Daily Archives: May 6, 2025

MARDAN: The District Youth Office Mardan, in collaboration with local educationists and community leaders from Hamza Shaheed Society, organized an awareness session on the harassment of women at Sarhad Model School. The session aimed to educate students, particularly young girls, about their rights, the importance of speaking out against harassment, and the support systems available to them.

The event featured guest speakers, including social activists, who discussed the psychological, social, and legal aspects of harassment. Students actively participated in the discussions, expressing their views and asking questions in a safe and supportive environment.

The District Youth Officer emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring a safe and respectful environment for all students, especially young women, in educational institutions.

This initiative is part of an ongoing campaign to raise awareness, promote gender equality, and empower youth to stand up against all forms of abuse and discrimination.

PESHAWAR: Provincial Education Minister Faisal Khan Tarakai has lauded the positive reforms implemented in the examination system across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stating that arrangements for the upcoming FA/FSc examinations, starting May 7th, are complete. He chaired an online meeting with the heads of all educational boards in the province.

“We have brought positive reforms to the examination system. Students from public and private schools are taking exams in the same halls,” Tarakai stated. He highlighted key measures including the appointment of invigilation staff through lottery, installation of CCTV cameras linked to respective boards in all centers, imposition of Section 144 around exam halls, and collaboration with all stakeholders to eliminate cheating.

The Minister termed this year’s Matriculation exams as exemplary in terms of transparency and merit. “All arrangements for the FA/FSc exams starting May 7th are complete. Invigilation staff have been assigned duties via lottery and have also received training,” he confirmed.

Secretary Education Masood Ahmed, Special Secretary Qaiser Alam, and all board chairpersons participated in the online meeting.

Minister Tarakai directed the board heads to assign examination centers to students in nearby areas. He instructed that Resident Inspectors must ensure discipline inside the exam hall and outside the school premises, preventing unauthorized persons from being present. He called upon District Education Officers (DEOs), district administration, and monitoring authority officials to play a positive role in conducting and monitoring the exams.

He emphasized strict action under E&D rules against anyone involved in paper leaks or other malpractices. “Details of actions taken during the Matric exams should be provided board-wise, and daily reports on the upcoming FA/FSc exams must be submitted by each board,” he mandated. He also directed the district administration to take action against the use of pocket guides (cheat sheets) and instructed monitoring officers, including district administration, to refrain from carrying gunmen, weapons, or taking pictures inside exam halls.

Addressing the examination staff, Tarakai urged them to build students’ confidence, respect their rights, and treat them with kindness to enable them to perform their best. He also encouraged boards to learn from each other’s experiences and implement best practices.

DEOs were instructed to maintain coordination with their respective boards and assist in the deployment of invigilation staff. The minister concluded by stressing the need to train personnel involved in the marking process to ensure students receive their due marks based on merit.

PESHAWAR: Commissioner Peshawar Division and Chairman of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Peshawar, Riaz Khan Mehsud, has announced that comprehensive arrangements are in place for the upcoming Intermediate examinations, mirroring the measures taken during the recent Matriculation exams. Addressing a press conference at the BISE Peshawar office, Mehsud emphasized providing a confident and calm environment for students while rigorously preventing cheating.

“In line with provincial government policy, students will be provided a conducive environment for the Intermediate exams, similar to the Matric exams,” Mehsud stated. “While ensuring facilities for students, efforts to curb cheating will continue. Students will not be harassed; instead, they will be provided a calm atmosphere during the exams.”

The Intermediate exams are scheduled to commence on May 7th. Assistant Commissioners will continue surprise visits to examination centers to ensure facility provision and prevent cheating. Mehsud confirmed that the Chief Executive of PESCO has been formally requested to ensure uninterrupted power supply during exam hours, continuing the practice from the Matric exams.

A total of 130,000 students will appear for the Intermediate exams across 420 centers in the six districts under BISE Peshawar: Peshawar, Charsadda, Chitral Upper, Chitral Lower, tribal district Mohmand, and district Khyber. Around 4,500 examination staff have been appointed through a transparent digital lottery system.

