New CM will Extend Rangers Powers

Minister of the Interior Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan on Saturday stated that the matter of the extension in the authority of the Rangers was always made controversial. He said that no doubts should be placed upon the intentions of the federal government.

While addressing the media, Nisar said that the Rangers’ authority shall be extended within a day or two. He added that he was optimistic that the newly elected Sindh Chief Minsiter (CM) Murad Ali Shah shall extend the powers of Rangers.
He added that the Rangers have the backing and the support of the federal government. He stated that the purpose of appointing Rangers was to maintain peace, adding that it was not possible that their powers do not get extended now.
Interior minister said that Rangers set new examples of service by giving sacrifices after putting immense effort to maintain the situation of law and order. Nisar said that the operation in Karachi was initiated with consultation of the provincial government.
Interior minister said that the federal government can play a clear role when it comes to the internal security of any province. He stated that the situation of Karachi has improved because of the role played by the Rangers and expressed his hope that the hindrances placed in the extension of Rangers’ authority shall soon be removed.
“Will comment on the performance of Sindh’ new captain when he comes out to bat,” remarked Nisar and further stated that he was hopeful that Murad Ali Shah will put up a good performance.

Read More

Murad Ali Shah elected new Chief Minister of Sindh

Pakistan People's Party (PPP) nominee Syed Murad Ali Shah was voted in as the new chief minister of Sindh on Friday in an easy election boycotted by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani announced that the PPP nominee received 88 votes while PTI nominee Khurram Sher Zaman received 3 votes from the House.
Shah, who until the resignation of Qaim Ali Shah as chief minster on Wednesday was working as a senior minister for finance, had only one rival candidate from the opposition benches — MPA Khurram Sher Zaman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
The PPP, which has taken a lot of flak for its poor show of governance in the province, has replaced octogenarian Qaim Ali Shah with a relatively young leader as part of a campaign to ready itself for the 2018 general elections.
Friday's contest was a one-sided affair given the statistics of lawmakers in the house being highly in favour of the PPP. The provincial assembly session was summoned by the governor at 3pm to elect the new chief minister.
The legislature comprised 168 members, but there were 165 MPAs as three seats are vacant. The PPP had 91 members in the Sindh Assembly, a number big enough to give Murad Ali Shah a comfortable majority to win and form a cabinet of choice.
PTI candidate Khurram Sher Zaman had no chance to sail through the election with his party having only four lawmakers in the house. And of these four, only cast their votes because MPA Syed Hafeezuddin had announced his quitting the party and resigning as MPA to join Mustafa Kamal-led Pak Sarzameen Party.
Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani chaired the session of the Sindh Assembly.
The house elected the new leader of the house through the open system of polling instead of using the secret ballot process as the house members voted by taking part in the process of division of the house for conducting the poll.
Son of former Sindh Chief Minister Abdullah Shah, Murad Ali Shah now becomes the 27th Sindh CM, the first time that the son of a former Sindh Chief minister is elected as the chief of the provincial government.

Read More

Future of Pir Mazhar? Special Secretary refuses giving 'clean chit'

Education Department on Tuesday submitted enquiry report in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) regarding fake recruitments while Special Secretary Education Zakir Ali Shah rejected giving ‘green signal’ to Former Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq, reported Dunya News.

The report which comprised of 1000 papers was subjected to give clean chit to Former Education Minister Pir Mazhar but Zakir Shah refused the very ‘idea’ proposed by the enquiry team and stated that every person will be held accountable who intentionally tried to cause damage to the institution.

He also said that information about officers from different districts was provided to NAB after which an enquiry had been called. Zakir confessed that during previous 10 years the department faced much damage financially and the department as a whole. This was the reason Sindh was lagged behind from other provinces in terms of education.

Read More

Siyal returns protocol after Qaim Ali Shah resigns

The former Home Minister of Sindh also disclosed that he had returned his protocol to the government after Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah resigned on Wednesday. He further stated that he had not been informed regarding any new ministry that would be offered to him but said that whatever the party decides, he would abide by it.

Talking about the Amjad Sabri killing case proceedings, Siyal said that a few arrests had been made in connection with the murder and a few evidence had also been collected.

The names and ministries of the new Sindh cabinet have yet to be announced. The election for the position of Chief Minister of Sindh will be held on Friday after which the new CM will be sworn in. Murad Ali Shah is expected to win the elections quite comfortably since he is the PPP's nominated Chief Minister. 

MQM have decided not to take part in the electoral process and will abstain from voting altogether while the PTI have fielded Khurram Sher Zaman as their candidate to contest the CM's position. 

Read More

Who is Murad Ali Shah?

Syed Murad Ali Shah, the successor to Qaim Ali Shah, belongs to a family of politicians. He is serving as the Sindh finance minister.
His father Syed Abdullah Shah also had the additional portfolio of finance when he served as chief minister of Sindh during Benazir Bhutto’s second government.

