Addressing the third convocation of Virtual University at the Expo Centre here on Saturday, the prime minister said that education in general and science and technology education in particular were “a matter of life and death” for the nation.

He said his government had already spent Rs22 billion on IT. He also announced an IT award of Rs20 million for talented students from backward areas.

Gilani said that broadband centres would be established in each union council and these would provide 30,000 jobs this year. He also announced the establishment of 30 more Virtual University campuses throughout the country including in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The prime minister directed the IT minister to expedite the awarding of contracts for 3G mobile technology in Pakistan.

He said that this technology would create jobs and promote development. He said that he had directed the finance minister to create 100,000 jobs in the budget for 2012-13.

“An educated Pakistan, which is the vision of Virtual University, is in line with my government’s determination to provide an affordable and quality education to all at the same time. I want the university to undertake expansion projects and increase its nationwide presence. I have already approved, in principle, the setting up of a custom-built Virtual University campus in every district of the country. I am very glad to hear that the first four campuses under this initiative have already started functioning,” he said.

Gilani said though education was a provincial subject after the passage of the 18th Amendment, the federal government was “committed to increasing the share of GDP for education in line with the Millennium Development Goals”.

Pakistan currently has one of the lowest rates in the world of spending on education as a proportion of GDP.

The prime minister praised Virtual University for its “quality and innovative techniques of delivery”. He noted that the university’s open course ware website had been recognised as the best in the world by the Open Courseware Consortium that included such world leaders as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford and Yale.

Gilani said that the government was planning to raise the rate of enrolment in higher education significantly in coming years. “The only way this quantitative and qualitative growth can take place is through an effective use of technology for the dissemination of education for students residing in all areas of the country. I am glad that Virtual University is playing its due role in this respect,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2012.

LAHORE: The current government came into power with the help of the nation, and till the nation supports us, we will stay in power, stated Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Saturday.

Addressing the third convocation of Virtual University in Lahore, the prime minister said that the government did not come “through a back door” as it was democratically elected.

During the convocation, the premier congratulated the graduating students and announced the establishment of 30 more campuses of Virtual University throughout the country including FATA, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. He also announced an IT award worth Rs20 million for deserving students in the remotest areas of the country.

Gilani further announced that PAK-SAT will provide one-hour free transmission facility to the university.

The prime minister also directed the Minister for Information Technology to expedite the matter of 3G technology. He said that this technology would not only bring about a revolution, create employment opportunities but would also promote development.

The prime minister said that the broadband centres in all the Union Councils of the country will provide 30,000 jobs to the students this year.  He added that the federal government had already spent Rs22 billion on the development of IT infrastructure and broadband connectivity.

He also announced an allocation of Rs17 billion for strengthening broadband connectivity in other unserved areas of the country.

He added that he had already directed the finance minister to create 100,000 jobs in the coming budget 2012-13, and said that ‘they’ didn’t want him to do so in the budget, without mentioning anyone.

The prime minister was in Lahore to meet Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q) leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. The meeting, according to sources privy to the talks, settled all outstanding issues – the most pressing of which dealt with the release of funds for PML-Q parliamentarians.

A letter carrying the suggestion was sent to the chief minister on Friday. Similar letters will be sent to the prime minister, the president and chief ministers of other provinces on Monday, a PMA spokesperson said.

The letter says that the preventive aspect of the health care remain largely neglected. The billions of rupees being spent on cures, it says, cannot curb diseases, specifically epidemics.

PMA has sought the government to introduce health education as a compulsory subject at elementary and middle school. However, at matriculation level, it suggested, the subject could be offered as an elective subject.

The association said that teaching this subject will help educate children about preventive measures for diseases like dengue, hepatitis, malaria and gastroenteritis. It has also suggested including a chapter on the hazards of smoking.

The PMA, in the letter, said that a doctor each should be appointed at the schools to teach the subject.

Talking to The Express Tribune, PMA General Secretary Dr Izhar Chaudhry said he hoped the implementation of the proposal would bring a major change in the people’s attitude towards health.

“A majority of our population lives in the rural areas, where people are not aware of communicable diseases. Such awareness can do wonders,” he said.

Citing the dengue awareness campaign, Dr Chaudhry said the Punjab government’s efforts had paid off this year.

He said while general science was a compulsory subject till middle school, teaching health education as a separate subject will not only benefit the children and their families in general, but also students who seek later to pursue medicine.

