Police crack down on employees of boards
LAHORE, Feb 23: Refusing to put up with prolonged protest by employees of the education boards in Punjab any more, the provincial administration has ordered crackdown on those taking to the street.
The police on Tuesday arrested scores of board employees, in some cases their kin, at Lahore and other major stations to stamp on the protests. Employees of the eight boards have been in a protest mode for the last two weeks to press the government for releasing grant equal to the examination fee waiver given to the matriculation students.
The police also registered FIRs against board employees in some divisional headquarters. The higher education secretary tried to create an impression that the federation had called off the strike, though board employees federation leaders said the strike was very much there and that any decision would be taken on Wednesday.
Khalid Javed Niazi, who heads the Employees Federation Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Punjab, said hundreds of boards’ employees had themselves gone to police stations to court arrest. He said some 200 employees had gone to court arrest in Multan, but the police detained only 10 employees.
Similarly, he said, seven employees were arrested in Dera Ghazi Khan, three in Gujranwala, two in Lahore and one in Faisalabad.
Mr Niazi told Dawn late in the evening that the strike was continuing and they would take a decision on Wednesday morning.
BISE, Lahore, Employees Welfare Association President Chaudhry Muhammad Aslam Gujjar, however, said the police had arrested 70 employees across Punjab. On Monday, the Punjab government had issued show-cause notices to 85 boards’ employees who were leading the pen-down strike after suspending work, jeopardising the conduct of matriculation examination scheduled for March 13.Meanwhile, the Higher Education Department continued to ensure that the staff hired from universities, colleges and schools should reach board offices and re-start the process to hold the examination on time.
Punjab Higher Education Secretary Ahad Khan Cheema claimed that the Rawalpindi, Sargodha and Bahawalpur board employees had resumed their duties. He said the government would ensure that the examinations are held on time.
Mr Cheema said the arrested employees would be released soon after the federation would call off the strike.
FAISALABAD: The Civil Lines police of Faisalabad arrested Education Board Welfare Association Vice-President Rana Asghar when he was protesting outside the board, along with his colleagues.
A heavy police contingent was deployed outside the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Faisalabad to prevent demonstration. The police also stopped the board employees from entering their offices.
GUJRANWALA: Law enforcers raided EBWA chairman Chaudhry Bashir Ahmad Cheema’s place for his arrest in connection with the Monday midnight strike but found him missing. They, however, picked up his son Osama, a ninth-class student, and locked him up at the police station.
They also apprehended association senior vice-president Hassan Muhammad Shahzad and former information secretary Faheem Hassani. Reports said Osama was later released on the intervention of an SP.
Meanwhile, the Gujranwala board employees continued their strike on the 14th consecutive day outside the board complex. They chanted slogans against the government and demanded that “all our genuine demands should be met”.
The board administration hired the services of schoolteachers for sending the roll number slips to matric candidates for their annual examination.
BAHAWALPUR: The police were in action also in Bahawalpur as they stood alert outside the BISE campus. They asked the board employees to call off the strike.
The administration locked the offices as the protesting employees held a meeting at the nearby agriculture department’s nursery. Later, they disappeared to avert arrests.
In a press release, the employees association announced that they would continue their strike. They alleged the board authorities had disconnected their water connections at the residential quarters.
The association president, Sajid Ijaz said show-cause notices had been served on 12 employees besides himself. They include secretary-general Ijaz Hussain Akhtar, deputy finance secretary Sajjad Randhawa, Muhammad Boota, Asim Khan, Abdul Rashid, Shahid Shaheen, Khalid Ghafoor, Yaqoob Bhatti, Khalid Ayyaz, Muhammad Kashif and Abdul Rashid Sial.
MULTAN: The district police took into custody scores of BISE employees. Board’s union secretary-general Malik Nisar put the figure of those arrested at 500.
He said the police tried to arrest the union office-bearers, but all the board employees presented themselves to the police for arrest. The government, he said, was employing mean tactics to harass the board employees. The protesters would, however, not budge an inch from their position.
Gulgasht DSP Atiqur Rehman said 210 board employees had been brought to the police station and the DCO ordered detention of 10 of them. If the protesters would not give assurance of ending the strike, he said, the police would institute a case under section 188 against the remaining ones as well and send them behind the bars.
In the meantime, the clerical staff of colleges and universities took charge at the board office for a short time but later joined the board employees in their protest after denying
Ulema call for following teachings of Holy Prophet (PBUH)
Da’wah Academy of International Islamic University (IIU) here on Monday organised a ‘Seerat’ conference for women as part of its silver jubilee celebrations and Eid Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH).
Speakers at the conference urged the Muslim Ummah to follow the teachings Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to overcome their problems and for salvation. They said, Muslims are blessed with love of the Prophet (PBUH) but what they need is to abide by the teaching of the Islam follow golden principles of life. “Prophet (PBUH) is role model for the whole humanity in all spheres of life and Islam spread the message of peace to the humanity”, they added.
They expressed the confidence that the Muslim would realise the need of the hour and overcome problems of extremism and terrorism by taking guidance from the life of Holy Prophet (PBUH). IIU Vice President Perveen Qadir Agha chaired the conference.
