences, Law, Applied Sciences, Business, Arts, Design and Media Communication, Physical, Earth Sciences Biological and life Sciences.

33 students were on the Honor List of the Principal. Eleven gold medals were awarded to outstanding students for achieving the highest grades in their subjects.

The chief guest, at the 86th Convocation of KCW, Honorable Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman, Governor of Punjab addressed the students and praised their efforts.

The Rt Rev Dr Alexander John Malik Bishop Emeritus of Lahore Chairman Board of Governors Kinnaird College for Women and Prof Dr Rukhsana David, Principal Kinnaird College for Women also addressed the students and emphasized how Kinnaird has always aimed to educate women and empower them to take leadership roles as they step into their practical life.

She also acknowledged the outgoing graduates for their outstanding results. She said in keeping with the millennium goal of Gender Equality and Women Empowerment, Kinnaird continued its endeavors to raise standards, upgrade its programs to the international level and uphold its traditions.

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Punjab University (PU) Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB) has organized a two-day international conference on ‘Trends and Challenges in Health Sciences’.

Caretaker Health Minister Punjab Prof Dr Javed Akram, Chairperson Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) Prof Dr Shahid Munir, CEMB Director Prof Dr Kausar Malik, faculty members and over 180 scientists from the US, UK, Taiwan as well as from different prestigious institutes of Pakistan were present.

In his address, Dr Javed Akram said that CEMB stands at the forefront of other life sciences departments in Molecular Biology research, and researchers at CEMB are working for the welfare of the common man. He applauded the efforts of the scientists and staff of CEMB for working hard and developing innovative biotech products. He appreciated the productive idea of Dr Kausar Malik to provide a platform for scientists to present their research.

Dr Shahid Munir applauded the progress made by CEMB researchers in the field of stem cell therapeutics and genetic diseases, especially vision impairment, deafness, and intellectual disability disorders.

Dr Kausar Malik said that CEMB has always created opportunities for our researchers to collaborate with foreign scientists and CEMB researchers are contributing to mankind by developing products like stem cell-based treatments for numerous pathological conditions such as wound healing including burns and diabetic wounds; ocular defects, cartilage defects such as osteoarthritis, spine injuries, liver fibrosis and diabetes.

She said that CEMB has developed methods for the production of various recombinant therapeutic proteins and biosimilars such as Filgrastim, Oprelvekin, and Insulin. She said CEMB has also developed methods for the indigenous production of high-quality Taq Polymerase. She stressed the need of developing commercializable Health biotech products via cost-effective innovative methods to strengthen the economy of our country.

Later, in various sessions, Dr Ihtesham ul Haq, Dr Tayyab Hussnain, Dr Hirohito Yamaguchi, Dr Muy Teck Teh and researchers from the USA, Taiwan, South Korea, the UK, China and from all over Pakistan gave their talks and shared their research experiences.

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The Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan has finalised the groundwork for establishing a regional centre of the National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE) in Sindh. The centre will be set up in Karachi.

HEC, under its Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP) project, aims to strengthen its NAHE, an academic wing of HEC launched in 2019 to improve the quality of teaching, research, and governance in higher education institutions (HEIs) across Pakistan.

The establishment of four NAHE regional centres was envisioned during the life of the HEDP project. Addressing the immediate need for a lack of quality training facilities for academia in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, two chapters were notified in these two provinces last year. Moving forward, two more are to be established in Punjab and Sindh.

In this regard, a two-day consultative workshop was held with the regional stakeholders of Sindh on the establishment of the NAHE regional centre in Karachi. The workshop was chaired by Programme Coordinator, HEDP, Dr Mahmood-ul-Hassan Butt, while more than 40 stakeholders, including Chairman Sindh HEC, Vice Chancellors, and Deans.

