Monday, July 7, 2008

21 government schools in Lahore non-functional

By Khalid Khattak

LAHORE: AS many as 21 government schools in District Lahore have been non-functional for the last many months, exposing lack of interest and commitment on part of officials concerned.Sources in the Punjab School Education Department told The News that reports recently submitted by Monitoring and Evaluation Assistants (MEAs) of the Chief Minister’s Monitoring Force disclosed that there were dozens of non-functional schools in each district of the province. The sources added most of these schools stopped functioning during previous regime because of acute shortage of schoolteachers. They said some single-teacher schools and shelter-less schools have also become non-functional with the passage of time in different parts of the province. They said in some cases, there were schools but interestingly there were no students. A number of schools became non-functional after migration of locals from a particular area in the wake of expanding residential societies, they added.It is learnt that non-availability of buildings and illegal occupations were also the main causes behind non-functional schools.A senior official commenting over the issue said the government schools could never become non-functional unless the officials concerned pay constant attention in connection with the affairs of the school. He further said shortage of teachers could be overcome by rationalising the number of teachers working in schools of neighbouring areas, adding that it was responsibility of EDOs to take timely action against the illegal occupants. “The problems multiply when the concerned shut their eyes and not make efforts to solve the problems,” he added.The sources said that Secretary School Education Department, Nadeem Ashraf, while taking notice of the situation issued strict instructions to the Education EDOs across the province to explain reasons for non-functioning of schools in their respective districts. He had also directed the EDOs to make all-out efforts to make the non-functioning schools functioning ones soon after the annual summer vacation, they added. It is also learnt that the issue regarding non-functional schools would be taken up in meeting of Secretary Schools with Education EDOs on 7 July.An official from the office of Lahore Education EDO, seeking anonymity, said most of the non-functional schools of the District Lahore were in the areas of Aziz Bhatti Town and Wahga Town.He said expanding residential societies were major factors behind the schools going non-functional. “In such cases, locals migrated to other areas owing to which schools are left without any students,” he added. When contacted, Secretary School Education Department, Nadeem Ashraf, confirmed that the matter regarding non-functional schools would be taken up in the meeting scheduled for July 7.He said rationalisation of teaching staff in government schools was underway in order to engage surplus staff in schools, which were facing acute shortage of teachers.

Source: The News International
Saturday, July 05, 2008

PU asks SUPARCO to vacate varsity land

Says commission failed to meet terms and conditions

By Khalid Khattak

LAHORE: A CONTROVERSY has once again erupted over lease agreement between the Punjab University (PU) and Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) while the former has also sent a legal notice asking the Commission to vacate its (university’s) land.The Punjab University had leased out 12 acres of land for 20 years to SUPARCO for setting up facilities for satellite tracking, space application and research on March 17, 1987. However, a controversy had erupted in 2006, before expiry of the lease, when the PU authorities expressed unwillingness to renew the lease agreement because of SUPARCO’s alleged failure to meet certain terms and conditions. PU officials had alleged that the management of SUPARCO had not met the terms and conditions as it did not properly assist the university in teaching and practical training of its students and supervising research work of students. On the other hand, SUPARCO had maintained that it had not only fulfilled all its obligations under the deed, but had also provided the university with services and material support that had been totally outside the scope of this deed.Nonetheless, akistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission later requested for provision of additional 50 acres land while the PU asked the Commission to hand over the 12 acres of land along with the structure constructed on it to the university as per the lease agreement, which expired on March 17, 2007.The matter regarding request of the additional land was placed before the university Syndicate in a meeting held on September 11, 2006, and was rejected unanimously by members.However, in its meeting held on May 18, 2007, the PU Syndicate approved the renewal of the lease agreement (excluding the additional land) with SUPARCO for ten years with revised terms and conditions.It was also decided by the Syndicate that all contracts would be subject for reconsideration after every two years while PU would also charge akistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission per-acre agriculture rate with ten percent annual increase. According to PU officials, as per the 1987 agreement, the Commission was paying Rs 10,000 as annual rent to the university against the total leased land.The officials added that according to the revised agreement of 2007, SUPARCO had to pay Rs 17,600 per acre per annum with 10 per increase each year.They said it was decided that SUPARCO would help improve laboratories of the varsity and provide training and apprenticeships to it students of space science and physics etc, too.However, sources in the PU administration said that akistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission authorities were reluctant to sign the agreement with revised terms and conditions, adding they were insisting to sign the agreement as continuation of 1987 agreement. “This is quite evident from the fact that the agreement was yet to be signed despite approval in this regard was granted by Syndicate in May 2007”, they added.They further said that soon after the legal notice was served by the PU administration, the akistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission contacted the chancellor to intervene and to ask the university to ensure continuation of the 1987 agreement for further 10 years. It is further learnt reliably that the Chancellor Office subsequently asked the PU to review its 2007 agreement with SUPARCO and consider if 1987 agreement could be continued for further ten years.In this regard, PU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran was not available for comments. However, when contacted, Resident Officer-II (RO-II) Malik Muhammad Zaheer, whose office is dealing with the lease agreement, stated that the legal notice was served, as the university did not want to renew and extend the agreement. He added that it was the right of the university to get back its land.“SUPARCO has started construction work on PU land despite the fact that the 2007 agreement, was not signed as yet,” he said.He added that, “It should handover the 12 acres of land along with the structure on it to the university as per the lease agreement of 1987.” Replying to a question, he said the Chancellor Office had asked the PU to review the situation; however, the matter would be placed before the PU Syndicate for final decision in this regard.

