Day: April 27, 2011

Zeeshan Azmat

Karachi: Senior Minister for Education and Literacy Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq said on Tuesday that female staff would be appointed to all girls’ colleges in Sindh and any male staff working in those colleges would be transferred.

He also issued directives for the construction of a teaching staff hostel at each girls’ college so that teachers coming from far-flung areas to teach at the institute had a proper accommodation.

The minister was chairing a meeting of the Sindh Education Department’s Annual Development Programme. The meeting discussed several schemes for the education sector for the year 2011-12.

He was informed of projects of elementary and secondary schools as well as colleges. He expressed his dismay at delays in the completion of a number of schemes, and directed the authorities to report to him when the projects were completed.

According to the education minister, the authorities concerned had also failed to construct proposed colleges in interior Sindh. He warned that departmental inquiry would be ordered against those responsible.

Haq was informed that nine colleges were built in Karachi during the previous governments and there was no need to construct colleges in those areas. The attendance of students also remained low and those institutions were of no use, he remarked.

The education minister directed the secretary education to convert such colleges into arts, commerce and science departments so that locals could get some benefits. He said the government was following the vision of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and wanted to give standard education to the women.

There was no college for women in Jacobabad, Thatta, Umerkot, Dadu and other districts, he said and added that the Education Department should make sure that girls living in these areas were provided with colleges so that they could also obtain education.

The regional director colleges should visit one college every day and submit a report to the offices of the Education Department, he said. Those who did not visit colleges would face departmental inquiry, he warned.

Haq issued directives to Director Colleges Dr Nasir Ansar in this regard.

Furthermore, he said that old schemes should be completed along with the newly-launched projects. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the quality of the buildings of schools run under the city and local bodies system. “The government gives Rs100 million per month to the zonal and local body government. But, unfortunately the amount was never properly used in the education sector run by these alternative authorities,” he said.

He criticised the policies of the former dictator, and said that handing over the education system to the city government was not a good decision. He asked civil society and media to play a major role in exposing “ghost teachers”.

The education minister noted that the government employees were also working in the electronic and print media.

Source: The News

Date:4/27/2011

Asim Yasin

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Women Development Tuesday presented its report in the National Assembly to amend various Acts and Codes in relation to protection against acid crimes, and rehabilitation of compensation for victims of acid crimes.

Chairperson of the Committee Bushra Gohar presented the report on the Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention Bill, 2010) that suggests the punishment of imprisonment for life or imprisonment of either description which shall not less than 14 years and minimum fine of Rs1 million to acid throwers on women.

In statement of objects and reasons of the bill it was stated that the crime of throwing acid on women is becoming more common and recurring day by day mainly due to absence of proper legislation on the subject.

It is recommended in the bill that whoever hurt by corrosive substance shall be punished with imprisonment for life or imprisonment of either description which shall not be less than fourteen years and a minimum fine of one million rupees.

Speaking on the occasion, mover of the bill Marvi Memon congratulated the House for legislation on the bill. She asked the members of the National Assembly to create awareness about the law in their respective constituencies.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on the occasion expressed the optimism that the bill after its passage would prove beneficial in eliminating inhuman treatment meted out to women.

She also urged the parliamentarians to play their due role in creating awareness among the people regarding the law. Minister for Environment Samina Khalid Gurki and MNAs Farah Naz Isphani, Anosha Rehman, Kishwar Zehra, Shahnaz Wazir Ali also congratulated the House for legislation on the bill.

Source: The News

Date:4/27/2011

By Naila Anwar Warraich

ISLAMABAD: Narrating her life and struggle, Ghulam Sughra, a recipient of International Women of Courage Award, on Tuesday told students that education was a must for women to bring in better changes in their own and others’ lives.

“Education makes all the difference for a woman. I was divorced because I was uneducated,” she told an interactive session at the Islamabad College for Girls F-6/2. She said she was married at the age of 12.

Dr Marilyn Wyatt, wife of US ambassador to Pakistan, and Mehnaz Aziz, director Children’s Global Network were also present.