Some Vice Chancellors mentioned that their universities have already developed human resource development activities and expressed their desire to collaborate with other universities. The participants provided their valuable inputs on the envisioned role of the NAHE regional centre and how it would build the capacities of faculty and administration in performing their roles more efficiently. The universities in Sindh supported the establishment of the NAHE regional centre, recognising the importance of continuous learning and improvement in higher education.

The participants suggested that the centre should also be replicated in other regions of the province to meet their needs. The implementation of the revised Undergraduate Education Policy (UEP) was also discussed in length, and HEIs extended their support to HEC for its implementation. They were also briefed on the upcoming HEC initiatives to further improve the higher education system in the country. They suggested involving universities in designing capacity-building programmes for faculty and administration.

Dr Salvador Malo, a World Bank consultant, was also engaged during the session via video conference. He is assisting HEDP in the assessment of learning outcomes through the use of an international test at the national level in Pakistan. The international test has been contextualised for use in Pakistan with his help. Dr Malo is assisting HEDP to develop and embed flexible integral education and promote relevant competencies and critical learning skills via revised UEP implementation.

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The Government College University (GCU) Lahore has announced its new initiative; the Department of Translation Studies, the first of its kind in the city that will also offer a unique BS level program in Translation Studies.

Emphasising its significance in bridging cultural and linguistic gaps in the increasingly globalized world, Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi said, translation is an amalgamation of divergent cultures, languages, and intellectual ethos that creates a new world of meaning and interpretation; so considering it an inferior art is misleading and unjust.

The Vice Chancellor revealed the University syndicate has approved the establishment of this very special new department, and in its first year of inception, it would be focusing on translating classics of contemporary and regional literature.

“Special attention will be given to local works such as Indo-Persian documents, Mughal-era manuscripts, and regional literary works in Pushto, Hindko, Seraiki, Sindhi, Baluchi and Urdu,” he said.

Prof Zaidi said that currently, translation is only offered as an undergraduate course or certificate-level qualification, but with the introduction of this program, students will have the opportunity to pursue translation studies at a higher level.

“The graduates of this new department will not only have a command of multiple languages, but they will also gain a better understanding of the literature and culture associated with those languages. So, they are expected to have better job opportunities in media, foreign embassies, and multi-national organizations,” he said.

The Vice Chancellor announced that the new department would aim to publish at least two academic projects in a year under the ambit of the Government College University Press.

“With the introduction of this department, Government College University is taking a significant step forward in promoting and facilitating the study of translation in Pakistan,” he concluded.

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The 10^th Convocation of the University of Education (UoE) Lahore conferred degrees upon more than 8000 students here on Wednesday. The convocation ceremony was presided over by Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Talat Naseer Pasha, while the Chairperson of Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) Prof Dr Shahid Munir was the chief guest.

Vice-Chancellors of various universities and important personalities from academic and social circles also presented on the occasion. In the convocation, 8087 students including 15 PhD, 287 MPhil/MS and 7785 undergraduate and graduates awarded degrees. On this occasion, 48 graduating students were also be given medals for outstanding positions. The special feature of the 10th convocation of UoE is that this time all the proceedings of the ceremony have been conducted in the national language (Urdu).

During his presidential address at the convocation, Vice-Chancellor Dr Talat Naseer Pasha congratulated all the students, their parents and teachers who received degrees and medals. He said that of course Convocation is a historic and emotional occasion for students, parents and teachers.

The Vice-Chancellor said that more than 29,000 students in the University of Education are currently being provided excellent education by around 500 qualified teachers, more than 60% of whom are PhD. In UoE, the mega project has been completed in terms of education, training and construction, we have constructed new educational blocks at Township, Jauharabad and DG Khan Campus, central library, new auditorium, 39 science and computer labs, botanical gardens etc. University has recently formally launched its 5^th Division, the Division of Islamic and Oriental Learning. The Vice-Chancellor further said that the University of Education, Lahore has achieved prominent positions in various national and international rankings in terms of quality. UoE also distributed scholarships worth Rs. 150 million to its needy and intelligent students last year, he added.