He said the PMA had assured the government of its cooperation at every step including design of curricula.

An official of the Punjab Education Sector Reforms Programme, which advises government on education policy making, said that including a new subject at school level was a hectic job that required a lot of work and resources. He said experts from several departments will need to sit together and brainstorm before any new subject could be introduced in schools.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2012.

The advertisement published in some newspapers in March inviting applications for the post of the VC has been cancelled, a Health Department official confirmed on Thursday.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the official said that some 30 applications had been received in response to the advertisement.

He said a new advertisement will appear in the newspapers following new legislation in this regard by the Punjab Assembly.

In its judgment on March 14, the Supreme Court had directed the government to appoint a vice chancellor KEMU in three months.

With June 14 being the deadline, government representatives have yet not presented any proposal in the Assembly sessions that were held since March 14.

A head of department at King Edward Medical University told The Tribune that the draft proposing a change in the age limit for public sector universities’ vice-chancellors had been prepared.

However, he said, “There is no Assembly session scheduled so far which means that the deadline set by the court might be exceeded.”

The office of the King Edward Medical University vice chancellor has been lying vacant for two years. Dr Asad Aslam Khan, the pro-VC, has been serving as the acting VC for two years.

He also teaches at the Mayo Hospital and is the Punjab Institute of Preventive Ophthalmology director general.

A public medical college principal, who also applied for the King Edward Medical University VC’s post said, “The government has withdrawn its advertisement for this post for the sixth time.”

Talking to The Express Tribune, Health Secretary Capt (retired) Arif Nadeem said that the previous advertisement had been overtaken by events.

This has become a ‘statuary provision’ now, he added. This will become a law one passed by the parliament, he said.  He said no one had been interviewed for the post.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2012.

They rejected administration’s claims that Awais Aqeel – who had been shot dead on campus on May 13 – was not a university student.

The IJT showed reporters Aqeel’s library card.

The card has his picture and identifies him as an LLB student at the university’s Law College.

Jamiat members claimed that Abrar Wattoo, whom they accused of killing Aqeel, was being protected by the administration.

A PU spokesman had said that Aqeel was not a “regular” student at the university.

He said that Aqeel had enrolled at the law college and sat for his LLB Part 1 examination in 2011 but had failed all exams.

He said that he had then applied for sitting supplementary exams.

IJT information secretary Malik Arif Hussain criticised the administration for issuing “misleading statements” instead of taking action against those responsible. “We gave a two-day ultimatum to the police to arrest the suspects,” he said. He said that some members had lost their temper and had then broken windows of the VC office.

Two Chemistry Department teachers later claimed that they had been beaten up by IJT members when they tried to persuade them to end the protest. Following the “assault”, the Academic Staff Association (ASA) announced that they would boycott classes from Thursday (today). ASA president Amir Sarwar demanded that all IJT nazims be expelled and that the IJT be banned.

Sarwar then said that the teachers would go to classes only if police provided them security.

Hussain denied that Jamiat members had beaten up or misbehaved with any teacher.

Vice Chancellor Prof Mujahid Kamran condemned the “attack” on the teachers. He described it as “the most shameful act in the history of Punjab University”.

He said that the matter had been brought to the notice of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2012.

Government members said this in response to the doctors’ proposal for a new 1,300-strong Health Management Cadre in the Health Department at the committee’s meeting on Wednesday. The main doctors’ groups – the Young Doctors Association (YDA), Medical Teachers Association (MTA) and Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) – had agreed on a set of proposals prior to the meeting.

Participants in the meeting told The Express Tribune that the government members said they “agreed in principle” to the establishment of a new cadre, but they could not make proposals that had anything to do with financial matters.

“The committee is mandated to work on the service structure. The creation of new posts or cadres involves financial matters and the committee cannot take any decision on it,” one of the committee members said.

Another participant said that the doctors had also proposed creating a Health Services Academy (HAS), which the government members rejected on the same grounds.

“We submitted the proposal but the government members said the committee couldn’t get involved in financial matters,” said YDA spokesman Dr Nasir Bokhari. He said the next meeting would take place in 10-12 days.

An MTA representative said that the doctors had proposed that administrative and financial powers be delegated to medical superintendents of public hospitals and principals of public medical colleges. The government members said that they would look into the matter, he said.

