KPK minister pledges to improve education

ISLAMABAD - A three-day international conference on 'Applications of Molecular Biology in Medicine and Agriculture started here at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) on Tuesday.
The conference was organised with an objective to foster fellowship and collaboration among the biochemists, molecular biochemists and the scientists of related fields.
State Minister for Education, Training & Standards in Higher Education, Muhammad Balighur Rehman in his inaugural speech said that development of the education sector is top priority of the government. He said that Prime Minister's Youth Training Programme is being launched to provide an opportunity for youth to equip themselves with practical knowledge and to get hands-on experience. "Our government is committed to providing more training opportunities to the youth and under the national internship programme 50,000 fresh graduates would be provided training opportunities. They would also be given a stipend Rs 10,000 a month. Similarly, MPI has been given fresh guidelines to provide extra training opportunities," the minister said.
While addressing the inaugural ceremony Prof Dr Masoom Yasinzai, Vice Chancellor QAU, said that in recent past the colossal development of the biological information is an outcome of vast advances in the field of molecular biology. These discoveries have resulted in transformation of new products or processes which have flooded world markets, therefore showering vast economic rewards on those nations which have had the courage and the vision to make Science & Technology the corner stone of their development programs.
The Vice Chancellor said that latest techniques and state-of-the-art methods in molecular biology provide researchers with a phenomenal opportunity for scientific research with new horizons. He urged the participants to deliberate all these new discoveries and should find ways to translate academic research into the socio-economic uplift of the country. Dr Bushra Mirza, Professor and Chairperson of the Department of the Biochemistry, highlighted the objectives of the conference. She said the objective of the conference is to stimulate interest and promote research and education in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and other related fields.

The Nation

Girls throng to school in Swat as Malala addresses UN

Girls throng to school in Swat as Malala addresses UN

MINGORA: When the Pakistani Taliban shot Malala Yousafzai in the head, their message to the world was simple: girls have no right to an education and their dreams of a better future should be crushed.
The attack portrayed the world’s only Muslim nuclear power in an appalling light as Western leaders and celebrities fell over themselves to turn Malala into a global icon of child rights.
But while she gears up to address the UN General Assembly on Friday — her 16th birthday and nine months since the shooting — more girls than ever in her home, Pakistan’s northwestern Swat valley, are in school.
Educationalists say it has less to do with Malala’s fame and more to do with a growing confidence that far from being resurgent, Taliban influence is declining in Swat.
“Many students were actually scared when the government named a college after Malala,” said Anwar Sultana, head mistress of Government Girls High School No 1, the oldest in Mingora, the main town in Swat.
Last December, around 150 girls at another school protested against the renaming of their college after the injured schoolgirl, fearing it would make them a target for militants.
They tore up and stoned pictures of Malala, since nominated for the Nobel Peace prize and now being privately educated in Britain, accusing her of abandoning Pakistan.
But Sultana says more girls are now going to school because people feel more liberated as more time passes since the Pakistan army quashed a 2007-9 Taliban insurgency in the valley.
“Whenever you suppress something, it appears with more freedom,” she told AFP, sitting on a veranda as girls in long white shirts and baggy trousers poured out of congested classrooms.
“The Taliban banned girls education and threatened females for going to schools. Now more and more girls are joining schools which means the fear is over,” Sultana said.
In the first six months of 2013, 102,374 girls registered at primary schools in Swat compared to a total of 96,540 during all of last year, said Dilshad Bibi, Swat district education officer.
At Sultana’s school, there are no desks and chairs in the dark brown, grey and orange coloured classrooms. Instead the girls sit on the floor to pack a maximum number into each room.
Saeeda Rahim, 13, is one of those girls.
The Taliban stopped her and thousands of other girls from going to school between 2007 and 2009. When the army offensive came in 2009, she and her family were forced to flee for their safety.
Displaced for three months, she spent much of the time in tears, her dreams of getting an education and becoming a doctor in tatters.
“Those days were the most difficult of my life. I lost hope and courage. I had no energy to read. I thought I’d never be able to study again,” she told AFP.
Then when her family returned home, her mother initially refused to let her go back to school, fearing that she could be attacked.
But she is now back at Government High School No 1. She covers her face with a white veil, wears the pink strip of a prefect and says she takes inspiration from Malala.
“I really like her speeches. I want to continue her work, I want to appear in the media and convince parents that education is a right for their daughters,” she said.
There is certainly a long way to go.
Throughout Pakistan, nearly half of all children and nearly three quarters of young girls are not enrolled in primary school, according to UN and government statistics published late last year.
In Malala’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province only 36 percent of women and 72 percent of men are literate, according to the government.
Muhammad Atif, the provincial education minister, says hardline Islamist militants have destroyed 750 schools since 2008, of which 611 have been reconstructed.
The new provincial government, led by the party of former cricketer Imran Khan, has increased its annual education budget by 27 percent and declared female education its priority.
“Our government has allocated 66 billion rupees ($660 million), the highest amount in the provincial budget for education and female education is our top priority,” said Atif.
Azra Niaz, a teacher at Government Girls High School No 1, says Malala’s defiance and determination to continue her education — despite being so badly wounded — was a true inspiration.
“Every girl has been encouraged. Their fear has stopped. Every girl now wants to become a Malala. They say ‘we want to study and progress in life’,” she told AFP.