Murad, 54, is a graduate of the Stanford University from where he received MSc degrees in economic systems and civil structure engineering. In 1986, he gained a BE Civil Engineering degree from the NED University.

He hails from Jamshoro. His family belongs to Lakyari Syed, the descendent of Shah Sadaruddin Lakyari (Lakhi Shah Sadar) near Sehwan Sharif. From 1986 till 1990 he served as an engineer at Wapda, Port Qasim Authority and the Hyderabad Development Authority before joining the Citi Bank.

Shah was elected to the Sindh Assembly in the 2002 elections. He was again elected to the provincial assembly in the 2008 election, and assigned the portfolio of finance in the cabinet of Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah.

He was barred from contesting the 2013 elections because of his Canadian citizenship. However, he gave up his second nationality to run in the election. He was elected to the Sindh Assembly for a third consecutive time. He was subsequently assigned the finance ministry in the provincial cabinet.

There is a perception that Shah looks more a bureaucrat than a politician and is not social. However, people in his constituency think otherwise. “Like his father he knows most of the voters in his constituency,” social activist Mustafa Meerani, who lives in Shah’s constituency, said, adding Shah has established schools, dispensaries, constructed roads and provided jobs to poor people on merit.


Being a relative of Pir Pagara, Shah has always gained moral support from PML-F circles. This can be judged from the fact that during the 2002 elections when the PPP started lobbying to form government in Sindh and tried to convince the late Pir Pagara (Shah Mardan Shah) to support it, he responded to them saying, “I will only support you if you give the chief minister’s slot to my Lakiyari Lal (Murad Ali Shah).”

Read More

Sindh governor accepts CM Qaim Ali Shah’s resignation

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah tendered on Wednesday his resignation to governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, paving the way for Murad Ali Shah to take control of the provincial government. Dr Ebad has accepted the resignation.

CM-nominee Murad, Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani and Senior Minister for Education Nisar Khuhro accompanied Qaim.
As the CM has resigned, the Sindh Cabinet has also been dissolved.


“Dr Ishratul Ebad will summon a session of Sindh Assembly on Friday where election of new chief minister will take place,” Sindh information adviser Maula Bux Chandio told the media.

Chandio said the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had a simple majority in the house but will seek support of opposition parties.
Durrani said the process of nomination forms for the chief minister will begin on Thursday, whereas the new CM will take the vote of confidence on Friday.

The PPP had decided on Sunday to make changes in Sindh cabinet and bring in a new chief minister for the province, replacing Qaim.

Party’s top leadership flew to the UAE on Saturday evening to hold discussions with Asif Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on extension in Rangers’ special powers, among other issues.

Read More

Sindh cabinet dissolved after Qaim Ali Shah's resignation

Sindh cabinet has been dissolved after Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah’s resignation was accepted by Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, reported Thursday.
A notification has been isused in this regard by the authorities concerned.

All ministers, advisors, special assistants, coordinators, political secretaries and political assistants have been ordered to not use their offices anymore.
A formal letter pertaining to Qaim Ali Shah’s resignation has also been issued by the Governor House.

The development has come in after Pakistan People’s Party leadership decided to replace Qaim Ali Shah with Murad Ali Shah who currently is the Finance Minister of Sindh.
For election, Murad needs 85 votes in the Sindh Assembly and the process will be carried out on Friday. PPP has 91 seats in the assembly out of which few members are out of the country and are not expected to be present tomorrow.

PPP leaders are contacting members of different political parties to secure vote of confidence for their nominee.

On the other hand, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has nominated Khurram Zaman Khan as candidate for the vacancy.

Qaim Ali Shah’s tenure as Chief Minister was marked by mismanagement and ill state of affairs in Sindh. PPP leadership’s decision has come in to better manage the provincial matters.
The PPP nominee, while talking to Dunya News on Wednesday said that he would better law and order situation to a level that people would vote for PPP in General Elections 2018.

Experts have said that Murad main task will be to have PPP win in the province in 2018.

Read More

PPP names Murad Ali Shah as new Sindh CM

Pakistan's Largest Party PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari  presided a meeting of the parliamentary party at the Bilawal House where Qaim Ali Shah submitted his resignation. The meeting lasted for three hours.
PPP chairman took party leaders into confidence on the decision.

Speaking at a press conference, Adviser to CM for Information, Moula Bux Chandio, confirmed the nomination of Murad Ali Shah as CM and said that a 'change' has come in the province.

Shah is expected to be elected as the chief minister during the Sindh Assembly session on Friday, while the oath-taking ceremony would also take place on the same day.

Chandio further said that consultation was ongoing for the replacement of Qaim Ali Shah for quite some time and that Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari paid tributes to him for his services.

There was a need for more energetic and courageous leader to prepare for the next elections, he said, adding that the names of Murad Ali Shah's team would also be revealed in a couple of days.