Source: The News International
Monday, June 30, 2008

Unrest prevails at PU hostels

By Khalid Khattak

The presence of expelled and rusticated activists of Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) at the Punjab University (PU) hostels has been a matter of great concern for the university students and teachers. Most of the activists were expelled or rusticated for beating students up, while others for organizing illegal activities on the campus and inside the hostels without permission from the PU administration. However, such elements continue to enjoy boarding facilities, in connivance with the hostel superintendents and wardens, creating troubles, especially for the boarding students belonging to other student organisations. The activists are not only a permanent nuisance for the boarding students, but also for the university administration which receives frequent complaints regarding their illegal activities. Last week, some JIT activists including Suleman, Allah Rakha and Muhammad Ramzan thrashed a student Ghulam Hussain who is an activist of a newly formed student organisation, the University Students Federation (USF), at Hostel No 2. The matter was brought to the notice of the administration but no action has been taken so far. The USF has been criticizing the administration for not taking any action against the Jamiat activists illegally residing at the varsity hostels.Ahsan Chaudhry, a USF activist, told The News that IJT activist Sabir Shah, who is an illegal boarder at the varsity’s Hostel No 15, threatened to hurt him. He said a number of other Jamiat activists, like Sabir, expelled or rusticated by the administration were illegally residing at the hostels, “It is strange that the administration is not taking any action”, he added.It is important to mention here that a number of rallies were taken out by students against the Jamiat for its involvement in Imran Khan’s arrest from the PU New Campus in November last year. Later, a number of students complained about threatening calls and messages they received from the IJT activists for taking part in the anti-Jamiat rallies. A number of developments took place afterwards in which the PU administration, under the leadership of the varsity’s vice-chancellor, closed down almost all the IJT offices from the university’s campus. However, no action was taken against the Jamiat at the hostels where it has had its offices for the last many. Talking to The News, a PU official, seeking anonymity, said many FIRs had been registered against some of the expelled Jamiat activists, but police failed to arrest them. He said the non-cooperation of police was causing a lot of problems for the administration, adding, “Even some teachers are receiving threatening calls from the Jamiat activists”. It is noteworthy that the non-cooperation of the police was also highlighted in a high level meeting chaired by the then Chancellor Lt Gen (r) Khalid Maqbool a couple of months ago. Another senior official said a grand operation would be launched soon against the Jamiat activists bordering illegally at the hostels. He said the only hurdle in carrying out the action was the on going examinations. “We do not want any disturbance at the campus when the exams are underway”, he said, adding “the Jamiat offices at the PU hostels would also be closed down.”


Source: The News International
Monday 7 July 2008