Post on 06-May-2015
December 2011
Scholars of Needs-based Programme Shine at IBA Convocation
21
Good Governance, Strategic Planning
Workshops at NUST, QAU16
Higher Education Meant for
Creation of New Knowledge:
Dr. Laghari
4
Table of Contents
Graphic Designer
Raja Ahmad Nadeem
Reporter
Waseem Khaliqdad
Editor
Aayesha Ikram
Publisher:
Higher EducationCommission, Pakistan
HEC News & Views is published every month. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the publisher. The views expressed by authors in the articles is their sole responsibility and not of HEC. The Commission would like to thank all the institutions and individuals who contributed information and photographs for this Magazine.
16Good Governance, Strategic Planning Workshops for HoDs of QAU & NUST
4Higher Education Meant for Creation of New Knowledge: Dr. Laghari
9HEC, Pink Ribbon Ink MoU for Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign
26 15 VCs/Rectors of Punjab Call on Governor
2 Financial Crisis at Universities Discussed
Scholars Complete PhD from UK under
HEC Partial Support Programme
US Patent Awarded under HEC's Project
“Patent Filing”
Knowledge Exchange Trainings held for
HEC, Universities
NSMC Awards Indigenous Scholarships
on Quota Basis
Four IEEE Transactions in a Year by
Pakistani Research Group
Accreditation Councils Meet at HEC
Meeting of 30 QECs held at HEC
Peshawar
th16 Faculty Professional Development
Programme Concludes
NUST Conference on Application and
Methods of Physics
Education Inevitable for Nation
Building: Governor KPK
Development Linked to Quality
Education: CM
Turkish Extension Centre to be
Established at UAF
2
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7
10
11
16
18
20
22
24
24
6
Commission Events
2
Chancellors, Eng Imtiaz
Gillani also requested that this
relief should be embedded as
part of recurring budget. They
thanked the Finance Minister
f o r u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e
predicament and assured him
that they will redouble their
efforts to be more creative to
look for alternative source of
funding.
T h e F i n a n c e M i n i s t e r
appreciated the positive
approach of the heads of
institutions and suggested
t h a t a s t wo p i l l a r s o f
Government, such meetings
should be held more often for
better understanding between
both stakeholders.
The meeting was also attended
by Dr. Javaid R. Laghari,
Chairman Higher Education
Commission, Dr. Sohail
Naqvi, Executive Director
HEC, Dr. Mazhar Saeed,
D i r e c t o r G e n e r a l ,
A d m i n i s t r a t i o n a n d
Financial Crisis at Universities DiscussedVice Chancellors Meet Finance Minister
Coordination HEC, Rana Asad
Amin, Special Secretary
Finance, Mr. Seerat Asghar,
Additional Secretary Finance
and Mr. Asif Shaikh, PSDP
S p e c i a l i s t P l a n n i n g
Commission.
The vice chancellors included
Dr. Nasser Ali Khan, Director
IMS, Peshawar, Ahmad
Farooq Bazai, Vice Chancellor
Balochistan University of
Management and Sciences,
Quetta, Mrs. Sultana Balouch,
Vice Chance l lor Sardar
B a h a d u r K h a n Wo m e n
Univers i ty, Quet ta , Dr.
Mujahid Kamran, University
o f t h e P u n j a b , D r .
Nizamauddin, Gujrat, Dr.
Nilofer Shaikh, Khairpur, Dr.
A . Q . M u g h a l , S i n d h
A g r i c u l t u r e U n i ve r s i t y
Ta n d o j a m , D r. M a s o o n
Yasinzai , Quaid-e-Azam
University and Dr. Najma
N a j a m , K a r a k o r u m
International University,
Gilgit.
The Vice Chancellors of 10
public sector universities met
Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh,
Federal Minister for Finance
recently to discuss provision
o f a d d i t i o n a l g r a n t t o
universities to cater for the 50
percent increase announced
last year and the 15 per cent
increase this year by the
Government. The meeting also
discussed World Bank funded
US $ 300 million Tertiary
E d u c a t i o n S u p p o r t
Programme.
The Minister heard the Vice
Chancellors’ point of view
p a t i e n t l y a n d s a i d h e
understood the delicacy of the
situation. After a detailed
discussion he asked Special
Secretary Finance, Rana Asad
Amin to discuss the issues and
come up with a rational relief
for the universities in need.
The Vice Chancellors who
were headed by Chairman
Executive Committee of Vice
PhD Studies Abroad. Soherwordi completed his
PhD from the School of Social and Political
Studies, Centre for South Asian Studies,
University of Edinburgh. He was awarded
scholarship in the final year of his studies.
His research is entitled “Pakistan Foreign Policy
Formulation: An Analysis of Institutional
Interaction between Pakistani and American
Policy Making Bodies”. He has to his credit five
international and 20 national publications in the
Scholars Complete PhD from UK
under HEC Partial Support Programme Mr. Syed Hussain Shaheed Soherwordi and Mr.
Liaqat Ali have successfully completed their
doctorate degrees under Higher Education
Commission’s Partial Support Programme for
Commission Events
3
“Pakistan is blessed with the
precious human resource and
mineral wealth of all kinds but
our economic condition is very
dismal. We have previously
neglected higher education,
which is the direct source of
human resource development.
HRD must be welded to the
higher education and research
to exploit the natural resources
of the country to their
maximum potential.”
These views were expressed
by Dr. Sohail Naqvi, Executive
Director, HEC while speaking
during his recent visit to the
Hazara University, Mansehra.
He said that the secret of stprogress in 21 century is total
commitment to empowering
our youth with the intellectual
f i r e w o r k o f m o d e r n
discoveries and academic
excellence, unfolded through
research and generation of
knowledge in the universities.
HRD Directly Linked to HigherEducation, Research: Dr. Sohail Naqvi
“Since 2001, HEC has tried its
best to promote higher
e d u c a t i o n a n d p r o v i d e
opportunity to a greater
number of youth so that they
could make Pakis tan a
productive country through
their relevant research.
The number of PhDs and
productive scientists has
increased manifold, what we
need at present is a conducive
national policy to make higher
education one of our top
priorities,” he added.
Dr. Syed Sakhawat Shah, Vice
Chancellor, Hazara University
appreciated the role of HEC,
e s p e c i a l l y o p e n i n g
universities in the rural areas
of the country. “Hazara
Univers i ty i s one such
institution, which needs
special attention and support
in its early years of growth,” he
said.
Dr. Naqvi also inaugurated the
foreign faculty hostel at the
University, which has been
funded by the HEC.
field of International Relations and Pakistan-US
relations during the War on Terror. His thesis is
under process of publication in book form by the
Oxford University Press. Dr. Soherwordi is
currently working as Senior Lecturer in the
Department of International Relations,
University of Peshawar.
Similarly, Mr. Liaqat Ali, a resident of village
Dagai, district Swabi, who was pursuing his PhD
degree in Earth Resources (Geology) under HEC
Programme "Strengthening of NCE in Geology,
University of Peshawar" completed his PhD from
Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter,
UK. He also proceeded abroad under the Partial
Support Programme.
His doctoral research is focused on developing
exploration tools for precious and base metals
using advance mineralogical/geochemical
techniques and GIS in remote and glaciated areas
of North Pakistan. Dr. Liaqat Ali is currently
working in the National Centre of Excellence in
Geology, University of Peshawar.
Commission Events
4
heartening to note that Punjab
University is producing over
100 PhDs a year while all
P a k i s t a n i u n i v e r s i t i e s
collectively produced 700
PhDs last year."
He said that HEC was
ambitious in ensuring quality
e d u c a t i o n a n d q u a l i t y
research. “For this purpose,
various steps have been taken
including establishment of
Quality Enhancement Cells,
directorates of distance
education, introduction of
associate degree programmes,
efforts for regulating colleges,
etc.”
Chairpersons and other
faculty members. Senator
Jahangir Badar also attended
the meeting.
Speaking on the occasion, the
Chairperson said that the
greatest challenge faced by
higher education was to reach
out to the people in remote
areas at their doorstep and
f inancia l ly support the
students who cannot afford
higher education. He said that
higher education was meant
for creation of new knowledge
and, for this purpose, Pakistan
w o u l d d e f i n i t e l y n e e d
qualif ied faculty. “It is
Dr. Laghari is being briefed about students’ work displayed at the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design
During his recent visit to
Lahore, Dr. Javaid R. Laghari,
C h a i r p e r s o n H i g h e r
E d u c a t i o n C o m m i s s i o n
visited various universities of
the city. HEC Regional Centre,
Lahore coordinated the whole
activity.
Pakistan Institute of Fashion
and Design
Ms. Hina Tayyaba, Acting Vice
Chancellor, PIFD briefed the
Chairperson about the courses
offered by the Institution. She
also elaborated how they are
m o t i v a t i n g f o r e i g n
institutions, organizations and
faculty members to support
students by sharing their
knowledge and experiences of
industry.
Dr. Laghari emphasized that
commercialization impact
should be considered in mind
and the graduating students
s h o u l d h a v e a n
entrepreneurial aptitude. He
visited the campus and talked
to teachers and students. On
the occasion, practical work
was displayed by students of
various departments, which
was appreciated by the
Chairperson.
University of the Punjab
Dr. Laghari held a meeting
with Dr. Mujahid Kamran,
Punjab Univers i ty Vice
C h a n c e l l o r , D e a n s , Chairperson HEC addresses the audience at University of the Punjab, Lahore
Higher Education Meant for Creation of New Knowledge: Dr. Laghari
Commission Events
5
Dr. Mujahid Kamran lauded
the services of Dr. Laghari for
promotion of higher education
in Pakistan and HEC's help for
gradual improvement of the
University and for funding
various projects.
Lahore College for Women
University
Dr. Sabiha Mansoor, Vice
Chancellor highlighted the
role of LCWU in imparting
education to women. She also
briefed the Chairperson about
different HEC funded projects.
On the occasion, Dr. Laghari
gave a lecture based on his
recent book “The Wizardry of
Leadership”. A large number
of local vice chancellors,
faculty members and students
attended the lecture.
University of Education
Prof. Farhat Saleem gave a
presentation about the courses
offered at the University,
besides faculty strength and
other available facilities. Dr.
F a i z u l H a s s a n , V i c e
Chancellor was also present on
the occasion.
In his address, Dr. Laghari
stressed the significance of
m a k i n g t h e a d m i s s i o n
procedure centralized at
University level. He showed
his concern on the student
teacher ratio in the University.
He added that University
administration should arrange
Dr. Laghari being presented ceramic work during his visit to the Lahore College for Women University.
The Chairperson also inaugurated Reading
Room and Sports Room at HEC Regional Centre,
Lahore. Mr. Muhammad Raza Chohan, Director,
Regional Centre informed the Chairperson that
the Reading Room has been established with
updated books, magazine, journals and
newspapers, while Sport Room is equipped with
indoor sports facilities. Superior Group of
Colleges has provided the sports equipment.