Some other changes in the provincial government are also likely as the Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani might become the minister for local government, a position he had held in the previous provincial cabinet.
Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Minister for Environment, could be the new speaker of the Sindh Assembly. Senior Minister for Education and Parliamentary Affairs Nisar Ahmed Khuhro could be given the slot of either home or finance. Mir Nadir Khan Magsi is likely to rejoin the provincial cabinet as food minister, a portfolio he had in the previous provincial government.

Jam Khan Shoro, the Minister for Local Government, could be given the charge of Prisons Department.It is likely that 50 percent of the new provincial cabinet would comprise newcomers including three women MPAs, Rubina Sadaat Qaimkhani, Shaheena Sher Ali and Irum Khalid, as ministers or advisers. 

Read More

Education by Sindh Education Foundation

Sindh Government’s Education and Literacy Department plays the supervisory role in primary education and manages secondary education, technical education, motivation programs, development schemes and to look after the educational affairs of the province with the co-ordination of donor agencies about the promotion of education in the province.

Sindh Education Foundation Government of Sindh, a semi-autonomous organization established in 1992 to undertake educational initiatives in the remote and disadvantaged areas of Sindh. The Foundation’s early activities began with the provision of grants and loans to educational institutions and organizations. However, SEF now provides communities with direct access to facilities to get the education by opening schools/centers through its various endeavors.

In addition, the Foundation undertakes research initiatives, both the qualitative and quantitative, to study the impact of its programs and recognize improved systems for community improvement. SEF's publications include Educate is Pakistan's 1st Magazine on Education & Development, also Pakistan’s Pioneer Publication on Early Childhood Development, Collective, Quantitative Analysis Booklet, the organization’s Newsletter, SEF ten-year documents and various literacy manuals.

The variety of SEF's goals can principally describe as follows:

•                  Evolve programs for lift up the standard of education.

•           Conduct research programs or surveys or hold workshops, conferences, symposium, to study the educational system, to find shortfalls and weak points and make suggestions or necessary measures for its improvement.

•               Offer financial help or grant under soft terms and conditions.

            Establish educational institutions, especially in less                              developed/less privileged areas.

Read More

Sindh Education Foundation

Sindh Government’s Education and Literacy Department plays the supervisory role in primary education and manages secondary education, technical education, motivation programs, development schemes and to look after the educational affairs of the province with the co-ordination of donor agencies about the promotion of education in the province.

Sindh Education Foundation Government of Sindh, a semi-autonomous organization established in 1992 to undertake educational initiatives in the remote and disadvantaged areas of Sindh. The Foundation’s early activities began with the provision of grants and loans to educational institutions and organizations. However, SEF now provides communities with direct access to facilities to get the education by opening schools/centers through its various endeavors.

In addition, the Foundation undertakes research initiatives, both the qualitative and quantitative, to study the impact of its programs and recognize improved systems for community improvement. SEF's publications include Educate is Pakistan's 1st Magazine on Education & Development, also Pakistan’s Pioneer Publication on Early Childhood Development, Collective, Quantitative Analysis Booklet, the organization’s Newsletter, SEF ten-year documents and various literacy manuals.

The variety of SEF's goals can principally describe as follows:

•                  Evolve programs for lift up the standard of education.

•           Conduct research programs or surveys or hold workshops, conferences, symposium, to study the educational system, to find shortfalls and weak points and make suggestions or necessary measures for its improvement.

•               Offer financial help or grant under soft terms and conditions.

            Establish educational institutions, especially in less                              developed/less privileged areas.

Read More

Education in Sindh

Pakistan’s seaport province Sindh plays vital role in economy, but in return power players ignore education sector of Sindh, resting it is on lowest level, though there are some urban areas institutions have shown considerable improvement. However, due to the corruption in this sector, the quality of education is unfortunately on a down root. The government must look at the total enrollment, number of out of school children, too. Sindh government spends 22 percent on education which is indeed a healthy figure.

From 2013 the education sector is a depressing picture to have a look on the quality of education. A recent estimation shows less participation of boys and they are compelled to do the work of child labor especially, in rural areas due to poverty. The education of girls is satisfying in the cities, but girls are deprived from education in most rural and urban areas. Every government especially PPP after success in 2008 election had promised to work upon the poor education system in the province. But they could not fulfill its commitment no any proper policies for education brought for development.

The central government has also ignored this matter and the NGOs also don’t focus on rural areas to build up the broken system of education in the province. The government has to come up with appropriate measures in order to rise up the literacy rate by building up the broken system.

Read More

PRIVACY NOTICE: Warning on Facebook. It won't work

Facebook users from all over the world recently post a "privacy notice" on their own Facebook wall and claiming the government cannot disseminate your content, this is not true and you've been fooled.
Contrary to what the notice says, Facebook's privacy policy was not affected when the company went public on May 18, according to the myth-buster extra ordinaries at Snopes. Facebook and its users are still bound by the terms of service that every user signed in order to gain access to the site.
The only way to change your privacy settings is to adjust them yourself in the account settings on Facebook and practice caution when you post to the Web.
Concerns for privacy of information on Facebook are still prevalent. Facebook is currently allowing its users to vote on new privacy policy changes.
The text of the erroneous notice is as under:

PRIVACY NOTICE: Warning – any person and/or institution and/or Agent and/or Agency of any governmental structure including but not limited to the United States Federal Government also using or monitoring/using this website or any of its associated websites, you do NOT have my permission to utilize any of my profile information nor any of the content contained herein including, but not limited to my photos, and/or the comments made about my photos or any other "picture" art posted on my profile.