Summary of the lesson Peshawar (B.A Part II)

Peshawar

J.Spain had visited Peshawar many times. He describes the city beautifully. His description is as under:

1. Medicine Seller

J.Spain begins the description of Peshawar from chowk Yadgar. He comes across a person who was Hakim. He was selling medicines. He was praising his balm. He was saying that it was antidote against the snake bite. A crowd of people was standing around him.

 

2. Old Serais



Karavan Sarai Gor Khatri, Peshawar. Photo By Waheed Saleem

The writer began to walk about the streets and reached the old Serais. In the past the caravans of merchants came from Bokhara.  Sammar Kand, Herat, Kashghar and Meshhed and stayed here. Now, these serais no longer serve the purpose of hoteling. These have been changed into motor garages and workshops.

3. The mahabat khan mosque



Mahabat Khan Mosque Peshawar.

Mahabat Khan Mosque is one of the true Peshawaris favourite sights. It is hundreds of years old. One can reach the mosque through chow Yadgar. It has great importance in history. The minarets of the mosque are very high. It is very spacious and beautiful. The writer climbed a minaret to have a glimpse of the city. It is said that during the Sikh regime two Muslims were hanged every day from its high minarets.

4. Peshawar streets



Selling Dry fruits in Namak Mandi, Peshawar.

The business streets of Peshawar are highly specialized. They convey all the warmth of life. Different articles are sold I different streets. Each street deals in just one particular trade. The city is famous for a large number of products. Shoes, caps, carpets and hardware goods are a few of them. The shoes which are sold here are expensive as well as cheap. The writer bought a pair of shoes.

5. Tea stalls



Tea Stall in Peshawar

Tea stalls are another common feature of the city. The tea which is sold here if of different kind. Many peoples like strong black tea with milk and sugar mixed in it. Many shops serve Qahwa. It is a popular drink of all. It is prepared with great care. These stalls are scattered in every business street.

6. Peshawar cantonment

Peshawar cantonment is situated in the Sadar. It is modern both in style and character. It has broad streets. It has churches, hotels, parks, and shop of western type. Its large bungalows and comfortable hotels also add to its beauty. It has a bazar known as Sadar bazar.  It has a big museum. It contains painting and statues.

7. The University

The Peshawar University is situated near cantonment. It is the most important achievement of Peshawar throughout its history. In 1951, it was a single building which was known as Islamia College, it expanded rapidly and now it is one of the largest universities of the Europe, America and Asia. The writer came here in 1952. He met Khan Abdul Qayyum Khan, the Chief Minister of NWFP and chancellor of the university. Khan Abdul Qayyum khan asked him what help could American Embassy give. The writer did not reply and told that he would inform him shortly.