Other speakers who spoke on the occasion were Saqiba Rahim-ud-Din, Dr. Farhat Hashmi, Dr. Kousar Firdous, Dr. Zaitun Begum, Yasmin Hameed, Professor Munawara and Shagufta Omar.
The speakers brought into focus the dismal situation of human rights in the world especially the Arab peninsula during the time of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The human rights situation was worse in the case of women and children. They urged Muslims to ensure welfare of women and children and follow the noble examples of the prophet (PBUH). They also touched on various aspects of life of Holy Prophet’s life. They quoted the Qur’an, Ahadith and Muslim scholars saying that the faithful are fortunate that they have a role model set for them by Allah Almighty Himself. “The real path of Islam is none but one that was treated by the Holy Prophet. The Muslims can achieve heights and overcome their image problem if they follow the life style of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)”.
A large number of women and young girls participated in the `Rehmatul-lil-Aalamin’ conference. The conference marked conclusion of four day Silver Jubilee celebrations organised by IIU Da’wah Academy.
Source: The News Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Students stress multilingual education
ISLAMABAD, Feb 21: Highlighting the importance of linguistic diversity, a group of university students vowed on Sunday to work for introduction of multilingual education in the tradition of Dhaka University students’ Bengali Language Movement.
Students of the Quaid-i-Azam University, International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) and some private educational institutions made the commitment outside the National Press Club, where they had gathered to hold a rally in connection with the International Mother Language Day.
Majority of the participants said a major reason for the high rate of illiteracy in Balochistan and southern parts of NWFP was that education was not being imparted in regional languages.
“Had the basic education been in mother languages, our people would have not faced the dark ages,” Pashtunkhawa Students Organisation (PSO) general secretary Mazhar Ali Khan said.
The students carried banners inscribed with slogans in support of implementing regional languages in educational institutions.
They said students of Dhaka University had set an example by giving sacrifices in support of their demands regarding recognition of Bengali language as their official language on February 21, 1952.
The participants demanded that Pashto should be declared official language for the Pashtun community to give opportunity to the young generation to receive education in their mother language.
Meanwhile, activists of the National Students Federation’s (NSF) Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) chapter at a gathering stressed the need for promoting and preserving languages.
The gathering, which was attended by the representatives of Mehran, Pasthtun and Saraiki councils, students and teachers, was held here on Sunday.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Asim Sajjad called for the establishment of a genuine federal system in which all nations could get complete control over their resources, and equal state patronage of their languages and cultures.
Alia Amirali said anti-democratic forces had prevented the establishment of a genuine federal democracy.
Sindh Graduates Association (SGA) has asked the government to ensure a multi-lingual system in Pakistan through constitutional amendments.
The demand came in a seminar organised in connection with the International Mother Language Day.
They called upon the government and mainstream political parties to declare Pakistan a multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic country.
“Languages cannot be protected and promoted unless medium of instruction is ensured in mother languages in all educational institutions of the country,” the speakers said.
They said cultural imperialism and hegemony had been done in a systematic manner, while undemocratic and dictatorial rules in Pakistan had also added fuel to the fire of ethnic, lingual and provincial disharmony.
Source: Dawn Monday, 22 Feb, 2010
Technical issues delaying equivalence certificates
ISLAMABAD: Issuance of the Diploma in Associate Engineering (DAE) degrees’ equivalence certificates to the Iqra Center for Technical Education (ICTE) students by Punjab Technical Board (PTB) has been delayed due to some ‘technical’ issues, State Education Minister Ghulam Farid Kathia told the National Assembly on Wednesday.
The ICTE is a constituent unit of International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI).
In response to a calling attention notice, the minister told the House said that the PTB had refused to issue certificates to the ICTE students with DAE degrees for not clearing its examination.
He said the matter was sub judice and sought guidance of Speaker Fahmida Mirza on whether or not to comment on it.
After the Chair directed him not to talk about issues raised before the court, Kathia said the PTB granted affiliation to the ICTE until June 2010 making it compulsory for the DAE students to clear its examination but the university conducted the examination and issued degrees to them without consulting the board.
He said the PTB later refused to issue degree equivalence certificates to the ICTE students and even withdrew the institution’s affiliation. app
Source: Daily Times Thursday, February 18, 2010
IIUI introduces new system for admissions
Islamabad: International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI) has decided to introduce a comprehensive system for admissions in its various faculties and departments.
The decision was taken at a meeting with Dr Anwar Hussain Siddiqui, President IIUI in chair, which was attended by deans, directors and heads of various academic institutes.
Addressing the meeting, Dr Anwar Hussain Siddiqui said students, including male and female, are facing a lot of difficulties during the admissions because of separate admission advertisements by various faculties/departments of the university.
He pointed out that every year, a lot of students could not get admission in their favourite subject due to being unable to submit application forms in the relevant department/faculty. The president said admissions in all faculties and departments would be announced through a combined advertisement and the date for submission of application forms in the faculties and institutes fixed by the authorities would be applicable to all.
Dr Siddiqui said that keeping in view requirements of the new era, new departments such as Environment, Urdu and Persian are being introduced to provide modern education to students under one roof, adding that the university would soon start its medical college.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the IIUI Planning Committee was also held under the chairmanship of IIUI president, who while reviewing the pace work of various projects of the university urged for the timely completion of ongoing development projects of the university.
Source: The News