You are hereby notified that you are strictly prohibited from disclosing, copying, distributing, disseminating, or taking any other action against me with regard to this profile and the contents herein. The foregoing prohibitions also apply to your employee, agent, student or any personnel under your direction or control.
The contents of this profile are private and legally privileged and confidential information, and the violation of my personal privacy is punishable by law. UCC 1-103 1-308 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WITHOUT PREJUDICE

OR

From Sunday, June 26, 0453 pm, GMT time, I don't give Facebook permission or permission to use my pictures, my information or my publications, both of the past as the future, mine or those where I show up. By this statement, I give my notice to Facebook it is strictly forbidden to disclose copy, distribute, give, sell my information, photos or take any other action against me on the basis of this profile and / or its contents. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of privacy can be punished by law (UCC 1-308-1 1 308-103 and the Rome statute).
Note: Facebook is now a public entity. All members must post a note like this. If you prefer, you can copy and paste this version.
If you do not publish a statement at least once, you've given the tacit agreement allowing the use of your photos, as well as the information contained in the updates of state of profile.
Do not share this notice. You have to copy.

Read More

The 15 Most Used Mobile Apps In Education

Apps, smartphones, and tablets are storming into classrooms around the world. But how do you figure out which apps are being used by teachers, admins, students, and parents?

It’s not an easy task, to be sure. But you can rest assured there are definitely some apps that are being used a bit more than others. For example, we’ve seen Dropbox and Edmodo used by just about every school district around Cambridge. There are many others and we offer a special thanks to our content  partners at Online Universities who assembled a list of some of the most used and most popular academic mobile apps being used right now.
Care to add to this list? Share your thoughts down in the comments!

1. Dropbox:
   Thanks to the magic and wonder of cloud computing, professors on the go can access their files from other devices they’ve connected to their personal networks, meaning they never leave an important digital document at home!
2. Documents To Go:
   Available for nearly all smartphone and PDA platforms, Documents To Go offers up the full suite of Microsoft Office programs, and saving a file on one device makes changes to all connected ones as well!
3. Lab Guru:
   iPad-owning science professors sign up for the popular Lab Guru to draw up experiments and tote them into the field or onto the counter for note taking and sharing.
4. Attendance:
   Educators with iDevices love this app for doing exactly what the name says it does – assist them in keeping track of what students attended what classes when.
5. Evernote:
   Sort digital files into scrapbooks and make sure all necessary class materials sit in the proper place with one of the mobile world’s most lauded organization applications of all time.
6. The Elements: A Visual Exploration:
   Even non-chemistry buffs absolutely adore The Elements iPad app, which illustrates the periodic table with richly detailed photos and comprehensive information about all the basic components of everyday (and not-so-everyday) matter.
7. TED:
   Professors love using the intelligent, open source lectures available through TED to supplement their classroom lessons (on myriad topics, to boot) and even learn a few things they themselves didn’t know before.
8. Quick Graph:
   For math professors, Quick Graph provides mobile computing’s most detailed visuals when it comes to calculating equations in two and three dimensions.
9. TeacherKit:This app serves as an educator’s personal assistant in many ways, keeping track of nearly everything they need to stay on task, record grades and attendance, and plenty more – but only for iDevice owners, unfortunately.
10. Google Apps:
    More of a spacious suite of multiple apps rather than just one, these offerings by Internet juggernaut Google enhance any classroom with access to an Android, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Phone, or other mobile gadget.
11. Blackboard Mobile Learn:
    Because so many colleges and universities provide access to Blackboard – especially for its online classes – it makes perfect sense that allowing easy mobile access appeals to tech-savvy educators.
12. eClicker Polling System:
    Make great PowerPoint and Keynote presentations even more effective with an app transforming iDevices into centers for making drawings, taking polls, scrolling through slides, and other fabulous features.
13. Wikipedia:
    Despite its open editing structure, Wikipedia generally hosts the most accurate available information, and plenty of professors head there for research … even if it’s a clandestine peek!
14. CourseSmart:
    CourseSmart provides smartphone and tablet fans a painless way to read thousands of textbooks without potentially breaking their backs and shoulders with heavy bags!
15. iAnnotate:
    Making notes, bookmarking, and highlighting is inevitable in academia – or, at least, in academia where work actually gets done – and this offering renders the process easy when it comes to PDF files.