The US government gives the award to recognise and honour women who show exceptional courage and leadership in promoting women rights. This year Ms Sughra was one of 10 women selected from all over the world for this award for her efforts for “girl child education” in interior Sindh.

After divorce she was left alone to care for her two children, “an uphill task for an illiterate young woman in interior Sindh.”

“An unskilled and uneducated woman is susceptible to social injustice. I was on the verge of committing suicide along with my son and daughter,” she said. But then pessimism gave way to determination to change her life for the sake of her children, as she did her matriculation at the age of 22.

After the bitter experience she went through, Sughra realised that education was the only ‘panacea’ for women to fight against harassment and inertia. “I never wanted women of my community to suffer like I did. I persuaded people to send their daughters to schools.” But she was told poverty, social pressures and norms of the community were stopping parents from sending daughters to school. But this only made Sughra more determined to help girls get education.

She started Marvi Rural Development Organisation (MRDO) in 2001for empowering women living in rural areas. Today the organisation has come a long way as it is working in 500 villages in interior Sindh.

“We provide micro loans to women to help start a business and earn money to send their girls to schools. Social mobilisation is our other aim,” a beaming Sughra said, adding that she now wants to take her agenda of girl education and women’s empowerment to other parts of the country.

In her comments, Dr Wyatt said educating girls was a key to success and a war forward for the developing countries.

She said everywhere in the world youth is considered a resource to the national development. “Colleges and schools of Pakistan are very pleasing places for me and I hope women like Ms Sughra would never let these places down with their consistent struggle and determination.”

Terming her a role model for Pakistani women, she said, “Women here can change their destinies by following footprints of Ms Sughra.”

Source: Dawn

Date:4/27/2011

PESHAWAR: Militants blew up a government-run primary school for girls in Adezai area on the suburbs of provincial metropolis on Tuesday, police said

An official of Matani police station said that militants planted five explosive devices at the three-storey building and exploded them through a remote at about 1.25am. He said that each of the explosive devices weighed about five kilograms. He said that it was the second girls` school, which was blown up within a month in the area.

Adezai Qaumi Lashkar chief Dilawar Khan, when contacted, said that the school had been constructed with financial support of Germany where all basic facilities were available. In the prevailing situation the government was bound to make arrangements for protection of schools but it did not do so, he added.

“We have time and again asked police high-ups to assign duty to volunteers of the lashkar to protect schools but they are reluctant to do so,” he said and added that police and Frontier Constabulary were stationed at one place and the rest of area was left for militants.

Mr Khan feared if government did not take immediate steps against local suspects they would continue facilitating militants in carrying out subversive acts.

In Swabi district, a tower of 1100 KV transmission line, supplying electricity from Tarbela Dam, was partially damaged when two bombs, planted by unidentified persons, went off on Tuesday.

The tower was completely damaged in 2009 and it was the second attempt to disrupt the main supply line from Tarbela Dam.

Officials said that total four bombs were planted at the tower but only two of them went off at 4am. The tower was partially damaged by the blasts. The locals and policemen rushed to the scene of occurrence to see the damage caused by the blasts.

Officials said that the remaining bombs, which did not blast, were defused. “We were lucky that all the four bombs didn`t blast. Had all of them blasted, they would have caused serious damage to the main supply line, causing suspension of power supply to the outage-ridden people of the country,” said an official. He said that the bombs were locally made.

“Both the past and the latest incidents make it clear that miscreants are present in the region,” said an official, adding that local administration had taken all precautionary measures but it might be difficult for police to guard all the towers.

Source: Dawn

Date:4/27/2011

MULTAN: Thirteen men, who were acquitted by a three-member bench of the Supreme Court in the Mukhtar Mai gang-rape case a couple of days ago, were released from the central jail here on Tuesday.

Those released are: Mohammad Ramzan, Mohammad Aslam, Allah Ditta, Khalil Ahmed, Ghulam Hussain, Nazar Hussain, Qasim, Hazoor Bakhsh, Rasool Bakhsh, Faiz Mohammad, Allah Ditta, Ghulam Farid and Mohammad Faiz.

After their release, the men reportedly raised slogans in favour of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and against Mukhtar Mai.

Source: Dawn

Date:4/27/2011