While congratulating the students, the chief guest Chairperson PHEC Prof Dr Shahid Munir said that the development of any country and nation depends on its young generation, whose best education and training is our unanimous social responsibility. And I am proud to say that the University of Education, Lahore has fulfilled its responsibility well, the university is providing the best opportunities to the new generation in terms of education and training.

Related: UoE holds Conference on “Educational Leadership and Policy”

The University of Health Sciences (UHS) Lahore will now issue the schedule of admissions to nursing colleges.  No public or private sector nursing college in Punjab will be able to conduct B.Sc Nursing admissions before the notification of the schedule by the university. Violating college will be fined Rs one million.  Moreover, biometric attendance has also been made mandatory for B.Sc nursing students.

In addition, UHS will take legal action against institutions offering part-time nursing programmes and police FIRs will be registered against such institutions.

These decisions were taken in the 31st meeting of the UHS Board of Studies Nursing, on Wednesday, which was presided over by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ahsan Waheed Rathore.  The heads of 47 affiliated nursing colleges from across Punjab participated in the meeting.

On this occasion, UHS VC said that some private nursing colleges were admitting children without the permission and affiliation of the university, which was a complete violation of the law.  He said that the university had decided to adopt a strict policy in this regard.  In the meeting, a committee was formed under the chairmanship of DG Nursing Punjab to recommend a schedule and eligibility criteria for BSc nursing admissions.  The committee will submit the admission schedule and eligibility criteria within ten days which will be notified after the approval of the Punjab government.

It was agreed in the meeting that after the notification of the admission schedule, any increase in the number of seats in nursing colleges would not be acceptable for the current year.  In such a case, the decision of the Pakistan Nursing Council to increase the seats of the colleges would be applicable from the next academic session.

Professor Ahsan Waheed Rathore further said that the university was also bringing reforms in the syllabus and examination system of BSc Nursing.  He said that in exams, everything would no longer be left to the discretion of the examiner.  “Like MBBS, nursing will also have a structured viva and clinical exam”, he declared.

In the meeting, a committee consisting of senior professors was constituted to update the curriculum of B.Sc Nursing two-year and four-year programmes as per international standards.  In this regard, Professor Ahsan Waheed Rathore directed that the curriculum and training should be revised in such a way that varsity nursing graduates could easily clear any international exams.

Related: UHS revises MBBS examination system

Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan, in collaboration with Pakistan High Commission in Colombo, held a three-day Higher Education Expo at Exhibition & Convention Centre (SLECC) in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Thirteen Pakistani public sector universities took part in the Expo and outreached students from Sri Lankan colleges and universities as well as parents. HEC officials, led by Project Director HEC Mr. Jehanzeb Khan, arranged two exclusive seminars to create awareness about higher education opportunities for Sri Lankan students in Pakistan, especially the Allama Iqbal Scholarships for Sri Lankan Students under the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Higher Education Cooperation Programme. Students and faculty raised different queries about the scholarship program, the educational system of Pakistan, and the facilities available for international students.

High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka Major General (R) Umar Farooq Burki graced the event with his presence and appreciated the arrangements made by HEC at the Expo venue.

The Pakistan-Sri Lanka Higher Education Cooperation Programme offers scholarships to Sri Lankan students, student and faculty exchange opportunities, and professional training for Sri Lankan Government officials, in addition to efforts for enhanced collaboration through higher education expos and establishment of a Centre of Asian Civilisation in Sri Lanka. Under the Allama Iqbal Scholarships for Sri Lankan Students (BS/MS/PhD), HEC provides the Sri Lankan students an opportunity to study at the best Pakistan universities. Under the programme, 800 fully-funded and 200 partially-funded scholarships will be offered to Sri Lankan students from undergraduate to doctoral levels. So far, 330 fully-funded scholarships have been awarded; out of them, 11 scholarship recipients have completed their terminal degrees and are now serving in Sri Lanka.