Read More

Role of Mobile Apps to change Classrooms and Education

Every one remember and thinking that we knew what it meant to “go to school.” In the past, large size bags of books, taking cycles and head to the local school, and to be brought to what those in the 20th century would call a “building.”
But in the 21st century, it is necessary to teach students in the modern age have been brought into question by an almost singular sensation: mobile technology. Specifically, the mobile application has allowed online schooling — even for public schools at the high school level — to become a serious option, according to the Wall Street Journal.
As you know mobile applications are not just responsible for changing how school is taught outside the classroom, but inside it as well. The range of uses varies as widely as Garage Band for iPad in music class to experiencing entire course curriculums in iTunes U.
It is clear that, through the power of mobile apps, the traditional way of “going to school” is about to change in a major way. Whether students simply free from books (when an iPad will suffice) or skip the idea of a physical presence altogether, the education system in America needs to recognize and adapt to these sweeping changes if it’s going to emerge with an effective education model in the 21st century.
In the classroom itself, even just a few educational apps solve a number of problems, including class participation. Music-in-education pioneer Neil Johnston notes that the Smart Guitar function on GarageBand for iPad brought one particular low-learning student into full participation with the rest of the class.
Many apps that help advance the state of education already exist — and are already being used by students around the world. The Wall Street Journal noted that online student Allison Schnacky grew an interest in history — previously describing it as the “boring” of classes — after watching assigned videos of ancient Egypt on her computer.
The real excitement is still in front, and it’s where schools need to be the most flexible. Many mobile app innovations not only promise to enhance class participation, but could become the digital framework for school curriculum in the future.
For example, iTunes U offers teachers of all levels an “easy way to design and distribute complete courses featuring audio, video, books, and other content.” The “powerful new app” also allows outside learners the access to the same information — for free.
It is considerable that the potentials of cloud-based technology, which would allow students to log in to specific mobile apps in order to access their school assignments, thereby creating the framework for paperless homework. Backpack companies, so long built on the premise that students would have to lug around books all day — must be shaking in their boots.
In USA, the schools that recognize the potential of mobile app technology that will be able to best utilize it and improve their curriculum. Mobile apps represent a potential breakthrough in the way kids can learn — the amount they can learn while doing it. Mobile apps need to become a part of education on a systemic level if kids are going to learn efficiently in the Information Age.

Read More

Real Fact is: what education is in Sindh

Recently issued the sixth edition of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), makes for a damning indictment of Sindh’s education sector as it proffers statistics that would – in an ideally developed society – leave governments red-faced and with no option but to quit or face the sack for abject performance.

This is how it goes: Even in the year 2015-16, almost a quarter (24pc) of Sindh’s children aged between 6 and 16 are out of school; of the remaining 76 percent, 55 percent of Class-V students can’t read Class-II level Urdu/Sindhi text and only 24 percent can comprehend written English.

While that pretty much sums up the ‘quality of education’ aspect, the infrastructural side remains similarly bleak; 52 percent public and 40 percent private primary schools of rural Sindh still do not have functional washrooms; also 33 percent of private primary schools do not have boundary walls, as don’t 41 percent of government primary schools.

The report seems to expose as mere rhetoric the recent focus of federal and provincial governments on enrolment drives, as the figures show that the prevalent situation is nowhere close to the government-set targets.

However, the ASER report also shows that the proportion of out-of-school children has decreased minimally as compared to 2014, when the figure stood at 27 percent as compared to 2015’s 24 percent. It explains that of these 24 percent, 18 percent children have never been enrolled in schools while six percent have dropped out for various reasons.

Another area where there was almost negligible improvement was the number of children going to public schools as, in 2015, 88 percent children aged between 6 to 16 years were enrolled in public schools, while last year the percentage was 83 percent. 

Moreover, there remain little signs of improvement as an analysis of infrastructural facilities showed that 67 percent private primary schools have boundary walls, as compared to 59 percent government primary schools.

With regards to availability of functional toilets, the report’s findings show that proper facilities were not available in 52 percent public and 40 percent private primary schools throughout rural Sindh.

As for learning outcomes, the report indicates that student competency in English, Arithmetic, and language have improved, but still 55 percent of the children in Class-V cannot read Class-II level Urdu/Sindhi text.

In English, only 24 percent of the surveyed Class-V students could read sentences that should ideally be comprehensible for students from the second grade. Arithmetic learning levels show only 35 percent of Class-V children could complete two-digit division problems, tasks that are expected to be mastered in the second grade.

Private vs govt
The survey also identified that children enrolled in private schools were performing better compared to those studying in government schools. The report finds that 53 percent Class-V students in private schools were able to read a story in Urdu, as compared to 45 percent of Class-V students studying at government schools.
The difference in learning levels is greater when it comes to English as 48 percent Class-V could read Class-II level English sentences, as compared to 22 percent public sector students. In arithmetic, 45 percent of Class-V private school students were capable of solving two-digit division problems, as compared to 35 percent Class-V government school children.
The survey also indicates that boys have been faring better in literacy and numeracy skills in rural Sindh. As many as 40 percent of boys were found to be able to read sentences in Urdu, as compared to 33 percent girls. In arithmetic, 37 percent of Class-V boys were able to do Class-II level subtraction, as compared to only 31 percent Class-V girls.