INAUGURATION
training courses for school and
college teachers in the region,
i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h
S e c o n d a r y a n d H i g h e r
Education Departments. He
also visited the University
campus.
The University of Lahore
During his visit to the
University, Dr. Laghari was
briefed by the Rector, Dr. M. H.
Qazi, about progress of the
University.
Address ing the facul ty
members and students, the
Chairperson appreciated the
efforts made by university in
private sector for providing an
i d e a l a t m o s p h e r e a n d
resources to knowledge
seekers country.
He said that universities must
have Technology Parks like
Turkey and other developed
countries so the students may
h a v e b e t t e r c a r e e r
opportunities. He briefed the
a u d i e n c e a b o u t t h e
establishment of Offices of
Research, Innovation and
Commercialization (ORICs).
Five faculty members of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB), who have left for foreign
countries to pursue their PhD studies under the Faculty Development Programme, pose for a
photograph with Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar, Vice Chancellor, IUB. Ms. Aamna Noor and Ms. Shazia
Kanwal left for Great Britain, Mr. Abid Hussain Shahzad for Belgium, Ms. Nazia Sharif for Austria and
Ms. Farzana Manzoor for China.
NEWS IN PICTURE NEWS IN PICTURE
A patent, submitted by Dr. Naila Yaqoob from the
Lahore College for Women University (LCWU)
has been issued by the US Patent Office. Ms.
Naila has been awarded US Patent entitled
“Environmentally benign TCF bleaching
sequences for AS/AQ wheat straw pulp” which is
an outcome of a part of the research work
towards her PhD thesis.
She has completed her PhD at LCWU under HEC
scholarship under the supervision of Dr. Bushra
Mateen, former Vice Chancellor, LCWU and co-
supervisor Dr. K. J. Cheema, Dean, Faculty of
Natural Sciences.
Mr. Ishtiaq-ur-Rehman, Executive Chemist and
Mr. S. R. Hameed from Packages Ltd. are also the
co-workers in this patent, along with supervisor
and co-supervisor. Pakistan is a country where
wheat straw is one of the major raw materials for
the paper industry. Hypochlorite bleaching
process is a conventional and indigenous
practice to whiten the pulp. Despite the effluent
Dr. Naila Yaqoob
US Patent Awarded under HEC's Project “Patent Filing”
treatment processes, the final
discharge still poses carcinogenic
threats to the surrounding
ecosystem.
Her invention relates to the
design of an alternative eco-
friendly bleaching sequences for our indigenous
species in response to the background that our
“develop now and clean up later” policy will
steadily leave nothing for future generations
except a poor ecosystem. The invention provides
enough evidence to fill the gap between
producing quality products and requirements
for a healthy environment using recommended
total chlorine free bleaching sequences.
The work has been carried out in collaboration
with Packages Ltd (Paper and Board Mill). It is
important to mention that work included in this
patent was carried out in Pakistan only and HEC
is a financial contributor to both PhD research
work and patent processing.
Commission Events
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c a p i t a l d e v e l o p m e n t ,
knowledge sharing/diffusion,
supporting the community/
public engagement, enterprise
e d u c a t i o n a n d
entrepreneurship, exploiting
the university’s physical
assets.
The activities focused on
K n o w l e d g e E x c h a n g e
Programme and preparation
of survey for mapping and
tracking activities related to
Knowledge Exchange in the
universities.Mr. Adrian Day
f rom Higher Educat ion
Funding Council of England
(HEFCE) was the resource
person for the training
sessions. He has been involved
for a long time in developing
the measuring and mapping of
Knowledge Exchange in UK’s
higher education institutions.
thThe 19 meeting of the National Scholarship
Management Committee (NSMC) was held at
HEC Secretariat, under the chairmanship of Dr.
Sohail Naqvi, Executive Director, Higher
Education Commission. The meeting was
attended by representatives of the four
Provincial Governments, Planning Commission,
Ministry of Science and Technology and HEC
officials.
The Committee, for the first time, approved
award of indigenous scholarships under the
project “PhD Fellowship for 5000 Scholars” on
quota basis as per Federal Government policy. As
many as 650 scholarships were provisionally
awarded in light of the decision of the ECNEC
NSMC Awards Indigenous Scholarships on Quota Basis
Knowledge Exchange Trainings held for HEC, Universities
The main purpose of the whole
exercise was to familiarize the
u n i v e r s i t i e s w i t h t h e
K n o w l e d g e E x c h a n g e
concept, which covers all
activities dealing with the
exchange of information or
k n o w l e d g e f r o m t h e
university to the students,
business, government and
local community.
Knowledge Exchange is not
s i m p l y a b o u t
commercialization of science
through creation of spin offs,
licenses etc. It stands for a
broader vision and refers to
fac i l i t a t ing knowledge/
research exploitation and
process, skills and human
T h e H i g h e r E d u c a t i o n
Commission, in collaboration
with the British Council,
organized t ra in ing and
awareness activities under the
new initiative of Knowledge
Exchange (KE) Programme.
The trainings, spread over a
week, targeted the Knowledge
Exchange core team from
HEC, Knowledge Exchange
support team comprising
people from universities’
O f f i c e s o f R e s e a r c h ,
I n n o v a t i o n a n d
Commercialization (ORICs) as
well as vice chancellors/rectors
o f p u b l i c a n d p r i v a t e
universities from all over
Pakistan.
meeting held on July 29, 2011 which agreed to
HEC’s proposal to award local scholarships on thquota basis after 18 constitutional amendment.
The participants were informed that the selection
for Batch-7 of the scheme “PhD Fellowship for
5000 Scholars” was prolonged due to decision at
the Government level. The members were also
apprised that being a Federal Government
o r g a n i z a t i o n , H E C w o u l d e n s u r e
implementation of quota policy in award of
indigenous and foreign scholarships in future as
well. The members appreciated the decision and
hoped that this would help in promoting inter
provincial harmony and removing regional
disparities.
Commission Events
7
Leading universities of Pakistan presented their discoveries at
a two-day All Pakistan Digital Innovation Competition and
Exhibition (DICE) 2011 recently held at University of
Engineering and Technology (UET), Peshawar. The annual
event brought together the region's academic research and
technology business communities to explore potential
collaborations for technology development and
commercialization. Barrister Masood Kausar, Governor KPK,
was the chief guest in the opening ceremony. Dr. Sohail Naqvi,
Executive Director was also present.
Speaking on the occasion, the Governor underlined the
importance of industry-university linkage and appreciated
UET Peshawar for organizing the event. Addressing the
students, he said, “As future engineers you should feel proud
in what you are doing. However, you should be mindful what
you owe to humanity.”
Engr. Imtiaz Gilani, Vice Chancellor, UET said that with
HEC's support universities started their journey in 2002 with
mandate of increasing access, improving quality and bringing
in relevant research to resolve nation's problems.
“From here, universities have moved to the next tier i.e to take
paradigm shift and transform its sleepy, isolated and
conventional role into engagement with industry and real
world issues. DICE is a small step to show that universities are
getting engaged with industry and creating opportunities for
economic prosperity, developing leadership and developing
communities.”
Under the auspices of UET, HEC, Directorate of Science and
Technology, Peshawar and Bank of Khyber, DICE gathered
leading universities including COMSATS Institute of
Information Technology (Lahore and Islamabad), NED
University, Karachi, University of the Punjab, Lahore,
National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad,
University of Science and Technology, Bannu, UET Taxila,
Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan and International
Islamic University, Islamabad. These institutions showcased
their projects and participated in quiz, speed programming
and robotics competitions. Besides, DICE also attracted local
industry, including PESCO, SMEDA/WBDC, National
Universities–Industry Innovative Research Showcased at DICE 2011
Highway Authority, Industrial
Association of Pakistan, Al Hafiz
Crystoplast (Pvt) Ltd., Ideal Security
Provider, Marks Razmak Industries,
PTCL, SUPARCO, and PCSIR
Laboratories Complex Peshawar to
showcase their projects.
The whole event was made possible
with the help of Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad
K h a n , P r o f e s s o r, E l e c t r i c a l
Engineering Department, Co-Chair
DICE, Engr. Asif Ali Shah, Director
CEEC, Engr. Misbahullah, Director
Clubs, Engr. Rashid Nawaz, Student
Societies, Literary and Debating
Society.
The international collaborators
included Dr. Khurshid Qureshi, Mr.
Ashraf Qazi, Dr. Shahid Tahir, and
Dr. Mazher Hussain from USA.
8
Commission Events
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and
the Pink Ribbon recently signed a Memorandum
of Understanding for Breast Cancer Awareness
Campaign in the higher education institutions of
the country.
Dr. Javaid R. Laghari, Chairperson HEC was the
chief guest on the occasion while Ms. Fariba
Shiraz Thomson, Chairperson, Pink Ribbon
Pakistan was the Guest of Honour. Dr. Sohail
Naqvi, Executive Director, HEC and Mr. Omar
Aftab, National Coordinator, Pink Ribbon
Pakistan signed the agreement.
The MoU is a follow-up of a meeting held in
August this year between Dr. Laghari and Ms.
Thomson. It was decided in the meeting that
HEC would make a Task Force for advocacy
campaign of Pink Ribbon Campaign and Dr.
Samina Amin Qadir, Vice Chancellor, Fatima
Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi was
nominated as the Focal person for the Campaign.
It was also decided that two Focal Persons will be
nominated from HEIs of each province, who will
work and coordinate with all the Vice
HEC, Pink Ribbon Ink MoU for Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign
Chancellors and Steering Committee of the Pink
Ribbon Awareness Campaign.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Laghari underlined
the seriousness of the disease. He said that over
1.5 million higher education students across the
country can play an important role in spreading
awareness about the disease.
“According to a recent report, 50 per cent of our
population lives below poverty line and, in this
scenario, the gravity of the situation needs more
focused and passionate effort to reach at the
grassroots level,” he said. The Chairperson
appreciated the Pink Ribbon for its role in
curbing the disease.
Dr. Sohail Naqvi said this is a big social issue
which needs immediate measures. “We will use
all our considerable resources for success of this
campaign. Extra efforts will be made for
conducting meaningful research in this area. We
must understand that this is a problem which is
very close to our own homes and it needs a
concerted and consistent approach to be dealt
with,” he said.
Commission Events
9
Ms. Fariba Shiraz Thomson thanked the Higher
Education Commission for acknowledging
significance of the issue and joining hands with
the Pink Ribbon for spreading awareness
throughout universities of the country.
Dr. Samina Amin said that HEC has become a
strategic partner of the Pink Ribbon Pakistan, for
extending research and development, academic
and technical support for the breast cancer
awareness through provision of its outreach,
human resource and facilities. HEC and Pink
Ribbon will jointly initiate research projects on
different aspects of Breast Cancer in Pakistan,
besides holding Continuing Professional
Education seminars and workshops to highlight
different aspects of breast cancer. HEC will
disseminate awareness through all available
communication channels.