A new ‘Cluster System’ will be implemented, grouping 10-12 colleges within a 3 km radius into a single cluster with 10-15 exam halls. Students within each cluster will be mixed across centers. Initially, this system will be enforced in Peshawar, Charsadda, and Khyber districts. It will not be applied in Mohmand, Chitral Upper, and Chitral Lower due to the large distances between centers. Mehsud noted that private school administrators were consulted and agreed to the cluster system.

Reflecting on the Matric exams, the Commissioner reported over 80% success in ensuring transparency and preventing cheating. “Based on the experience gained, further efforts will be made to maintain transparency in the Intermediate exams,” he added. He also informed the media about actions taken against staff and institutions involved in malpractices during Matric exams.

In a message to students, Mehsud urged them to avoid shortcuts and cheating, advising them to choose the path of hard work for a bright future.

ABBOTTABAD: A crucial consultative meeting was held at the Abbottabad University of Science and Technology (AUST) between the university administration and the Al-Khidmat Foundation Hazara chapter to strategize support for Palestinian students pursuing higher education in Pakistan. The meeting focused on admission processes, sponsorship, and overall cooperation.

Representing AUST were Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Malik Mujaddid-ur-Rehman and Additional Director Student Affairs (International Students) Rashid Mahmood. The Al-Khidmat Foundation delegation included Hazara President Ghazan Iqbal Khan, Senior Vice President Abbottabad Dr. Abdul Waheed Alvi, Director Educational Projects Prof. Ramzan Shirazi, Executive Member Muhammad Waseem Malik Advocate, and Deputy Secretary Wajihullah Khan.

Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mujaddid-ur-Rehman welcomed the participants, highlighting that AUST is the first university in the region to offer admissions to Palestinian students in various BS and MS programs. He announced that the first batch of 9 Palestinian students is enrolling and will soon commence classes, with plans for future admissions.

Describing the initiative as a symbol of love and empathy between Pakistan and Palestine, the VC assured that AUST would meet not only the academic but also the non-academic needs of these students according to international standards, ensuring a safe, dignified, and home-like environment.

“These Palestinian students are our guests today, but tomorrow they will return to their homeland as ambassadors of Pakistan, forever remembering the hospitality of our people,” Dr. Mujaddid-ur-Rehman stated. He expressed hope that AUST’s initiative would serve as a beacon for other universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Vice-Chancellor commended Al-Khidmat Foundation’s educational and welfare services and requested their cooperation in providing full sponsorship and enhancing the academic capabilities of the Palestinian students.

Al-Khidmat Foundation Hazara President, Ghazan Iqbal Khan, affirmed his organization’s full support for this vital humanitarian and educational mission. He assured that Al-Khidmat would not only sponsor the students but also provide comprehensive social and psychological guidance and assistance.

Concluding the meeting, Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mujaddid-ur-Rehman extended heartfelt thanks to the guests, expressing optimism that this partnership would strengthen and become more effective over time.

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has marked another significant milestone in its initiative to empower youth with employment opportunities through modern IT skills. Over 2,000 young individuals have successfully completed advanced IT training under the provincial government’s Youth Employment Program.

A certificate distribution ceremony for the graduates was held at the Chief Minister’s House, attended by Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur as the chief guest. Provincial cabinet members, the Chief Secretary, officials from the Department of Information Technology, and students were also present.

Under the Youth Employment Program, the graduates received internationally benchmarked training in high-demand fields including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Game Development, Cloud Computing, Animation, and Web Development.

Separately, 180 youths also completed their internships under the provincial government’s Digital Internship Program. These individuals were formally onboarded by various IT companies and the Information Technology Board during the ceremony.

The Digital Internship Program has previously facilitated the onboarding of over 2,000 young people into renowned IT companies. Notably, 67% of these interns have secured employment within various companies to date.

Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur distributed certificates among the graduates and addressed the ceremony. “Providing employment opportunities for the youth is a primary responsibility of any government,” Gandapur stated. He acknowledged that while the government cannot provide public sector jobs for everyone, it is committed to creating opportunities in the private sector.

“We live in the age of information technology, which offers countless employment avenues,” the Chief Minister remarked. He highlighted his government’s commitment since day one to equipping youth with modern digital skills through concrete measures. “We are providing training tailored to job market demands,” he added, emphasizing that digital skills enable youth to work online with clients globally from home.

“We are investing in our youth to make them self-reliant and true assets for the nation,” concluded the Chief Minister.