Teachers’ assessment
In addition to students’ assessment, the report also looks into the functioning of schools and shows that, overall, teachers’ attendance in government schools stood at 88 percent as compared to 89 percent in private schools on the day of the survey.
The survey report states 41 percent teachers in private schools were graduates in comparison to 46 percent in government schools, and a similar trend was seen with MA/MSc or postgraduate qualifications whereby a larger percentage of public sector teachers possess higher qualification than their private sector counterparts.
The trends in multi-grade teaching across schools were also mixed. The report findings show that 71 percent of government and 30 percent of private schools were imparting multi-grade teaching at the Class-II level.
Similarly, at Class-VIII level, multi-grade teaching was more prevalent in the government sector, 33 percent, against 12 percent in private schools. 

It also showed that despite the fact that only seven percent private primary schools receive funds from the government – as compared to 23 percent public primary schools – the private sector can be considered better when it comes to school facilities.

Read More

Education reforms in Sindh

Sindh and Balochistan educationists agree on it, that it is a harsh reality in Sindh and Balochistan moved slowly towards educational reforms. Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) consistently has shown that both Sindh and Balochistan have worst condition of its school infrastructure, enrollment and retention rates, students' learning outcome as compared to other provinces in like Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Though, recently, in Sindh Education and Literacy Department of many policy initiatives pursued by the Government highlighting the Government is indeed serious about of educational issues.

Investment for youth empowerment, education emphasized

Foremost, Sindh’s education crisis depends on money spent on education. Sindh government consistently increase in the budget allocated for education by the province. Since 2010, the total budget has increased from Rs 23.06 billion allocated in FY 2010-2011, In Budget Estimate 2014-15, an allocation of
Rs.134.38 billion has been kept for non-development expenditure of education,
which is 31% of total current revenue expenditure, in the current allocation of Rs160.7 billion representing 28% of the total provincial budget outlay for FY 2016-2017. Moreover, these figures get more interesting if we quarry deep and look at how well the money is spent. In previous years, the largest portion of this budget was spent on raising teachers’ salaries and the so-called ‘School Specific Budget’. Of course, the problem with shifting more resources to lower levels of education and that on teacher-related salaries, it is also the area where thousands ghost schools exist. Teachers are simply drawing salaries without performing their duties.

However, money alone won’t solve education problems. The real magic of improvement takes place in the classroom. Unfortunately, teacher absenteeism, corruption and nepotism plague most public schools in the province. In this regard revamping teachers’ hiring procedure is a significant push towards transparency and accountability by the Sindh Education and Literacy department. As part of the reform programme, teachers are now recruited through a rigorous procedure involving a test conducted by a third party National Testing Service (NTS), verification from an independent Reform and Support Unit (RSU) and a final vetting from the donor agency. Naturally, this involvement of multiple stakeholders in the recruitment process makes the system highly competitive, which in turn shall pave way for qualified teachers to be at the helm of teaching affairs. We must also understand that in today’s education system, the role of teacher is highly indispensable. Since the 21st century demands a holistic approach to education, our schools need to encourage children to think outside the box, nurture curiosity and help flourish innovation and creativity. All this is only possible if our classrooms are equipped with teachers who have the right set of skills.

34,000 students make transition to government schools

Thirdly, another step in the right direction is the regular assessment of students’ learning outcomes under SAT (Standardized Assessment Test). The importance of an assessment system to guide evidence based policy for an effective reform cannot be denied. SAT is primarily designed for this purpose, ie to gauge how students are performing in mathematics, science and language subjects. The Sindh Education and Literacy department carries this exercise annually through a third party, Sukkur IBA, and publishes a performance report. Though the results are not encouraging, but such a venture is crucial to examine and inform public policy questions and discussions in the province. Similarly, for public and donor agencies, SAT results could be used to enhance accountability by keeping a check on whether the money spent by the government has achieved intended goals of improving the state of education in the province. Likewise, this could also help inform government budget allocations and guide policy decisions. However, to make such evaluations more effective, it is imperative that such assessments are not restricted to a selected sample as currently practiced but are enhanced to include all students.
While policies like these have improved the education sector in the province and reduced the number of out-of-school children between the ages of 5-16 years from 7.3 million to 6.5 million. Nevertheless, Sindh government still has a mammoth task to fulfill its constitutional obligation of achieving 100% enrollment. The biggest of these challenges is the ‘quality’ of education. I have visited some public schools in the district Shikarpur. Amongst the five government schools I visited, none of the third and fourth grade students enrolled there were able to read or respond properly in English, except for recounting basic alphabets. Third grade students found it difficult to answer the simple question.