The Pakistani universities which took part in the expo included DOW University of Health Sciences, Karachi, NED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi, Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Sindh, Iqra University, Karachi, University of the Punjab, Lahore, University of Engineering & Technology (UET), Lahore, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Lahore, University of Agriculture (UAF), Faisalabad, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore, University of Lahore, Lahore, Institute of Management Sciences (IMSciences), Peshawar, National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, and Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad.

Sri Lankan high officials, including Prof. Gunapala Nanayakkara, Advisor to Minister of Education, Prof. Nanayakkara, Chairman EDEX, R. M. M. Rathnayake, Principal, Royal College Colombo, and other dignitaries from various departments of Sri Lankan bureaucracy visited the Pakistan Pavilion at the SLECC. They appreciated the initiatives of the scholarship programme and efforts of HEC and Pakistan Government for enhancing the educational capacity of Sri Lankan youth.

Related: HEC launches 3rd Cohort for Newly Inducted Faculty Members

A delegation comprising members of the California State Assembly visited Government College University (GCU) Lahore on Wednesday where they met with students and heads of universities in Punjab.

Led by California Legislative Assembly Appropriations Committee Head Chris R Holden, the delegation addressed a session on educational collaborations between universities in Punjab and California.

During the session, GCU Lahore Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi proposed the establishment of an American Studies Center at GCU Lahore for effective coordination with Californian universities and the initiation of Joint Undergraduate Degree Programs. The Undergraduate programs would involve completing the first two years of education at universities in Punjab, followed by travel and studies at universities in California.

Prof Zaidi identified areas of mutual interest for collaboration and stressed the importance of initiating student exchange and faculty training programs. He explained that mutually beneficial educational exchanges would lead to a lasting and productive partnership between universities.

The VC informed the US delegation that Punjab has 51 public and 33 private universities with 500,000 students, and more than one million students are studying in 810 government and 1832 private colleges in the province.

During the session, California Legislative Assembly member Eloise Gomez Reyes appreciated the idea of joint degree programs and collaboration in oriental languages teaching for US students. She shared that the girl who has been running her office for the last six years is from Pakistan, and she is now her district director and often tries to teach her words in Urdu.

Dr Asif Mahmood, a renowned pulmonologist and doctor of internal medicine of Pakistani origin residing in California, expressed happiness at the declaration of Punjab and California as “sister states,” saying that they would strengthen this Punjab-California collaboration in every possible field. He also shared that it was his dream to study at GCU Lahore, which unfortunately couldn’t be materialized.

The Californian delegation included Melanie Caldwell Holden, Wendy Carrillo, Anna Goddard, Willie Armstrong, Alice Gomez Reyes, Christopher Reyes, Michael Max, Mike A Jepsen, Adriel Yang, and others who were accorded a warm welcome by students upon their arrival at GCU.

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The Department of Product and Industrial Design at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) holds Alumni Guest Lecture on REPRO Design – TETRA PAK.

The PID dept invited Ali Maqsood to share his expertise on the subject of REPRO Packaging Design. Ali graduated from the department of product & industrial design and paved his path into the industry with extreme accountability. He is serving TETRA PAK for more than eight years. In his current position, as Senior Design Studio Executive, he felt the responsibility to serve his department by sharing his industrial knowledge on the techniques of the packaging process.

Ali delivered positive student-teacher engagement by answering the questions to the students of session 2020 who have participated in an INTERNATIONAL PACKAGING COMPETITION STAR PACK 2023.

The speaker ended his lecture with thanks to the chairman PID Dr Atif Bilal Aslam, Dr Salman Asghar Assistant Professor and the Lecture Organizer, Ms Aiman Amjad for inviting him to the department and encouraging such initiatives of industrial collaborations taken by product and industrial design department, UET, LHR.

While speaking on occasion, Ms Aiman Amjad said that such lectures are beneficial for students as they are able to get experience from people working in the industry. She added that apart from curriculum-based training, such programs provide industry exposure to the students.

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