Awareness Seminar
A seminar was recently organized at HEC
Islamabad for awareness of breast cancer disease,
which was attended by 67 female participants,
including HEC employees, faculty members
from 16 universities of the twin cities and spouses
of male HEC employees. Learning Innovation
and HRM Divisions arranged the event.
The members of Controls and Signal Processing
Research (CASPR) Group, led by Dr. Aamer Iqbal
Bhatti at Mohammad Ali Jinnah University,
Islamabad are actively involved in the area of
Automotive Fault Diagnostics and Controls
Research for the last seven years. The successful
experiments and ensuing four publications in
IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics and
IEEE Sensors Journal [1-4] boosted the
researchers' confidence a great deal.
The research strategy essentially consists of
multiple phases. In the first phase, Automotive
Fault Diagnostics is focused upon. A handheld
device is developed to access vital engine
variables and detect existing engine faults. To
monitor engine conditions and earlier fault
prediction (like misfire detection), theoretically
involved algorithms are proposed and
successfully tested on a commercially available
1300 cc vehicle.
With the advent of ruggedized computers and
electronic components, the pre-dominantly
mechanical industry of automotives has
undergone a fundamental transformation. Many
Automotive Fault Diagnostics Research
Four IEEE Transactions in a Year by Pakistani Research Group
difficult problems in the automotive engine
operations have been solved amicably through
the use of electronics, among them the prominent
ones being pollution, fuel efficiency and the
engine reliability. Now the fuel is sprayed into
cylinders through Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI).
The amount of fuel sprayed is carefully
manipulated by the Engine Control Unit (ECU).
Engine Control Unit is a computer mounted on
the engine running complex mathematical
algorithms in real time. This computer also
ensures the reliability of the engine by intimating
to the driver the faults arising in the engine
(commonly called Fault Diagnostics). This not
only ensures the reliability of the engine but also
helps in reducing pollution.
The next phase of Group's work consists of
executing an awareness campaign in the local
mechanics regarding the use of the developed
device. Also the development of state-of-the-art
engine control strategies is very much on the
cards. “CASPR is grateful to the Higher
Education Commission and ICT R&D Fund for
the sponsorship of this research,” says Dr. Bhatti.
Commission Events
10
Registrar PEC to look into the possibility of standardizing the procedures amongst the Councils that should be followed by all the universities while initiating any new programme in any discipline.
It was also agreed by all the participants that the entry test system should be reviewed to have a common testing system for each discipline.
Dr. Sohail Naqvi, Executive Director, HEC ensured the c o n t i n u o u s s u p p o r t t o Councils in the area of capacity building of the Councils in general and the programme evaluators in particular.
All the Councils agreed to conduct such a meeting at least twice a year to further enhance the coordination and collaboration amongst all the Councils and HEC.
Accreditation Councils Meet at HEC Pakistan Bar Council, Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council, National Council for Tibb, Pharmacy Council of Pakistan, N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l f o r H o m e o p a t h y, P a k i s t a n Medical and Dental Council, Pakistan Nursing Council, Pakistan Engineering Council, N a t i o n a l A c c r e d i t a t i o n C o u n c i l f o r T e a c h e r Education, National Business Education Accreditation Council, National Computing Education Accreditation C o u n c i l , a n d N a t i o n a l A g r i c u l t u r e E d u c a t i o n Accreditation Council.
All the Councils agreed to adapt the best practices followed all over the world to s t a n d a r d i z e t h e i r accreditation processes and harmonize the rating process of accredited programmes. A committee will be convened by Dr. Nasir Mehmood,
The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) of the Higher Education Commission organized a meeting of all Professional/ Accreditation Councils at HEC Secretariat.
The main objective of the meeting was to strengthen the already existing bond between the Councils and HEC for the improvement of q u a l i t y e d u c a t i o n a t programme level.
Representatives of all the 13 Councils participated in the meeting and fully supported t h e i d e a o f m u t u a l c o o r d i n a t i o n a n d collaboration amongst the Councils and HEC to promote i m p o r t a n c e o f q u a l i t y education in the country.
T h e C o u n c i l s i n c l u d e d P a k i s t a n C o u n c i l f o r Architects and Town Planners,
A workshop for the Empowerment of
Examination System of the higher education
institutions was organized by the Learning
Innovation Division, HEC. Dr. Norman Reid
from the University of Glasgow was the resource
Workshop on Empowerment of
Examination System
person. Twenty four heads of examination
departments of HEIs from all over Pakistan
attended the capacity building activity.
Speaking to the participants, Dr. Sohail Naqvi,
Executive Director, HEC emphasized the
importance of role of heads of examination units
for betterment of assessment system of the
universities.
The workshop is first of the series and more such
workshops for heads of examination units of
HEIs will be held in 2012.
Commission Events
11
Mr. Rifat Ullah Khan, HEC scholar of Batch IV, published five papers in ISI impact factor
journals in 2011. The papers have been published in high ranking animal science journals
such as World's Poultry Science, Tropical Animal Health and Production and Animal Feed
Science and Technology. Currently, the scholar is perusing PhD in Physiology from
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad.
NEWS FLASH
Commission Events
12
Mr. Rahim Bux Channa,
Director General Attestation
and Accreditat ion bade
farewell to the Higher
Education Commission on
November 30 after serving the
erstwhile University Grants
Commission for 21 years and
HEC for the last 10 years. “It is
an honour to be retiring from
HEC as I have served this
organization to the utmost of
my ability,” he said in his
address to the jam packed
auditorium where the entire
HEC staff had gathered to bid
him adieu.
Sharing his views on the
occasion he said that the
a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h t h e
o r g a n i z a t i o n a n d h i s
colleagues was indeed a
difficult hurdle to overcome at
such a time but he was
satisfied in his heart that he
had reciprocated in turn. Dr.
Javaid R. Laghari, Chairperson
Mr. Rahim Bux Channa Retires
H i g h e r E d u c a t i o n
Commission lauded the
services of Mr. Channa for
both UGC and HEC.
Dr. Sohail Naqvi, Executive
Director HEC while sharing
his views on the occasion said
that while Mr. Channa had
provided the strong backbone
t o t h e A d m i n i s t r a t i o n
Division, he was glad that the
strong foundation would
remain even in the absence of
Mr. Channa. This was how
institutions grow and mature
he added. Dr.
M u k h t a r
Ahmed, former
Member O and P
joined in from
R a b a t a n d
p r a i s e d M r .
C h a n n a ' s b y
saying that HEC
would not forget
his services. Dr.
A l t a f A l i G .
Shaikh, fromer Member
(Academics) HEC reminisced about his long association with Mr. Channa. He said it was always a pleasure to work with him.
Hailing from Shikarpur and
armed with a Masters degree
in Economics Mr. Channa
joined UGC in 1971 and
Islamabad his home. He spent
three fourths of his career in
the Administrat ion and
headed it till 2007 when he
assumed the charge of DG
Academics and DG Sports. He
managed to infuse in these two
Divisions the dedication and
commitment to tasks he is well
known for. He spent the last
leg of his career in the
Attestation and Accreditation
D i v i s i o n a n d b e c a m e
synonymous for HEC staunch
stance in verification of
degrees of Parliamentarians.
A series of workshops on Computer Assisted
Language Learning (CALL) were organized by
the English Language Teaching Reforms (ELTR)
Project of the Higher Education Commission
(HEC) in collaboration with the British Council
from November 30 to December 17 at Islamabad,
Multan and Karachi. The first workshop of the
series opened at HEC Secretariat Islamabad,
which was attended by 20 participants from
different universities and colleges .
Prof. Dr. Khwaja Azam Ali, Managing Director,
Quality Assurance Agency, HEC was the chief
guest. Mr. Nik Peachy was the resource person
for the whole series. Mr. Ray Brown, English
Language Adviser, British Council and Mr.
Murad Khan, Head of Programmes (English)
represented the British Council.
The workshops are aimed at providing all-out
international exposure to English faculty of
colleges and universities. HEC has been
British Council, HEC Organize Series of CALL
Workshopsendeavouring to ensure that, along with the
universities, the quality of teaching process is
also enhanced at the college level.
The CALL workshops provide the participants
not only the international level understanding of
E-Learning, but also focuses on other computer
technologies. Innovative modern techniques are
used to impart the new concepts of CALL.
The workshop focused on need analysis and
classroom research tools, social book marking,
RSS and information feeds and sources, working
in virtual learning environment, twitter and
creating personal learning.
Mr. Nik Peachy said that online learning and
modern technology are quite important in
effective learning process. He emphasized that
an online community will be developed for
continuous learning process.
HEC scholar Shujaul Mulk, doing his PhD at
the University of Leicester, UK, delivered a talk
entit led "Vegetation abundance and
anthropogenic pressure in the remote Western
Himalayas; the Naran Valley, Pakistan" in an
international conference "People and Nature in
Mountains: Changing Land Use and
Landscape Dynamics" at Museum of Natural
History, Norway.
He also presented a poster entitled "Plant
c o m m u n i t i e s v e g e t a t i o n i n d i c a t e
HEC Scholar Delivers Talk in Int’l Conference environmental gradients in the
We s t e r n H i m a l a y a s " i n
i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o n f e r e n c e
" S p a t i a l E c o l o g y a n d
Conservation" at University of
Birmingham, UK.
Shuja is working on Plant Biodiversity and
Ecosystem Services of Naran Valley. He is
using the robust techniques to quantify and
classify the natural vegetation and to assess the
anthropogenic pressure on it.
Commission Events
13
Successful Scholars of Indigenous PhD Programme
Dr. Ashfaq Ahmad has completed his PhD in Management Sciences, specialization
in Finance, from Foundation University, Islamabad. Earlier, he completed his MPhil
and some part of his PhD studies from Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and
Technology, Islamabad. “I want to contribute towards learning by blending research
and practice in Pakistan,” says Dr. Ashfaq who is currently working as In-Charge,
Department of Business Administration, University of Sargodha. He has published
21 research papers in HEC recognized journals.
Dr. Somia Gul has completed her PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from University of
Karachi in 2011. Her field of specialization is Drug-Drug interaction studies and organic
synthesis, the research topic being “Drug-Drug Interaction Studies of Sparfloxacin”.
After completing her studies, Dr. Somia has been selected as an Associate Professor in
the Faculty of Pharmacy at Jinnah University for Women, Karachi. She has, to her credit,
seven international publications in refereed journals with good impact factors. “I am
grateful to the Higher Education Commission for providing me the wonderful opportunity for PhD
studies,” says Dr. Somia.
Belonging to a village in Soon valley of district Khushab, Dr. Haroon Sarwar Awan has
completed his PhD in Economics from University of Sargodha. “My elder brother, a
PhD in Economics, was a source of inspiration for me to go for higher education.