Read More

Why Education is most important

Mostly people may know ABC’s, but are they educated or just literate, there is a difference. Literacy knows how to read and write. Education is to be able to motivation, to use your capability to read and write to your advantage and to be able to achieve your spectrum of knowledge by trying to rush deeper into the literate knowledge imparted to you.  We all discussed and had many debates innumerable about why is it important for every country to increase the literacy rates of its citizens, but it is simply doing that enough? No, we do not need just literate citizens, but educated ones too. All of us do not agree to be a group of people who can read and write but make nothing. Questioning, what education makes of us? It makes us human; a robot can read and write too, but cause? Here are reasons why education is most important for us.

1.     Self dependent life, earnings and trying to achieve till you succeed.

Education may not be the key to happiness, but it definitely is the key to a lot of other things which come together to make you happy. You know why being educated is most important? Reason is to be happy, to feel good. It is only possible to have a stable mind and a balances life, once you are self dependent and have a reputable status in the society. Simply being educated you’d have little job insecurity, no inadequacy complex and a well organized understanding of the world. With evolving lifestyles, sheer inflation rates and luxuries surpasses into needs, it is only impracticable for a family to depend and thrive on one bread earner. You ought to work for self sufficiency and dependency and education helps you gain your job opportunities for financial independence. Also, education helps you build a network with people who work the best in your benefit. It is only the education that you’d have multiple level goals and number of ways to reach them. It is only the education that you’d have dreams which transmute to thoughts and later into actions. There are one thing is most important that you have will, your will to get your dream to turn true will be undeterred and you’d try in every possible way till you succeed. But the uneducated may have good rational and labour capacity but the lack of understanding of multiple ways to achieve their goals is often an obstacle.

2.     Healthier Lifestyle and living, disease free life for the younger generation

Keep in mind the world before anti-biotic happened? Now place yourself where education is a luxury. Would you be aware of the medical or lifestyle finds which help to detect and cure a disease. Are you aware that almost every person is allergic to 5 foods in his lifetime which may cause auto immune diseases? An educated person would know his health, live longer and healthier by resorting to healthier alternatives. No intention of gender bias, but statistics reveal that if the mothers are educated, chances are that child mortality rates reduce by less than half. In fact, this is a reason by urban, educated women have healthier children almost free of diseases. Also, if either parent has received formal education, chances are they’d have fewer kids with better lifestyles than depend on more working hands by conceiving more kids. Also, educated parents immunize their kids and make sure that they play major role in their growth and development.

3.     Economically growth, Imparts ability to work across genres, cultures and Ethical values 
        that help make the world more peaceful


If the people of a nation are educated, they’d definitely carve ways to be self sufficient. An economically independent society is the stepping stone to combined productivity that leads to economic growth of the nation on a whole. Now you must know how those countries are doing so well for themselves? Tell an uneducated person to work in a setting alien to him, you’d ask him to walk on a path of self destruction. Ask an educated man to travel nations and transmute the barriers of language and culture, you’d be testing his spirit of taking challenges and succeeding in them. The difference here has not to be of intellectual capacity, but it takes more self confidence than knowledge to not be intimidated by challenges life throws on you. It is in the habit of uneducated to spring up on arguments and cause harm to others and most to him. Education would rather channel your temper towards a more productive and peaceful goal. While no nation would be at crisis, it would be only a more peaceful world without wars and battles.


4.     New techniques for productivity and Exposure to the World

There’s a reason why scientists are being paid in billions of dollars to build machinery that decreased the need for man power. It is however impossible to reap the benefits of that machinery have it to be used by those who have no knowledge of how to operate the machine for better productivity. Why else to you think most farmers, till date, swear by the traditional technique of irrigation. An educated person would listen to all, and do what suits him best. It is highly impossible to fool an educated person for it would take reasoning and logic to get him in the trap. Educations keep you from being trapped in advisories that are no more fruitful than digging your house for the pot of gold. Is it remotely possible to know of all the other nations while remaining in your own? It is. You’d have to read and place your understanding of the reading in the cultural and historical context of that nation in a particular period. You’d know just about everything French, Roman and Greek. You’d be able to build your understanding of their language and culture without simply terming them all as ‘foreign’.

5.     Keeping up with evolutions and Avoiding community embarrassment

You cannot keep up with evolutions unless you are aware of them. Awareness comes from Education. Imagine a world without Email! Was life really that hard before email happened? Maybe not, but it certainly made life easier. This was only a grain of salt in what I’d say is an ocean of evolutions, all in one way or the other made to simplify your life. Do you know that the communal segments were based more on your education than economic worth, just economically better off could afford better education too. Women were the aliens of the already alienated because they weren’t seen as able to mingle in a society where reasoning happened. It is extremely important that you be at par with the knowledge database to be able to mingle in a certain societal setting without being made to feel embarrassed or an outcast. Education helps you broaden that spectrum of knowledge and hold your own mind and reason.

Read More

Computer Software unveiled to tackle online extremism, violence

A software tool unveiled Friday aims to help online firms quickly find and eliminate extremist content used to spread and incite violence and attacks.