A government member of the committee said that they had received a draft of proposals from the doctors and would “look at what can be done”. “Some things can be done immediately, but several proposals involve long-term planning and cannot be done with the stroke of a pen. We will do our administrative work and examine all these proposals and discuss them in the next meeting,” he said.

Khawaja Salman Rafiq, the convener of the committee and the chief minister’s special adviser on health matters, said that a sub committee headed by Special Secretary Dawood Bareach would examine the longer term proposals.

Asked if a separate cadre could be set up in the Health Department without passing new legislation, he said: “It can be done administratively within the department, as per the rules. We will consider all our options.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2012.

The doctors will also demand greater autonomy from the Health Department in running public hospitals and medical colleges when they meet on Tuesday with Punjab government officials in a committee formed last month to consider changes to the service structure, said sources in the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Medical Teachers Association (MTA) and Young Doctors Association (YDA).

The three associations have reached a consensus on the establishment of a new cadre which would “provide managerial services for optimum utilisation of resources based upon merit”, according to a draft of the proposals.

The new cadre would have 1,300 seats of which 650 would be in Basic Pay Scale-19, 442 in BPS-20, 195 in BPS-21 and 13 in BPS-22. The proposal states that 50 per cent of the BPS-19 posts should be filled by promotion from other health cadres (there are three   General Cadre, Specialist Cadre and Teaching Cadre) and the rest by doctors recruited via the Punjab Public Service Commission.

Doctors in the Health Management Cadre would require an MBBS and a post-graduate degree in public health from an institution recognised by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council. Sources in the three associations said that they would propose that administrative posts like medical superintendent in public hospitals and district-level posts like executive district officer (health) be filled by doctors from the new cadre. Those already serving in these positions would need to get degrees in health management within five years or be forced to quit, they said. Once the new cadre was created, doctors working at administrative posts and who had the relevant degrees would automatically be in the new cadre and their seniority would remain intact, they added.

The doctors would also propose that principals of public medical colleges and medical superintendents of public hospitals be given financial and administrative autonomy. “This would mean that they wouldn’t have to wait for the health secretary’s nod for everything, even small things like buying stationary,” the sources said. The MS or equivalent authority would have to authority to grant ex-Pakistan leave and earned leave.

The doctors will also demand time scale promotions and that annual confidential reports   yearly reviews of the performance of officials employed by the government – not be mandatory for promotion.

Chief Minister’s Special Assistant on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique, who is the committee’s convener, said that any proposals submitted by the doctors would be considered.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2012.

LAHORE: “The points raised by the former University of Health Sciences (UHS) vice chancellor (VC) in his application highlighting certain irregularities in some private medical colleges are factual,” the Health Department has stated in its reply submitted to the chief secretary.

The Supreme Court’s Human rights Cell had sought a reply from the chief secretary last month in response to the application submitted by former UHS VC Prof Malik Hussain Mubbasher.

Prof Mubbasher had accused the University Medical and Dental College, University of Lahore; the Azra Naheed Medical College, Lahore; the Amina Anayat Medical College, Shekihupura; and the Continental Medical College, Lahore of violating the regulatory regime. The SC had also sought a response from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), telling the Council to brief the court on the policies, affiliation, fee structure, admission criteria and faculty of the named colleges.  The court has given the chief secretary and the PMDC till May 28 for the submission of their replies.

A PMDC official who talked to The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity said that the council had submitted its report on anomalies in the admission policies, exorbitant fee structure, cosmetic faculty and issue of credibility of ownership as mentioned in the complainant’s application.

He said the points raised by Prof Mubbassher were supported by facts.

Administrations of the colleges involved have denied any irregularities.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2012.

The board has submitted the admission policy for the 2012-13 session, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, to the Health Department. It suggests that the Punjab government, in view of its financial difficulties, charge each student a fee of Rs1,000 for the entrance test, which was free last year. The board said that the fee would pay for the cost of organising the entrance test.

The board also proposed that the tuition fee be raised from the existing Rs11,521 per year to Rs15,000 per year to improve facilities in public medical colleges.

It said that Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) regulations be followed for the calculation of the merit list score for admission to public medical colleges, “whatever they may be”.

Last year, students were given a composite score with 50 per cent weight given to the entry test, 40 per cent to the intermediate exams, and 10 per cent to the matriculation exams.

On February 2, a PMDC committee recommended that the matriculation results be removed from the equation. The merit list score would then be calculated with 50 per cent weight given to the entrance test and 50 per cent to the intermediate exams. But the PMDC has yet to notify the new formula.