Therefore, I applied for HEC scholarship. The deteriorating macroeconomic situation of
Pakistan has always enticed me to study this aspect. I selected monetary side of
Pakistan's economy for my research and tried to explore the solutions for monetary
problems. During my PhD studies, I also published four research papers,” says Dr. Haroon who has
joined Macroeconomics Section of Planning and Development Division, Government of Pakistan, after
completion of his studies.
Dr. Shah Jahan, who has completed his PhD from Punjab University’s National Centre of
Excellence in Molecular Biology, has the remarkable achievement of producing 22
international publications with 50 Impact Factor. “During my studies, I did a lot of
research on Molecular basis of HCV pathogenic pathways. I have identified therapeutic
targets and biomarkers for HCC progression,” says Dr. Shah Jehan. Presently working
as Assistant Professor at University of Health Sciences, Lahore, he is also an HEC
Approved Supervisor.
Dr. Haroon Sarwar Awan
Dr. Shah Jahan
Dr. Somia Gul
Dr. Ashfaq Ahmad
Commission Events
14
The Committee unanimously
selected Prof. Dr. Mumtaz
Bhutto, Chairperson, Faculty
of Social Sciences, Department
of Pakistan Studies, Preston
University, Karachi and Prof.
Dr. Shahid Ahmad Rajput,
A s s o c i a t e P r o f e s s o r /
Chairman, Department of
History, International Islamic
University, Islamabad as
Convener and Secretary,
respectively.
The preliminary meeting of
the National Curriculum
Revision Committee (NCRC)
in Industrial Engineering was
recently held at HEC Regional
C e n t r e , K a r a c h i . M r .
Muhammad Javed Khan,
Adviser (Academics), HEC
welcomed the members of the
committee and highlighted the
importance of the curriculum
review/revision.
NCRC Meets to Review Industrial Engineering Curriculum
The Committee unanimously
selected Prof. Dr. Iftikhar
H u s s a i n , C h a i r m a n ,
Department of Industrial
Engineering, University of
Engineering and Technology,
Peshawar and Dr. Maqsood
Ahmed Khan, Associate
Professor, Department of
Industrial and Manufacturing
Engineering, NED University
o f E n g i n e e r i n g a n d
Technology, Karachi as
Convener and Secretary of the
Committee, respectively.
Dr. M. Tahir Ali Shah, Deputy
Director (Curriculum), HEC
briefed the committee about
s t a n d a r d t e m p l a t e f o r
development of curricula in
E n g i n e e r i n g d e g r e e
programmes.
The Committee discussed in
detail the existing curriculum
in Industrial Engineering and
made certain modifications,
d e v e l o p e d t h e d r a f t
curriculum at BE/BS and
ME/MS level which will be
finalized in the final meeting
of the Committee.
History Curriculum for BS and MS Programmes Reviewed
The meeting discussed the
entire curriculum and each
course was discussed with
necessary focus.
After thorough deliberations,
the Committee unanimously
approved the draft curriculum
of History for BS (4-year) and
MS (2-year) programmes,
which will be finalized in the
f i n a l m e e t i n g o f t h e
Committee.
The preliminary meeting of the
National Curriculum Revision
Committee (NCRC) in History
was held at HEC Regional
Centre, Lahore.
Malik Arshad Mahmood,
Director (Curriculum) HEC
briefed the participants about
objectives of the meeting with
emphasis on reviewing the
course outlines for BS (4-year)
and MS Programme.
Commission Events
15
W o r k s h o p s o n G o o d
Governance and Strategic
P l a n n i n g f or H e a ds o f
Departments were separately
h e l d a t Q u a i d - i - A z a m
University and National
University of Sciences and
Technology (NUST), under
HEC’s Modern University
Governance Programme for
University Management.
Dr. Mary Linda Armacost,
former President of two
American universities, was the
resource person for both the
workshops, which aimed to
equip participants with basic
principles, processes involved
in strategic planning and good
g o ve r n a n c e a s we l l a s
strategies to overcome barriers
to strategic planning.
Dr. Masoom Yasinzai, Vice
Chancellor, QAU and Engr.
Muhammad Mushtaq, Pro-
Rector, NUST were chief
guests in the events at their
Good Governance, Strategic Planning Workshops for HoDs of QAU & NUST
respective institutions. They
appreciated HEC programme
and initiatives for improving
University Governance.
“It is a revolutionary step for
the Management Cadre of
universities for continuous
c a p a c i t y b u i l d i n g a n d
professional development
t h r o u g h l a t e s t t o o l s ,
techniques and international
p r a c t i c e s i n u n i ve r s i t y
governance and leadership,”
said Engr. Mushtaq.
thThe 16 meeting of 30 Quality
Enhancement Cells (QECs)
functioning since 2006 was
recently held at HEC Regional
Centre, Peshawar wherein the
impact of programme self-
a s s e s s m e n t w i t h i n t h e
university was discussed.
Meeting of 30 QECs held at HEC PeshawarProgramme self-assessment is
a systematic process of
gathering, reviewing and
using important quantitative
and qualitative data and
information from multiple
and diverse sources about
educational programmes, for
the purpose of improving
s t u d e n t l e a r n i n g a n d
evaluating whether academic
and learning standards are
being fulfilled.
S e l f - a s s e s s m e n t i s
internationally accepted as an
Participants of the workshop at NUST, Islamabad
Participants of the workshop with Vice Chancellor, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad
Commission Events
16
NEWS IN PICTURE NEWS IN PICTURE Ms. Zia Batool, Director
General, Quality Assurance,
HEC recently visited The
University of Faisalabad
(TUF) where she was briefed
about the performance of
various schools of the
University with special
reference to different quality
assurance criteria.
Prof. Muhammad Ashfaq,
Additional Registrar, TUF
gave the presentation. Mian
M u h a m m a d H a n i f ,
Chairman BoGs, Dr. Abdul
Karim Baloch, Pro Rector and
Dr. Abdul Majeed, Director
Quality Enhancement Cell
were also present. Speaking
on the occasion, Ms. Batool
underlined the need to harness
best practices in teaching,
learning and research.
She also elaborated the
miss ion of the Qual i ty
Assurance Division of HEC
and the role it was playing for
elevating the standards of
e d u c a t i o n i n a l l t h e
universities of the country.
important tool for academic
q u a l i t y a s s u r a n c e a n d
p r o v i d e s f e e d b a c k a t
p r o g r a m m e l e v e l f o r
u n d e r t a k i n g r e m e d i a l
measures, if required. The
participants of the meeting
agreed that through this HEC
initiative, awareness and
sensitivity regarding Quality
Assurance measures has
i n c r e a s e d a m o n g
stakeholders. Feedback from
s takeholders , inc luding
students, alumni, employers,
teachers etc, has provided a
factual basis for decision
making.
At the same time, the academic
processes and sense of
accountability amongst the
university management and
faculty members has begun to
improve.
QEC representatives also put
forth suggestions to bring
improvement in the Self-
Assessment processes based
on their experience and
interaction with stakeholders.
Commission Events
17
th The 16 Master Trainers-Faculty Professional
Development Programme (MT-FPDP) ,
organized by the Learning Innovation Division,
Higher Education Commission concluded at
HEC Secretariat recently. As many as 28 faculty
members of 21 public sector universities from
across Pakistan participated in the programme.
Dr. Ruquiya Saeed Hashmi, Provincial Minister
for Inter-Provincial Coordination, Balochistan
was the chief guest in the closing ceremony. Dr.
Javaid R. Laghari, Chairperson, HEC was also
present on the occasion.
So far, 469 faculty members have benefitted from
MT-FPDP in 16 batches. This rigorous training
programme, designed specifically for in-service
teachers, includes 11 core modules and
additional sessions on different important social
topics.
The main objective of the training is to enhance
and enrich the teaching abilities of the faculty
members to ensure quality education which is
entirely dependent on the quality of teachers.
The programme aims to enable University
teachers to use innovative teaching strategies and
communication skills that blend academic
concepts with workplace applications. Besides,
the intensive training on different modules, some
general topics were also covered by the resource
persons. Eminent scholars from across Pakistan
th 16 Faculty Professional Development Programme Concludes
conducted various sessions and highlighted
basic features of different modules, including
Teaching as Profession, Academic Planning,
Androgogical Skills, Testing and Evaluation,
Research Methodology and Learner ’s
Psychology.
A d d i t i o n a l s e s s i o n s o n C i t i z e n s h i p ,
Entrepreneurship and Gender Harassment
policy were also arranged to amplify the
exposure of participants. These Master Trainers
will now replicate the similar training in their
respective institutions.
The Divisional Heads of various divisions of
HEC were also invited during the programme as
“Guest of the Day” to brief the participants about
functioning of their Divisions. Recreational and
study trips were also arranged to different
historic places.
Five public sector universities of Pakistan have
formed the country’s first-ever Inter University
Consortium for Promotion of Social Sciences,
Arts and Humanities. This was decided in a
Inter-University Consortium for Promotion of Social Sciences
recent meeting attended Vice Chancellors of
Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, University
of Gujrat, Islamia University, Bahawalpur
Institute of Managements Sciences, Peshawar
Commission Events
18
HEC briefed the participants
about the objectives of the
meeting.
The Committee unanimously
selected Prof. Dr. Abdul Sattar
Shakir, Dean, Faculty of Civil
Engineering, University of
Engineering and Technology,
Lahore and Dr. Anwar Khitab,
A s s i s t a n t P r o f e s s o r ,
D e p a r t m e n t o f C i v i l
briefed the participants about
the objectives of the meeting
and elaborated the procedure
for revision of curriculum.
He emphasized on making it
compatible with international
standards while ensuring
uniformity of academic
standard and demand within
the country.
NCRC Reviews Curriculum of Electrical, Electronics, Telecommunication and Computer (System) Engineering
The preliminary meeting of
the National Curriculum
Revis ion Commit tee in
E l e c t r i c a l , E l e c t r o n i c s ,
Te lecommunicat ion and
C o m p u t e r ( S y s t e m )
Engineering recently held at
HEC Regional Centre, Lahore.
Mr. Muhammad Javed Khan,
Adviser (Academics) HEC
The Committee unanimously
selected Prof. Dr. Muhammad
A l i M a u d , C h a i r m a n ,
Department of Computer
Engineering and Information
Technology, UET Lahore and
Dr. Muhammad Inayatullah
B a b a r , D e p a r t m e n t o f
Electrical Engineering, UET
Peshawar as Convener and
Secretary, respectively.
After thorough deliberation,
the Committee unanimously
approved the draft curriculum
o f B E / B S c E l e c t r i c a l
E n g i n e e r i n g w i t h f o u r
specializations which will be
finalized in the final meeting of
NCRC.
Preliminary Meeting of NCRC in Civil EngineeringEngineering, Wah Engineering
College, University of Wah as
Convener and Secretary,
respectively.
After thorough deliberation,
the Committee unanimously
approved the draft curriculum
of BSc Civil Engineering which
will be finalized in the final
meeting of NCRC.