A non-governmental group proposed the Counter Extremism Project, its software be used in a system similar to one used to prevent the spread on online child pornography.
The software was developed by Dartmouth University computer scientist Hany Farid, who also worked on the PhotoDNA system now widely used by Internet companies to stop the spread of content showing sexual exploitation or pornography involving children.

But social media firms have yet to commit to using the tool for extremist content, and some are skeptical about it, according to an industry source.

The announcement comes amid growing concerns about radical jihadists using social networks to diffuse violent and gruesome content and recruit people for attacks.

The group proposed the creation of an independent “National Office for Reporting Extremism” that would operate in a similar fashion to the child pornography centre — identifying and flagging certain content to enable online firms to automatically remove it.

This system, if adopted by Internet firms, “would go a long way to making sure than online extremist is no longer pervasive”.

It could be useful in stopping the “viral” spread of videos of beheadings and killings such as those produced by the Daesh group.

The system is based on “robust hashing” or finding so-called digital signatures of content of text, images, audio and video that can be tracked to enable platforms to identify and stop content from being posted or reposted.

“The technology has been developed, it has been tested and we are in the final stages of engineering to get it ready for deployment”.

Social networks have long stressed they will help legitimate investigations of crimes and attacks, but have resisted efforts to police or censor the vast amounts content flowing through them.

But governments in the United States, France and elsewhere have been pressing online firms to do more to curb extremist content.

And a lawsuit filed on behalf of a victim in the 2015 Paris attacks seeks to hold Facebook, Google and Twitter liable for the violence.

“Without defendants Twitter, Facebook and Google [YouTube], the explosive growth of [the Islamic State group] over the last few years into the most-feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible”.

A tech industry representative, who asked not to be identified, said social media firms had concerns, including about privacy and the effectiveness of the tool.

“Child pornography is very different from extremist content,” according to the source, summarising tech firms’ views.

Read More

Pakistan may run dry by 2025

“In Pakistan water shortage is deepening, and it is feared there will be absolute water scarcity in 2025,” the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR).

The PCRWR has warned that Pakistan may run dry by 2025, if immediate actions are not taken by the authorities.
The report is yet to be released, but parts of it have been made available to the media.

The report said that Pakistan had hit the ‘water stress line’ in 1990 and then crossed the ‘water scarcity line’ in 2005.

It further says that further research is required to find possible solutions to the water crisis.
“Unfortunately, the PCRWR has no funds to ensure sustainable research," an official of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST).

“PCRWR, which was established in 1964, and is under the control of MoST, has asked the government to generate funds for research and development activities,”.

water scarcity was also triggering conflicts in the country.

"The government is ignoring the interests of our province," Ayaz Lateef Palejo, a nationalist leader from Sindh said, As per recently published report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), in areas where water is currently readily available, like Central Africa and East Asia, it would become harder to find in future.

And in areas like the Middle East, already facing water problems, scarcity will worsen even further. 

Read More

Is it big mistake? Pakistan asking a foreign supplier to build our electronic voting machines

Election Commission of Pakistan is going to electronic voting. No any announcement has been made yet but in this regard two tenders released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

ECP asked to vendors to bid for 300 biometric verification machines (BVM) in one tender. These machines provided by one vender will be tried out during the by-elections. If successful, the winning bidder will get an order for 300,000 machines for use in the general elections.

The other one tender is asked for 400 electronic voting machines (EVM) followed, in the event of a successful trial, by 300,000 machines for the general election. Both a BVM and an EVM are needed in each polling booth. The BVM will verify the identity of the voter and the EVM will register his/her vote.

Almost all elections in Pakistan are always marred by accusations of vote rigging. So the move toward an electronic voting system is very important. It will go a long way toward addressing the persistent demand by political parties to ensure clean, transparent, easily verifiable elections. But there are drawbacks, if sufficient measures are not taken to protect against them we may end up in worse shape.

In the tender documents tender documents Election Commission of Pakistan It is almost impossible for Pakistani companies to qualify evaluation criteria for bidders, ECP are skewed to favour foreign companies. This is a dangerous mistake. the foreign manufacturer allowed to build into them ‘backdoors’ as it is nature and complexity of the electronic chips that are the heart of such machines. Is it big mistake.

Read More

Pak Truck Driver – 3D

T

ruck decoration has become identical in Pakistan. The distinctive of painting consists of images, scenery, poems and even calligraphy. It is mostly practiced by truck drivers on their vehicles to make them more prominent and give them their own brand through this decoration.

Recently, Pakistani game developers have come up with a truck driving simulator game called Pak Truck Driver – 3D.

In the game, users assume the role of a truck driver and are required to deliver cargo within a stipulated time to clear the mission

The game, up to 90MB on smartphones, is available on the Google Play store and has been downloaded almost 10,000 since launching.

Some glitches found in the app, which makes the game unbearable at times. For instance, if the truck goes off the track it gets stuck and you can neither go forward or backward.

Read More