AJK seats

The admissions board suggested that the number of seats reserved for students from Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) be reduced since two public medical colleges had recently been opened in Mirpur and Muzaffarabad. Last year, 39 seats were reserved for students from AJK. The board has asked the Health Department how many seats will be reserved for AJK in 2012-12.

The board proposed September 23 as the date for the entrance test and December 10 for the start of MBBS classes. Some 35,000 students are expected to sit the test. Test centres will be established in Rawalpindi and Hasan Abdal in northern Punjab; Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sargodha and Sahiwal in central Punjab; and Bahawalpur, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan and DG Khan in southern Punjab.

The question paper for the 150-minute entrance test shall consist of 220 multiple choice questions in four sections: 44 in the physics section, 58 in chemistry, 30 in English and 88 in the biology section. The test is worth a total of 1,100 marks with each correct answer worth five marks. Each wrong answer will result in a one mark deduction.

The board approved a common entrance test for both FSc and non-FSc (A-level) students. It will have the same syllabus as the one last year, which was prepared by the University of Health Sciences (UHS).

Foreign students wishing to sit the entrance test must have passed an examination equivalent to the intermediate level in Pakistan, as certified by the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen, with at least 60 per cent marks. The candidates must present a valid TOFEL or IELTS result with a minimum score of 500 or 5.5, respectively, if their medium of instruction of study for two years prior to applying for admission or the entrance test was not English.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2012.

Concerned about the anomalies in the systems of many private medical colleges, Prof Malik Hussain Mubbasher, former UHS vice chancellor, submitted an application on the Human Rights Cell of the Supreme Court in April seeking a “legal and constitutional check” on the working of these institutions, something expected from him while he was in office.

Soon after the application was received, the Supreme Court sought a report from the chief secretary and the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on the application. According to a letter available with The Express Tribune, the chief secretary has sent a letter to the health secretary asking him to examine the contents of the application. The health secretary, it states, is expected to reply by May 28.

Allegations

Prof Mubbasher said that the University College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Lahore had started in 2002 without PMDC recognition. Though it was granted recognition in 2007, Prof Mubbasher said the college had violated the provisions of the UHS Ordinance and judgments of the Lahore High Court as well as of the Supreme Court in not registering its students with the UHS.

He said that the Amina Inayat Medical College was denied affiliation by the UHS for not meeting the PMDC criteria.

Instead of removing the deficiencies, the college sought and got affiliation with Riphah International University in violation of Sections 5 and 35 of the UHS Ordinance, he said.

Azra Naheed Medical College, he said had violated the law in seeking affiliation with another private college rather than the mandatory affiliation with the UHS.

He said Continental Medical College, Lahore, lacked teaching hospital beds for clinical subjects. He said he had also registered FIRs against administrations of some private colleges for attempts on his life.

A senior Health Department official said that criminal cases had been registered against several private medical colleges for certain irregularities. However, he said, details could not be revealed until after a report was submitted to the Supreme Court.

Other narratives

Talking to The Express Tribune, Samiullah, registrar at the Superior College, which Azra Naheed Medical College is affiliated with, said that the Superior College could by law impart medical education after obtaining a no objection certificate from the PMDC.

“If the King Edward Medical University can give its own exams and award degrees, why can’t we? If territorial boundaries don’t apply to them, they should not apply to us either,” he said.

Amina Inayat Medical College Principal Prof Zafar Ali Chaudhry told The Tribune that the college was recognised by the PMDC and was affiliated with a federally chartered university, after the UHS had refused to grant the affiliation.  He said the college met UHS criteria for faculty and had no reservation against being affiliated with the UHS.

Arif Mahmood Qureshi, the Riphah International University assistant registrar (affiliation) said that UHS charter did indeed allow no medical school in the Punjab to be affiliated with any other university. However, he said, the RIU was a federally chartered university and had lawfully granted affiliation to Amina Inayat Medical College. He said the federal law (Riphah chapter) enjoyed precedence over provincial law (UHS charter).

Continental Medical College Principal Dr Rehana Azeem denied that the college lacked teaching beds. “We have the required faculty and our hospital units are complete too,” he said.

Dr Nazeer Ahmad Aasi, the University Medical College, University of Lahore (UL) principal, said no university was barred from or should be barred from giving examinations at its constituent colleges.

He said the UL charter enabled them to give their own exams. He said the college was established before the UHS came into being.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2012.