The preliminary meeting of
the National Curriculum
Revision Committee (NCRC)
in Civil Engineering was
recently held at HEC Regional
Centre, Lahore. The purpose
of the meet ing was to
review/revise the curriculum
of Civil Engineering.
M r . M u h a m m a d R a z a
Chohan, Regional Director,
and Government College University, Faisalabad.
The areas of cooperation, under the consortium,
will include faculty development/exchange,
exchange of students and publications, joint
research projects, joint linkages with national and
i n t e r n a t i o n a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s , j o i n t
seminars/conferences/workshops and other
programmes of mutual interest.
Commission Events
19
A two-day Conference on
Application and Methods of
P h y s i c s w a s r e c e n t l y
organized by the Centre for
Advanced Mathematics and
Physics (CAMP), a constituent
institute of NUST.
The aim of the conference was
to provide a forum where the
new developments occurring
in the domain of Physics could
be discussed. A number of
renowned physicists from the
country's leading universities
“In the wake of rapid urbanization and
industrialization, pollution and scarcity of water
resources are becoming more serious concerns
than ever. To increase sustainability, water must
be used efficiently and multiple times by
cascading from higher to lower quality needs.
This emerging paradigm requires establishing
autonomous and decentralized water recycling
systems in which diverse water resources are
created, conserved and utilized effectively.”
This was the crux of a two-day International
Workshop on Technological Advances and
Challenges in Water Reclamation and Reuse
organized at the School of Civil and
Environmental Engineering (SCEE), National
University of Sciences and Technology (NUST),
NUST Conference on Application and Methods of Physics
participated in the conference.
Students and researchers gave
presentations during the two-
day event.
D r. J a va i d R . L a g h a r i ,
Chairperson HEC, was the
chief guest in the inaugural
session. He termed the
conference a step forward
towards the promotion of
Physics in the country.
He said that the University is
playing a leading role in the
development of science and
technology. He also urged
other universities to conduct
application-based research.
Engr. Muhammad Asghar,
Rector NUST, emphasized the
importance of committed
l e a d e r s h i p a n d t h e
involvement of scientists in
policymaking at a broad level.
He also elaborated on the
rapid progress of NUST as an
integrated research university.
Workshop on Water Reclamation and ReuseIslamabad. Eminent scholars from within and
outside the country attended the event.
Dr. Samar Mubarakmand was the chief guest in
the inaugural session. Addressing the gathering,
he said that the population growth rate in
Pakistan is very high, which has direct impact on
the water sector. He said that industrial and
domestic water, occupying the major portion of
total water demand, could be provided by high
grade reclaimed wastewater using advanced
technology.
Engr. Muhammad Asghar, Rector NUST, said
that Pakistan is rapidly depleting its available
water resources and is on the verge of becoming a
water-scarce country. He said it is imperative that
University News
20
�University of Central Punjab, Lahore t hhas won the 28 Intervarsity
Bodybuilding Championship 2011-12
held recently in Lahore. Pakistan
Bodybuilding Federation Technical
O f f i c i a l s s u p e r v i s e d t h e
Championship, in which 13 teams
from all over the country participated
�HEC boxers won one silver and one
bronze medal in the National Boxing
Championship recently concluded at
Pe s h a wa r. M r. G u l s h e r f r o m
University of Peshawar clinched silver
while Roffus from Sind Agriculture
University, Tandojam won bronze
medals
�Government College University, t hFaisalabad won the 35 HEC
Intervarsity Football Championship
recently held in Faisalabad. University
of Karachi finished runners up
t h�The 29 Intervarsity Wrestling
Championship held at Lahore was
won by University of Central Punjab,
Lahore. Nine teams participated in the
championship, in which University of
the Punjab secured second position
�HEC won one silver and one bronze
medals in the National Beach
Wrestling Championship, held in four
weight categories. Four players of
H E C p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t h e
Championship
t h�T h e 3 5 Wo m e n B a d m i n t o n
Championship, held at NUST
Islamabad, was won by University of
the Punjab, Lahore. Lahore College for
Women University and Government
College University, Faisalabad
finished second and third, respectively
Intervarsity Sports
The recently held convocation ceremony of the
Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi
was a big day for the graduates who studied under the
USAID Funded Merit and Needs-based Scholarship
Programme of HEC.
A total of 36 students funded through this Programme
were awarded degrees on the occasion, who are now in
a position to secure good jobs to support their families.
It is worth mentioning that two of these students won
gold medals, proving the point that many of talented
young people can excel in all fields, if provided
adequate financial support.
The scholarships under this programme are available
in the fields of Agriculture and Business
Administration at 11 participating universities. So far,
1440 scholarships have been awarded.
Scholars of Needs-based Programme Shine at IBA Convocation
we improve efficiency in meeting the challenges
regarding water reclamation and its reuse.
Prof. Roger Ben Aim, the key resource person, said that
membrane processes are regarded as a positive
advancement in wastewater treatment ensuring
increased water reclamation and reuse. “The main
advantages of this technology are no chemical
requirement, relatively low energy consumption and a
lower footprint,” he said.
Other prominent speakers included Prof. C.
Visvanathan, Dr. Parneet Paul, Dr. Nick Hankins, Dr.
Sher Jamal Khan, Dr. Zahir-ud-Din Khan and Dr. Imran
Hashmi.
University News
21
“It is education which matters in building nations
socially, culturally and economically and ensures
better future for their coming generations. At the
same time, it is the conducive environment of
educational institutions which grooms students,
constructs their personalities in making them
good scientists, teachers and leaders in every
walk of life.”
This was stated by Barrister Masood Kausar,
Governor, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while
addressing as the chief guest at the Convocation
2011 of the Gomal University, D. I. Khan. He said
that there is no substitute to education and the
time is not far when our educational institutions
will be in a position to the optimum level in
making this possible in our country too.
In all, 149 graduates of 32 departments of the last
four academic sessions of the University received
gold medals while 21 graduates of Agriculture,
Arts, Pharmacy and Sciences were awarded PhD
degrees on the occasion.
There was a consensus among
the delegates and speakers of
the three-day UN Model
Conference held at Ghulam
Ishaq Khan Institute (GIKI)
that Pakistan urgently needed
a result-oriented "social
change".
The conference was organised
by the GIKI Students Society
for the Promotion of Higher
Education in Pakistan .
Among others, it was attended
by Ms. Marvi Memon and
Education Inevitable for Nation Building: Governor KPK
“Frontiers of knowledge keep expanding, what is
new today becomes obsolete next day, hence we
need to keep abreast with latest knowledge
otherwise our diplomas and degrees will become
worthless pieces of paper,” the Governor said.
Dr. Mansoor Akbar Kundi, Vice Chancellor said
that Gomal University which was established in
1974 is the second oldest and biggest amongst all
the universities of the province.
UN Model Conference Calls for Social Changesenior journalists Syed Talat
Hussain and Javed Iqbal.
Dr. Fazal Ahmad Khalid, Pro-
Rector (Academic) was the
chief guest at the prize
distribution ceremony. He said
that youth are a valuable asset
of Pakistan and they could put
the country on the track of
progress and prosperity.
Mr. Talat Hussain said that the
Middle East like revolution is
neither possible in Pakistan
nor it is our culture. “We need
a social change which is really
felt by the masses. Educated
youth of the country must
come forward to play their
constructive role,” he said.
Marvi Memon said the voters
should be careful in the
selection of the candidates
during the critical election
process and they should give
votes only to those leaders
who could really introduce
reforms for progress and
prosperity of the country.
University News
22
Fundamentalist and H. M.
Naqvi's Home Boy.
The themes which were
mirrored through their
works range from identity,
both personal and political, to
the notion of “constituency,”
or membership in a group,
thThe 6 convocation of the
B e a c o n h o u s e N a t i o n a l
University (BNU), Lahore was
recently held at its Tarogil
Campus. Sardar Muhammad
Latif Khan Khosa, Governor
Punjab, who is also Chancellor
of the University, presided
over the convocation.
M r s . N a s r e e n M a h m u d
Kasuri, Chairperson, BNU
Board of Governors and Mr.
Sartaj Aziz, Vice Chancellor,
were also present on the
occasion. A total of 243
s tudents rece ived their
degrees, out of which 78 were
from the MPhil, MS and
Masters programmes while
165 were from the Bachelor
programmes. A total of 19 gold
th243 Receive Degrees at 6 BNU Convocation
medals were awarded to the
distinction holders.
Speaking on the occasion, the
Chancellor said, “It is not brick
and mortar but the soul within
a scholar that signifies the
academic excellence of an
institution”. In his address, the
Vice Chancellor presented the
annual report of BNU's
a c h i e ve m e n t s . H e a l s o
congratulated the graduating
students and their parents on
this momentous occasion.
Air University Seminar on Pakistani English Literature
fragmented interdependence
and contact zones.
Dr. Samina Amin Qadir, Vice
Chancellor, Fatima Jinnah
University and Dr. Anwar
Ahmad, Chairman, National
Language Authority also
spoke on the occasion.
The Faculty of Social Sciences,
Air University Islamabad
recently organized a two-day
seminar on “Pakistani English
Literature in Local and Global
C o n t e x t ” . D r . D a v i d
Waterman, Universite de La
Rochelle, France and co-editor
of online journal 'Pakistanniat'
was invited as resource
person.
Dr. Waterman dilated upon
the works of four Pakistani
fiction writers including In the
City by the Sea by Kamila
Shamsie, The Wasted Vigil by
Nadeem Aslam, Mohsin
Hamid 's The Reluctant
University News
23
Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Chief
Minister Punjab has linked the national
development with the quality education and
upholding the merit and justice in every
institution. He was addressing a gathering of
students at the University of Agriculture,
Faisalabad (UAF).
He said that during the last 64 years, the culture
of merit had been grossly violated in the country.
Talking about livestock, he said that even India
was earning the foreign exchange by exporting
halal meat. “Although, we were enjoying best
breeds and other factors, but we are lagging
behind,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that the Government
under the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund
had provided 30,000 scholarships for needy
students across the province. He also announced
that 300 scholars of the UAF would be sent
Turkish Extension Centre will be set up at the
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF) with
the financial assistance of the Turkish
International Cooperation Agency (TICA) in
order to increase meat and milk production as
well as enhancing crops productivity by setting
up seed centre.
In this regard, a delegation of UAF, headed by its
Vice Chancellor Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan visited
Turkey on the invitation of TICA.
The delegation visited different institutions and
held meetings with officials of various
agricultural , veterinary and l ivestock
departments. Besides meeting Dr. Cemal
TALUĞ, Rector, Ankara University, the
delegation visited Agri Business Centre at
Istanbul and held meeting with officials of the
Seed Union. Addressing the participants of a
Seed Conference, Dr. Iqrar informed the
Development Linked to Quality Education: CM
abroad for studying in well–reputed institutions.
He also announced aid of Rs. 70 million for the
UAF to uplift infrastructure and other facilities.
Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Vice Chancellor, UAF
said that the University has received grants
amounting to Rs. 120 million from the Punjab
government since 2009. “This grant was used for
setting up women complex, women medical
centre, student counselling centre, hostels, green
houses and completion of many other projects,”
he said.
Turkish Extension Centre to be Established at UAF
gathering about the progress being made by
Pakistan in the seed sector and activities of
professionals of Plant Breeding and Genetics.
Other members of the delegation included Dr.
Laique Akbar Lodhi, Dr. Muhammad Sarwar, Dr.
Zafar Iqbal Qureshi, Dr. Rashid Ahmad, Dr.
Muhammad Jalal Arif, Dr. Ashfaq Ahmad
Chatha, Dr. Mahmood Ahmad Randhawa, Dr.
Safdar Ali, Dr. Mehar-un-Nisa and Dr. Ayesha
Siddiqa.
University News
24
The CECOS University of
Information Technology and
Emerging Sciences, Peshawar
recently signed an MOU with
t h e K a n g wo n N a t i o n a l
University (KNU), South
Korea. The MoU was signed by
Dr. Riaz Khattak, Director,
Research and Development/
Quality Assurance, CECOS
University during his visit to
South Korea, where he was
invited as one of the five
international speakers in a
conference jointly organized
by the Korean Society of
Applied Chemistry and
Korean Society of Soils and
Fertilizers.
Dr. Khattak presented a paper
o n T r a c e E l e m e n t s
Contamination of Soil, Plant
a n d F o o d . A f t e r t h e
conference, on the invitation of
KNU, he spent a week at the
campus and delivered a series
of lectures on Environmental
Soil Chemistry and role of soil
scientist in mitigating climate
change.
During his s tay in the
Department of Biological
Environment, the agreement
w a s s i g n e d w i t h t h e
Departments of Regional
Infrastructure Engineering
and Biosystem Engineering for
exchange of students, faculty
and effective cooperation in
R&D.
rdThe 3 six-day International
Conference/Workshop on
Dendrochronology and Plant
Ecology was organized by the
Department of Botany, Federal
Urdu University of Arts,
Science and Technology,
Karachi.
D r . M u d a s s i r A s r a r ,
Chairperson, Pakistan Council
for Science and Technology,
Islamabad was the chief guest
while Dr. Muhammad Qaiser,
Vice Chancellor, FUUAST was
the guest of honour.
A large number of experts and
research students from all over
the country participated in the
The students of Department of
Mass Communication, Lahore
College for Women University
participated in competitions
o r g a n i z e d b y I n s a n
F o u n d a t i o n Tr u s t , i n
partnership with Canadian
International Development
Agency, and won cash prizes
amounting Rs. 1,70,000 in all
five categories of media
products.
Int'l Conference on Dendrochronology & Plant Ecology
conference. Foreign experts
from China, Turkey, Nepal,
America, and New Zealand
also presented their scientific
papers and participated in
workshop sessions.
The conference was mainly
supported by the Higher
Education Commission while
farewell dinner and some
assistance were provided by
the Geol ink (Pvt ) L td .
Australia/Pakistan. Ecological
field trip to terrestrial and
Mangrove ecosystem was
hosted by Port Bin Qasim
Authority. In the end, the
conference made several
recommendations.
LCWU Media
Students Win Prizes
These included television
commercials, public services
messages, documentaries,
radio talk shows and drama
skits. The competitions were
held among the students of
Media Studies Departments of
LCWU, Government College
U n i ve r s i t y, F a i s a l a b a d ,
U n i v e r s i t y o f G u j r a t ,
University of Sargodha and
I s l a m i a U n i v e r s i t y ,
Bahawalpur.
Dr. Sabiha Mansoor, Vice
C h a n c e l l o r , L C W U
congratulated the winners and
Dr. Anjum Zia, Chairperson,
M a s s C o m m u n i c a t i o n
D e p a r t m e n t o n t h e i r
achievement.
CECOS University, KNU Sign MoU
University News
25
A delegation led by Dr. Riaz
Hussain Qureshi, Adviser
(HRD), HEC and Dr. Haroon
Rashid, Director, National
Testing Service, recently met
Sardar Muhammad Latif Khan
Khosa, Governor Punjab.
The delegation comprised 15
Vice Chancellors/Rectors of
public and private higher
education institutions from all
over Punjab as well as
participants and organizers of th4 TOT Workshop on Effective
Tes t I t em Const ruc t ion
Techniques, jointly organized
by HEC and NTS at HEC
Regional Centre Lahore.
Dr. Qureshi briefed the
Governor about various HEC
programmes and initiatives
for promotion of higher
education. Dr. Haroon Rashid
shared the objectives and
background of HEC-NTS
collaboration for launching
Master Trainers Programme in
t h e a r e a o f Te s t I t e m
Construction.
The vice chancellors and
faculty members in their brief
remarks lauded the efforts of
Dr. Umar Saif, Associate
Professor, Lahore University
of Management Sciences
(LUMS) is the first Pakistani to
win the prestigious US$
100 ,000 Google Facul ty
Research Award, for the low-
cost rural telephony systems
he has been working on for the
past three years along with
colleagues at UC Berkeley.
His collaborators on the
research include Eric Brewer,
VP of Infrastructure at Google,
currently on leave from his
w o r k a s P r o f e s s o r o f
Computer Science at UC
Berkeley, Tapan Parikh,
Assistant Professor at the
iSchool at UC Berkeley and
Kurtis Heimerl, a graduate
student working with Dr.
Brewer.
Dr. Saif was also the first
Pakistani to be acknowledged
by the MIT Technology
Review as one of the top 35
innovators (TR35). He was
honoured for his work on
t e c h n o l o g i e s f o r t h e
developing-world which are
being used by millions of
people. Notable among them
are BitMate - that enhances the
speed of Internet in the
developing-world using peer-
to-peer technology, and
SMSall.pk - Pakistan's largest
SMS Social Network .
15 VCs/Rectors of Punjab Call on Governor
HEC in bringing positive
changes and improving
quality in higher education
sector of Pakistan within a
short span of time.
Speaking on the occasion, the
Governor appreciated the joint
efforts of HEC and NTS for thorganizing 4 workshop on
Tes t I t em Const ruc t ion
techniques. He was of the view
that Pakistan's transition to a
middle income economy is
critically dependent on the
scale and performance of its
tertiary education sector.
“The research at universities
should focus on the issues and
problems of direct relevance to
t h e s o c i o e c o n o m i c
development of the country
and build the economy by
p i o n e e r i n g t h e
c o m m e r c i a l i z a t i o n o f
innovative ideas, products,
and processes resulting from
research work.
They must also nurture close
relationship with their local
community, industry and
organizations employing their
graduates,” the Governor said.
Dr. Umar Saif - First Pakistani to Receive Google Faculty Research Award
University News
26
The Institute of Space Technology (IST), Karachi
Campus in collaboration with Pakistan Space
and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission
(SUPARCO) organized a five-day course on
“Integrating Ground Based Methods and Spatial
Techniques for Environmental Monitoring” at
the National Centre for Remote Sensing and Geo-
Informatics (NCRG), Karachi.
The objective of this course was to impart
training to various stakeholders in an area where
integrated approach utilizing geospatial and
ground based monitoring techniques are
required to address environmental issues.
Different training modules were designed for the
course comprising Environmental Monitoring
and Modelling for Water, Soil and Air.
Recent advances in application of satellite
Remote Sensing (RS) for environmental
monitoring have provided the capacity to
acquire the needful information at spatial and
temporal scales. Through integrating RS data
A M e m o r a n d u m o f
Understanding was recently
signed between the Islamia
University of Bahawalpur
(IUB) and Energy Department,
Government of Punjab.
Under the agreement, the
Punjab Government will
provide a solar energy plant of
2.5 megawatt capacity to the
University. Dr. Muhammad
Mukhtar, Vice Chancellor, IUB
IST Course on Environmental Monitoringwith ground based information, an advanced
approach to study environmental issues is now
possible.
The course was inaugurated by Dr. Badar Ghauri,
Head of Department, RS and GIS, IST. A number
of participants hailing from different Islamic
countries, students from local universities, and
environmental professionals from various
organizations including Sindh Environmental
Protection Agency (SEPA) and National Institute
for Oceanography (NIO) participated in the
course.
Mr. Mahboob Elahi, National Programme
Manager of National Environmental Information
Management Systems (NEIMS), was invited as a
guest speaker to talk about the environmental
profile of Pakistan.
Another guest speaker and renowned
environmentalist Mr. Shahid Lufti identified
environmental problems of Pakistan and their
possible solutions.
Punjab Government to Provide Solar Energy Plant to IUB
a n d M r . R a b N a w a z ,
Provincial Secretary, Energy
Department signed the MoU.
The project is expected to be
completed in a year time.
The electricity produced by
the plant will be consumed by
IUB and the surplus electricity
will be provided to the local
community through national
power grid.
Paper Presentation
Dr. Rao Muhammad Afzal
Khan, Director, Advanced
Studies and Research, IUB
attended the Korean Congress
of Radiology (KCR 2011) at
Seoul and presented his paper
on “Brain imaging by using
magnetic transfer contrast-a
better approach”.
Scientists and researchers
from all over the world
working on different areas of
r a d i o l o g y a n d m e d i c a l
imaging attended the event
University News
27
The Institute of Business Administration (IBA),
Karachi launched the National Talent Hunt
Programme (NTHP) in 2004 with the objective to
prepare candidates from less privileged areas of
the country for the IBA aptitude test for BBA/BS
degree courses. IHSAN Trust collaborated with
IBA to jointly finance the fully funded NTHP. In
2009, a similar initiative, Sindh Talent Hunt
Programme (STHP) was launched. Focusing on
talented students from the rural areas of Sindh,
STHP is a fully funded programme jointly
financed by IBA Karachi and the Government of
Sindh.
Both the programmes are expanding constantly
and are providing opportunities to meritorious
youth from Balochistan, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and FATA, who
Karakuram International
University (KIU), Gilgit and
the University of Bonn will
cooperate in research and
teaching on regional topics of
Hindukush, Karakoram and
Himalayan region.
Summer schools will be
organized at KIU with the help
of the Geography Department
Mr. Shuja Ahmad has successfully completed his
PhD in Philosophy from the University of thPeshawar. He is currently teaching Logic and 20
Century Philosophy.
His research topic was “Language and Logic of
War with Special Reference to War on Terror in
Afghanistan: Appearance and Reality”. Dr. Shuja
completed his PhD under the supervision of Prof.
IBA National and Sindh Talent Hunt Programme: A Success Storyare then able to become successful business
leaders of Pakistan and serve the nation. This
year, 21 NTHP and STHP students were enrolled
in the BCS and BBA programmes of the Institute.
The achievements and career pursuits of NTHP/
STHP graduates have been prolific. Akash
Soomro, a student of NTHP batch-2004, is
currently working for Philip Morris Pakistan as a
Financial Analyst. Hira Jawed, NTHP batch-2005,
passed level-I of the Chartered Financial Analyst
(CFA) Programme and is presently working with
Meezan Bank Limited as a Relationship Manager.
