Day: August 22, 2004

PESHAWAR – The NWFP government plans to convert the recently established the girls campus of the Khyber Medical College (KMC) into a women’s medical college within a year after it fulfils the criteria of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC).

“Those female medical students who do not want to study in mixed environment would be able to study in women’s medical college,” NWFP Health Minister Inayatullah Khan told Dawn.

The separate girls campus would be started as a branch of PMDC’s recognized medical college KMC as the campus itself doesn’t fulfil the criteria of the PMDC at the moment.

Later on, the campus would be converted into a separate women’s medical college when it fulfils PMDC’s criteria. The major requirements are a suitable site, a proper building and full-time teaching staff.

However, sources told Dawn that fulfilling the PMDC’s criteria within a year was a difficult job.

The acting principal of the KMC, Abdul Wadood, brushing aside the possibility, said that the girls campus would be provided with faculty members and other facilities of the KMC.

The provincial government has allocated Rs167 million for the girls campus to be housed in a rented building at Hayatabad where initially 50 female medical students would be admitted on their own option.

The female students who would not be able to be accommodated in the KMC would be inducted in the girls campus.

“Forty open seats have been reserved for the students and 10 seats were left for students seeking admission under the self-finance scheme or for the overseas applicants,” project director Prof Dr Zia-ul-Islam said.

“The girls campus has been opened in a hurry. The site and the building are not suitable to house a campus of a medical college,” opined a doctor presently teaching at the KMC.

“The girls and boys hostels, bus service and canteens were already separate at the KMC and they sat separately during their classes so it was useless to open a separate girls campus without making proper arrangements first. The girl medical students will have to go to mixed hospitals for their three year clinical work so it is of no use to open a separate campus,” another doctor from the teaching faculty of the KMC observed.

Dr Zia-ul-Islam informed that the government would appoint fresh faculty members for the separate girls campus.

He said that the girls campus would initially start working under the umbrella of the KMC so it wouldn’t need the NOC from the PMDC.

“Qualified professors and associate professors presently teaching anatomy, biochemistry and physiology in the KMC would teach in the girls campus and would be paid honoraria for these classes,” he said.

Doctors presently teaching in the KMC said that it was against the regulations to perform two government jobs at a time. There were already vacancies in medical and surgical staff at the KMC and the PMDC had directed the KMC to fulfil these vacancies to make available a full-time qualified staff, they said.

“Strength of the teaching staff will be increased but it will be difficult for us to make it sure that only female teachers are appointed in the girls campus because practically it is not possible,” said Mr Anayatullah Khan.

The girls campus of the KMC would admit female medical students only but the teaching faculty would comprise male and female teachers.

“There is no female specialist in biochemistry, no female associate professor of physiology disciplines taught in the first year at the KMC. It means male teachers will teach in the girls campus so the real problem of giving an exclusive Islamic environment to girls coming from religious background would still remain unresolved even in the girls campus,” said a faculty member of the KMC.

Source: Dawn

Date:8/22/2004

ISLAMABAD – A woman legislator has sought a writ from the Supreme Court to enforce “fundamental rights of equality of the women for the full and mature participation of women in the national life”.

A petition filed by Sherry Rahman, Member of National Assembly, in Islamabad on August 21, under Article 184(3) of the Constitution and Supreme Court Rules sought restoration of five percent quota for women in services, and increase in reserved seats in public sector employment.

The petition was filed by Advocate on Record, M. S. Khattak, on behalf of Barrister Kamal Azfar representing the petitioner, and now awaits instructions from the Bench on further action.

Sherry has also requested the Supreme Court for directions to the Federal Government for full enforcement of Article 25 of the Constitution that empowers it to “take affirmative action to protect and promote women’s participation and equality of rights” in the national life. This could be done, the petition added, by special provisions under clause 3 of the above Article as well as of Article 27 and 34 to provide safeguards against discrimination in services.

The petitioner has suggested that:

— Greater representation of women can be achieved through reservation of quota for women (at least 30 percent) at all levels of recruitment, including through Public Service Commissions;

— women not be confined to only social sections of the Government, but also be included at Finance, Commerce, Aviation, Police which are considered non-conventional jobs for women;

— Women members be included in all recruitment and promotion making bodies; recruitment guidelines to include announcement of women’s quota in all advertisements.

— Regular assessment of results achieved in consultation with women in Government service in different sectors and grades so that their concerns are reflected.

— Encouragement to women joining and continuing public sector employment particularly by removing barriers that limit women’s participation in the public sector such as their maternal responsibilities by provision of long term maternity leave not affecting their seniority, relaxation of government rules in age of recruitment, etc be provided.

In the final prayer, Sherry has requested directions from the Supreme Court to the Federal Government to create a gender balance in government employment needs to be made for securing the Equal Rights of Women under the Constitution.

— Order to recruit women in greater numbers now in BPS-17 and 18, so as to be able to fill up the void in the higher echelons of Bureaucracy in the next seven to ten years.

— Order declaration of 25 percent quota reservation for women in all sanctioned posts of BPS-17 of the Federal Secretariat Group and the Executive and Secretariat Group of the Provincial Civil Services, which are designated as direct recruitment posts, at the Provincial Secretariat level and the Federal Secretariat.

— Order that all upcoming vacancies be filled on a 50:50 ratio until such time as the overall quota is achieved. Reserve 33 percent quota for women on posts at the level of BPS 4 to 16 of the total sanctioned posts, in which case, vacancies occurring in the future will need to be offered to women candidates in the ratio of 50:50 with male applicants. This policy may be applied at the secretariat level, both at the provincial and the federal, and at the level of District Headquarters.

— Declare that the withdrawal of Office Memorandum No. 4/2/89-R.2. Of 26 September 1989 for reservation of 5 percent of all vacancies was without lawful authority and of no legal effect.

Source: Business Recorder

Date:8/22/2004