Mir Yahya Ismail, NTHP batch-2006, cleared the
highly sophisticated Energy Risk Professional
Exam conducted by Global Association of Risk
Professionals, USA and has the honour of being
the youngest ERP certified in the world.
KIU, University of Bonn Sign MoUof Bonn University. A three-
year programme “Reading the
Landscape” will also be
launched with the financial
support of DAAD.
In this regard, a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) was
recently signed by Dr. Najma
Najam, Vice Chancellor, KIU
and Dr. M. Winiger, former
Rector of Bonn University on
behalf of the Geography
D e p a r t m e n t . T h e M o U
envisages to strengthen
activities of KIU with the
H i m a l a y a n U n i v e r s i t y
Consortium (HUC) through
o r g a n i z i n g t r a i n i n g
programmes for faculty and
students of KIU at ICIMOD, as
well as organizing summer
schools and data exchange.
Shuja Ahmad Completes PhD in PhilosophyDr. Sarfaraz Khan, Director,
Area Study Centre, Peshawar.
His research thesis was
reviewed by two foreign
experts, including Prof. Peter
S . F o s l , Tr a n s y l v a n i a
University, USA and Dr. Ismaeel Latif
Hacinebioglu, Trinity Saint David, University of
Wales, UK.
University News
28
A one-day symposium on “Nanotechnology:
Applications, Fabrication and characterization”
was recently organized by the Jinnah University
for Women (JUW), Karachi. Dr. Shahzad A. Khan
from DeVry University, USA was the keynote
speaker.
In his opening lecture, Dr. Abdul Qadeer of the
Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and
Technology, Karachi talked about the prospects
and implications of Nanotechnology. He said
that third world countries are only users of
technologies and not developers, because of lack
of awareness, resources and expertise.
The affiliation of the Kohat
Institute of Medical Sciences
(KIMS) has been shifted from
Kohat University of Science
and Technology (KUST) to the
Khyber Medical University
(KMU), Peshawar.
In this regard, a signing
c e r e m o n y wa s h e l d a t
Governor House, Peshawar
recently. Dr. Mohammad
Hafizullah, Vice Chancellor,
KMU and Dr. Nasir Jamal
Khattak, Vice Chancellor,
KIMS Becomes a Constituent Institute of KMU
KUST signed the transfer
deeds.
Barrister Masood Kausar,
Governor KPK, presided over
the ceremony. Syed Zahir Ali
Shah, Provincial Minister for
Health, Qazi Mohamamd
Asad, Minister for Higher
Education and provincial
secretaries of the respective
departments were also present
on the occasion. Speaking on
the occasion, the Governor
said that improvement in the
quality of education is the best
way to improve life standards
of people. He expressed
confidence that this transfer
will prove beneficial for the
achievement of desired goals.
New Course
Meanwhile, KMU is also
launching a new course,
Masters in Health Research
(MHR), in January 2012.
The course is a mix of
interactive lectures, group
tutorials, hands on workshops
and distance learning, and is
primarily aimed at the health
professionals.
It will encompass the subjects
of Quantitative Research,
Q u a l i t a t i v e R e s e a r c h ,
B i o s t a t i s t i c s , H e a l t h
E c o n o m i c s , R e s e a r c h
C o m m u n i c a t i o n , a n d
Dissemination and Research
Management.
In his talk entitled “Nanotechnology: An
Overview and Applications”, Dr. Khan focused
on industrial, electronics and information
technology revolutions using Nanotechnology,
and discussed the impact of nanotechnology on
social and ethical issues like food and health.
He also discussed the impact of nanotechnology
on economics, indicating that over 800 products
are already in the market, which are related to
pharmacy, cosmetics, sports, textile, optical
engineering, drug design, nano biotechnology,
etc.
JUW Symposium on Nanotechnology
University News
29
The Anti-Plagiarism Unit at the Faculty of
Q u a l i t y E n h a n c e m e n t , R e s e a r c h a n d
Publications, National University of Modern
Languages (NUML) held a series of training
sessions and workshops for instructors and
students on Turnitin use.
Mr. Adnan Rashid, Focal Person for Anti-
Plagiarism at NUML conducted these sessions.
The purpose was to implement the Plagiarism
Policy across all departments and facilitate
instructors in effective Turnitin use. In this
regard, a day-long Turnitin orientation session
for instructors of MPhil classes was organized,
which aimed at highlighting NUML’s Plagiarism
The Riphah International University, Islamabad
held its sixth convocation recently. Renowned
scientist Dr. Samar Mubarakmand was the chief
guest on the occasion. Over 1000 graduates and
postgraduates of the University were awarded
degrees in various disciplines, including Health
and Medical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences,
Management Sciences, Engineering and Applied
Sciences and Computer Sciences.
In his address, Dr. Mubarakmand said Pakistan is
a country endowed with vast resources. “In order
to break the shackles of poverty, we have to divert
our brilliant human resource to the fruitful
exploitation of our immense mineral wealth,” he
added.
He urged the private sector to invest monetarily
in these ventures while the intellectual input has
to be forthcoming from the universities and
Anti-Plagiarism Sessions held at NUMLPolicy and giving hands-on practice to
instructors in using Turnitin. It was attended by
20 MPhil instructors from various disciplines.
Similarly, a two-day session entitled “How not to
Plagiarize” was carried out for MPhil students.
Besides a briefing on the Plagiarism Policy, the
session addressed common confusions about
plagiarism, referencing styles, etc. Different
aspects of Turnitin document processing were
demonstrated to acquaint students with the
mechanism. Furthermore, a similar session was
held for departmental focal persons, which was
attended by 11 representatives of various
departments.
th6 Convocation of Riphah University
research institutions of the country. “With a
single minded focus on this vision, there is no
reason why the economy of the nation will not
take a giant leap forward”, he added. Mr. Hassan
M. Khan, Pro-Chancellor, Riphah University and
Dr. Anis Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, also spoke on
the occasion.
The Quality Enhancement Cell, Dawood College of Engineering and Technology (DCET), Karachi
organized an eight-day workshop under the Faculty Professional Development Programme. A number
of senior and junior faculty members attended the workshop.
NEWS FLASH
University News
30
A four-day Electronic Media
Workshop was organized by
the Department of Media
Studies, Shah Abdul Latif
University (SALU), Khairpur
in collaboration with the
Women Media Centre (WMC),
Karachi and the National
Endowment for Democracy,
USA.
T h e wo r k s h o p e n t i t l e d
“Combating Extremism and
Promoting Tolerance through
D e m o c r a t i c M e a n s a n d
Teachings of Sufis” was
attended by students, teachers
and media persons from radio
and television.
D i f f e r e n t s c h o l a r s ,
intellectuals, writers and
journalists delivered lectures
and highlighted the role of
Sufis and their message
Students of the University Law College,
Balochistan won the top honours at the
International Moot Court competition for law
students of India and Pakistan recently held in
New Delhi.
The subject was the vexed issue of Kashmir and
every aspect of the dispute that has bogged the
two countries down in hostility was looked at
purely from a legal point of view. Issues that
came up for discussion included rights of
migrants, legality of the treaty of accession and
UN resolutions on Kashmir.
The team, one of the five Pakistani competing
teams, comprised Ayesha Bibi, Asmatullah
Electronic Media Training Workshop at SALU
against extremism, terrorism
and intolerance.
Ms. Fozia Shaheen, CEO,
WMC said that the Centre has
been active in teaching
students about the electronic
media skills in different
u n i v e r s i t i e s . D r . T a j
Mohammad Lashari, Media
Coordinator, SALU said that
Sufis have spread peace and
tolerance through their
character and writings. He
said being a journalist one
should have tolerance in his
character and should not react
negatively to minor things in
professional and daily life.
The students were taught basic
techniques of script writing
and voice over in television
news package, besides camera
h a n d l i n g a n d s h o o t i n g
techniques.
Students were divided into
two groups and assigned to
write script of packages on
Sufis Sachal Sarmast and
Adham Sultan. Students wrote
script and went to sites of
assigned topics for packages.
Balochistan Team Wins Moot Court CompetitionKakar and Arbab Muhammad Amjad. The other
four teams represented the International Islamic
University, Islamabad, Lahore University of
Management Sciences, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology,
Karachi and the University of Azad Jammu and
Kashmir, Muzaffarabad.
Ten Indian teams participated in the moot court
that was organised by the National Law
University of Delhi in collaboration with the
Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation (CDR).
The panel of judges for the final round included
sitting and retired judges from India and
Pakistan.
University News
31
A three-day workshop on
Professional Training of
Faculty was held at Preston
University, Peshawar. Its Vice
Chancellor, Dr. Mohammad
Anwar Hassan inaugurated
the event. The workshop was
organized by Prof. Dr. Alay
Ahmad, Dean, Faculty of
KOICA Alumni Association
Pakistan (KAAP) recently
organized a seminar on
“ K o r e a n E c o n o m i c
Development: Lessons for
Pakis tan” at the NUST
Business School.
Mr. Choongjoo Choi, Korean
Ambassador to Pakistan
graced the occasion as the chief
guest.
Faculty Training Workshop at Preston University, Peshawar
Social Sciences, Preston
University, Peshawar and
Kohat Campuses for the
faculty members of both the
campuses.
Dr. Alay Ahmad gave two
lectures on “Introducing New
Material” and “Basics of
Research”. He explained
v a r i o u s v a r i a b l e s e . g .
exposi tory instruct ions ,
discovery learning, mastery
learning and computer-based
instructions.
Dr. Wazim Ahmad Khan,
former Director, University of
Peshawar spoke on “Guidance
and Counselling-Classroom
Climate”. Col. (R) Zafar Gul,
Programme Director, Preston
University, Kohat Campus
spoke on “Methods and
Techniques of Teaching at
University Level”. Dr. Shazia
K h a l i d , D e p a r t m e n t o f
P s y c h o l o g y , P r e s t o n
U n i v e r s i t y, I s l a m a b a d
discussed the role of verbal
a n d n o n - v e r b a l
communications.
Seminar on Korean Economic Development: Lessons for Pakistan
The technical session of the
seminar focused on aspects
like rapid industrialization
and economic development of
Korea. The seminar was
attended by academicians,
government officials, people
from the private sector and
students.
D r. M . A s h r a f M o t e n ,
President KAAP said that the
Association is a Pakistan
C h a p t e r o f K o r e a n
International Cooperation
Agency (KOICA) and, since its
inception in 2003, has been
a c t i v e l y e n g a g e d i n
s t r e n g t h e n i n g f r i e n d l y
relations and cultural bond
between Korean and Pakistani
people.
Engr. Muhammad Asghar,
Rector NUST lauded KAAP
for taking steps to strengthen
ties between the two countries.
University News
The Higher Education Commission has placed Prof. Dr. Aftab Kazi as HEC Foreign Professor at Quaid-
i-Azam University. He has joined the Area Study Centre for Africa, North and South America. Dr. Kazi
is a senior fellow of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and Silk Road Studies Programme, School of
Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC. He received his
PhD degree in International and Peace Studies from the University of Pittsburgh in 1983.
NEWS FLASH
32
SZABIST Model United Nations (ZABMUN)
Conference 2011 was recently organized by the
students of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute
of Science and Technology, Karachi. Over 600
delegates from more than 100 educational
institutions participated in the conference, which
was entitled “Unite the Present, Challenge the
Future”.
Ms. Elizabeth Bucher, Acting Consul General of
Switzerland, was the chief guest in the opening
ceremony while Air Vice Marshal (R) Dr. Abid
Rao was the keynote speaker. Dr. Saqib Rizavi,
President SZABIST, was also present on the
occasion.
The conference discussed and explored the
contemporary global issues allowing delegates to
collaboratively propose solutions. Institute of
Business Administration (IBA) Karachi was the
winning delegation, representing delegation
from India. Apart from the Conference, students
The University of Faisalabad (TUF) and the
University Medical and Dental College (UMDC),
Faisalabad marked the World Diabetes Day to
raise public awareness about diabetes. A seminar
was arranged on the occasion, followed by a rally.
Speaking during the seminar, Dr. Irshad ul Haq,
Principal UMDC said that unbalanced diet, rapid
increase in population and lack of exercise are the
main causes of diabetes. He said that Madina
Teaching Hospital is providing free medical
treatment to diabetic patients. Dr. Ehsan ul Haq,
Head, Medical Education Department said that
creating awareness amongst the common people,
proper screening tests and use of balanced diet
are necessary steps to check and control diabetes.
Dr. Zahid Masood, Head, Community Medicine
Department disclosed that 12 per cent of
Pakistan's population is suffering from this
disease.
Mr. Muhammad Shahbaz,
Lecturer, Department of
I n d u s t r i a l M a n a g e m e n t ,
G o v e r n m e n t C o l l e g e
U n i v e r s i t y, F a i s a l a b a d thpresented a paper in the 5
International MYSEC2011
Conference organized by the University of
Technology, Malaysia.
Scholars from 13 countries participated in the
conference. The aim of his research entitled
“Assessment of Knowledge Ability Towards
Decision-Making in Information Systems from
Managers Perspective” is to evaluate the
decision-making capabilities in the in-housed
developed information systems in Pakistan and
to evaluate efficiency of financial application in
information systems from manager’s perspective
in textile industry.
SZABIST Hosts ZABMUN Conference 2011
were entertained with daily social nights which
provided them the opportunity for cultural
interaction.
Mr. Iqbal Haider, Former Law Minister was the
chief guest in the closing ceremony while Mr.
Syed Nawab, Regional Head, UNDP GENPROM
was the keynote speaker. Dr. Amanat Jalbani,
Vice President SZABIST, also addressed the
delegates.
World Diabetes Day at TUF NEWS FLASH
University News
33
A three-day international conference on
“Historiography on South Asia” was organized
by the Department of History, Quaid-i-Azam
University (QAU) Islamabad, in collaboration
with the Hanns Seidel Foundation and HEC. The
Department of History, QAU is among 13
departments selected by HEC under the project
“Development and Strengthening of Selected
Social Sciences Departments.”
Addressing the inaugural session, Mr. Qamar
Zaman Kaira, former Information Minister said
that one of the most positive things about QAU is
its patronization of creativity, freedom of thought
and expression, which reflects immensely in the
form of its quality research. Dr. Masoom Yasinzai,
International History Conference at QAU
The Centre for Civic Education, in collaboration
with HEC, organized a National Essay Writing
Competition entitled “What does federalism
mean to me?” The purpose was to explore and
examine the way Pakistani youth relate to
federalism in Pakistan. Sixty two students from 35
universit ies and postgraduate colleges
participated in the competition. HEC conducted
facilitated plagiarism test of all the essays.
The first prize was clinched by Zahra Abidi of the
Institute of Professional Psychology, Bahria
University, Karachi. Muhammad Zubair Khan
from National College of Business Administration
and Economic, Lahore won second while Alia Bibi
of the Fatima Jinnah Women University,
Rawalpindi finished third.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has
been signed between the Culture Department,
Government of Sindh and the Centre of Excellence
in Art and Design, Mehran University of
Engineering and Technology (MUET), Jamshoro
to provide six-month training to 200 youth of
Sindh in various fields of performing arts
including vocal music, instrumental music and
folk dance.
Mr. Abdul Aziz Uqaili, Secretary, Culture
Department and Prof. Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan
Rajput, Vice Chancellor, MUET signed the MoU.
The main objective of the certificate course is to
provide opportunity to those interested youth
who, after getting training, can potentially utilize
their skills as well as promote the culture.
Vice Chancellor, QAU said the event is unique and
timely in the sense that Pakistan is going through
one of its toughest phases of history, facing
domestic, regional and international challenges.
The conference was divided into three broad sub
themes that ranged between ancient, medieval
and modern or contemporary historiography. Dr.
Aslam Syed, Professor of Islamic Studies, School
for Asian and African Studies, Humboldt
University, Berlin was the keynote speaker. The
concluding session was addressed by Dr. Nasser
Ali Khan, Chairman, National Committee on
Development of Social Sciences and Dr.
Muhammad Nizamuddin, Vice Chancellor,
University of Gujrat.
MUET, Sindh Culture Department Sign MoU
Essay Writing Competition on Federalism
University News
34
The ninth convocation of the
University of Azad Jammu
and Kashmir was recently held
a t i t s C i t y C a m p u s i n
Muzaffarabad, where 3512
graduat ing s tudents o f
MA/MSc, BA/BSc/BED, MSc
Agriculture, BSc Agriculture,
M S c E n g i n e e r i n g , B S c
Engineering, BS Geology, BSc
Home Economics, BBA, MBA,
MCom/MPA, BFA, BSEd and
BCom were awarded degrees.
As many as 40 students were
decorated with gold medals.
W h i l e a d d r e s s i n g t h e
c o n v o c a t i o n , S a r d a r
Muhammad Yaqoob Khan,
President AJ&K/Chancellor
University said, “If we really
want to make progress, we will
Mr. Azeem Mehmood Butt, a PhD scholar at the National Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology,
University of the Punjab, Lahore has published seven research articles, during first year of his study, in
HEC recognized journals with impact factors.
Among these, he is the first author for five articles and co-author for two articles. Also, five of these
research articles have been published in collaboration with the Beijing Microbiology Institute, China.
thAJK University Holds 9 Convocation
have to increase the number of
institutions of higher learning,
while ensuring quality of
education.”
He informed the audience that
the Prime Minister of Pakistan
has announced the up-
gradation of Rawalakot
Campus of the University to a
full-fledged University.
“The Prime Minister has also
announced the establishment
of an IT University at Kotli
which will also be established
in near future,” he added.
The President AJ&K urged the
University administration to
c o n s i d e r r e s o u r c e
diversification as it cannot
develop unless some alternate
f u n d i n g r e s o u r c e s a r e
explored. “Nevertheless,
while doing so, the University
should take into account
i n t e r e s t s o f a l l t h e
stakeholders,” he said.
Dr. Habib-ur-Rehman, Vice
Chancellor, University of
A J & K s a i d t h a t t h e
construction of King Abdullah
Campus at Muzaffarabad has
been started by a Korean
company while funding for
Rawalakot Campus has also
been arranged with the active
support and efforts of the
President AJ&K.
“Over 30 faculty members
have been sent abroad on
scholarships for higher studies
in different disciplines.
Five of them have already
returned and joined the
University. After 2-3 years, on
return of remaining scholars,
the quality of faculty would be
greatly enhanced.
Similarly 15 faculty members
have completed their PhD and
27 their MPhil studies in
Pakistan,” he said.
NEWS FLASH
University News
35
A workshop on Family Therapy
was recently organised by the
I n s t i t u t e o f C l i n i c a l
Psychology, University of
Karachi, keeping in view its
clients who are stuck in an
interwoven web of problems
that extend not only to
themselves but to their
families, friends and loved
ones. The families of the clients
were involved to be well
equipped to resolve issues.
Ms. Saadia Parvez, a Board
Cert i f ied Art therapist /
Supervisor, conducted the
workshop. She began with a
brief introduction about
family dynamics and the art of
ident i fy ing the c l ient ' s
presenting problem.
During an interactive session
Ms. Saadia highlighted the
boundar ies and e th ica l
concerns in family practice
and what kind of practical
problems are pertinent to our
Pakistani culture.
She elaborated on therapy
interventions for trauma
a b u s e a n d v i o l e n c e i n
relevance to the concerns that
families of the victim need to
be aware of.
A practical demonstration of
family therapy was provided
by selecting some socially
relevant issues of a disruptive
family that students may often
encounter in clinical settings.
The University of Peshawar
(UoP) convocation for 2010
was held recently. Barrister
Masood Kausar, Governor,
K h y b e r P a k h t u n k h w a
awarded degrees to 511
postgraduate students of 42
disciplines as well as one
MPhil and eight PhD scholars.
Twenty six gold medals were
distributed among students
with distinctions.
In his address, the Governor
said that receiving a degree is
not the end for a student but
actually beginning of the
A national level training on
“GIS/GPS Application in
Epidemiology of Human and
Animal Diseases and in
Biological Science Research”
was jointly organized by the
U n i v e r s i t y D i a g n o s t i c
Laboratory (UDL), University
of Veterinary and Animal
Sciences, Government College
University and Livestock and
D i a r y D e v e l o p m e n t
Department, Lahore.
The training was part of the
USA funded collaborative
research project “Spatial
Ecology and Epidemiology of
Soil Borne Human and Animal
Bacterial Pathogens and its
Public Health Significance in
Pakistan” between PennState
Workshop on Family Therapy
Over 500 Students Receive Degrees at UoP Convocation
pract ical appl icat ion of
knowledge. He appreciated
the efforts of the University
management for promoting
quality education.
About the financial constraints
confronting higher education
institutions, he said that it is a
serious problem which can be
dealt with by the joint efforts of
all the stakeholders. “The only
indicator on which Pakistan`s
Global Competitiveness Index
has improved is higher
education,” he said.
GIS/GPS Training at UVASUniversity, USA and UDL,
involving multidisciplinary
subjects and other prestigious
institutes in Pakistan.
The training involved a series
of lectures and training
sessions on various aspects of
epidemiology of diseases and
use of GIS/GPS in reporting
the results in the form of maps.
The participants were trained
on GIS/GPS evolution, GIS
Data Model, Remote Sensing,
Spatial Mapping, Digital
Mapping / Georeferencing,
Map Design and Layouts,
Working and Application of
GPS, GPS Survey (field work),
Application of GIS in Arts,
Social Sciences, Natural
Sciences, and Technologies.
University News
36