Education Reform: Signs of Hope

wat ever the case mayb we must first take serious steps to eradicate that cheatin stuff.............otherwise all wil go in vain,specially the efforts of students like me who work really hard

it sounds utopian alright. GPS and satellite technology being used by our ministry for monitoring purposes...i mean doc do u really think the lazy bimbos in tht ministry would actually do tht? I`m very pessimistic. And abt our satellite programme, isnt it true tht our only geo-satellite the Paksat-I is for the moment only beamin two free educational channels for the VU-and tht it isn`t capable of transmitting real time pics of locations such as those schools u just mentioned? Google earth is available I know, but for free one gets pics from two year old archives-for real time pics there`s a fee which i`m sure the government can afford, but would it hav the will to pay to do that exercise is all together different matter. We can dare to hope perhaps....but i dont know....there arnt many ppl in the federal ministry who can even grasp what tech can do for them....anyways...hope floats

Dear pervez recently i came across your article``Teaching science badly- and well``. it is a superb article. i noted some points which i will excise.
`science grips the imagination`.........i think so tru but still lot of channelizing is needed otherwise misfits of science will emerge and produce science fiction movies and literature.
`and I like most scientists, will never tire of it.`.......amen, long live the sentiment at least forev er.
`what are good science teachers actually supposed to do/ in class?`1 scientific habits of the mind....i feel excellent term.
2`the 2 are different( learning and teaching).....excellent points to aaaaa pon der!
3what is important to measure?.....sure way of bringing and keeping the science student on ground.
keeping this view, it will help your present article of chowk to guide and monitor the orators for the white paper.

#13

Don`t be so angry colonol sahib. Read this article appearing in the Dawn (14th, February) . ``Sun to sahi jahaan mein he tera fasaana kia, kehti he tujh ko khalqe khuda ghaibana kia``.


``Setting a bad precedent



DOES the government stand on such shaky ground that it found itself compelled to surrender to a handful of mullahs who, as the Capital Development Authority would have us believe, had no legal ground to stand on? The buckling of the authorities over the demolition of a mosque the CDA said was illegally built on an encroached piece of land is a gutless act. If the building was illegal, the government should not have succumbed to pressure under any circumstances. The way the religious lobby clinched the deal with the authorities is a story of cheap muscle-flexing: since Jan 21, armed women students of a seminary have taken over a children’s library which they refuse to vacate until all their demands have been accepted. These include a legal cover for 76 more mosques which were built on encroached land and the reconstruction of another six in and around Islamabad which were among the dozens demolished all over Punjab under the Nawaz Sharif government. The point to ponder is why there was no hue and cry raised then by the same religious lobby, which is now determined to demand much more in the name of faith.

The so-called deal reached between the authorities and the encroachers, in effect, gives the latter the right to act as self-proclaimed defenders of faith who can gobble up public land with impunity. Much of the illegal occupation by self-righteous mullahs of public land under the scrutiny of the CDA took place during the reign of the former military dictator Gen Ziaul Haq. This may give his son, Mr Ijazul Haq, the religious affairs minister, a chance to make common cause with the errant mullahs, but he should not be allowed to do so to the detriment of the citizens’ right to the use of public land. If allowed to proceed, the latest deal could result in the opening of the floodgates of encroachment everywhere by unscrupulous elements in the name of religion. It should be rescinded immediately, otherwise it will be seen as an example of capitulation rather than ‘enlightened moderation’ as the government would like one to believe.``

``Sun to sahi jahaan mein he tera fasaana kia, kehti he tujh ko khalqe khuda ghaibana kia``.

Re: # 157

I don`t think there were any professionals prosing religion as the Mullah or careering as soldiers in the time of the prophet, fighting in the name of Allah being mandatory for the Muslims.

No doubt, the prophet belonged prfessionally to the trading class and as it is, Islam does carry a strong imprint of his profession, but in my view, an honest trading is a better profession one can adopt, as per wise saying:

``Uttam Kheti, madh bapaar, nakhid chaakri``

Re: # 158

Urstruly sahib:

``It is just one big coruppt ruling class, that consists of faujis, molvis, atheists, professors, bankers, police, bureaucracy, feudal lord, gun runners, powder sellers, and what not.``

If it does not include you, then why does it exlcude you?

Don`t you think you have included almost everyone in Pakistan, if this is the case then should you not be very happy that in Pakistan, the pluralism and democracy arrived in its own and a very different way?

The only people you have exluded are jihadists, isn`t that good?

#157 by hamidm2 on February 18, 2007 2:28pm PT


and if you recall, he was a trader also


so pbuh-dude was a...bania?

#156 by Urstruly

Urstruly, I cannot lay blame on the entire fine institution of the Pakistan Military for the sins of a handful of Lieutenant Generals whom you can count on your fingers.

:~)

Re: # 158

urstruly,

..... i assume by `real mullah` you mean the whackos from waziristan and bajaur who are frightening the smelly tribesmen and their barbers and killing the poor 18 year old jawan from chakwal or jhelum simply because he chooses to shave his beard ............ i am sure you do not include the likes of qazi huassain and mullah fazloo who are riding around islamabad in their duty-free land cruisers .... or do you?

Re: # 157

uh pahleeze, there is no mullah military alliance. It is just one big coruppt ruling class, that consists of faujis, molvis, atheists, professors, bankers, police, bureaucracy, feudal lord, gun runners, powder sellers, and what not. Some of its memebers happen to have beards, whom you call moulvis or mullahs. These moulvis by being the part of this oppressive system are very much belong to this class. Its a mindset, that a certain segment of this society inherited from their colonial masters. The real mullah is out there sacrificing his life for the freedom of our country; his children are being bombed and his family is facing ``disppearnces``. Being atheist does not mean that you have to be dishonest as well. But on second thought dishonesty comes as a package with it.

Re: # 156


urstruly,

...... why are you surprised ?....... the holy alliance of mullah and military dates back to the time of the prophet - they are two sides of the same coin ............. and if you recall, he was a trader also - much like our present day faujis ......... so don`t be too harsh with poor zeemax - he is simply supporting the tradition of our warrior/trader prophet ......

zeemax

I am quite disappointed in you. Of all the people, I didn`t know that you would side with New East India Company Inc. of Pakistan.

Re:zeemax, bulleya

I have a perfectly good solution to both of your points of view. Just make it mandatory for all Pakistanis to serve in the army for a few years, like Israel does with its citizens. If everyone is an ex-fauji, then the fauji tag no longer becomes exclusive, does it? Everyone can then use their connections equally and thus you restore parity to the country`s socio-economic system. Also, a stint in the army might do wonders for inculcating discipline and curbing control of the mullahs. It may be impossible for India to do this with its population, but Pakistan might be able to pull it off.

#149 by bulleya

zeemax #142: ......you have still not answered the question i asked.....

I assume it is the same question I have answered in # 153 below.... i.e. ``...are public servants allowed to be members of the administrative committees of private corporations?...``

#150 by bulleya

Bulleya,

``(MD) of the Fauji Foundation .. refused to appear ... saying he was not accountable to the committee as Fauji Foundation was a private company.......On November 22, 2005, the federal education minister declared on the floor of the house that Fauji Foundation was not given any public money.....``

Correct.

``The government of Pakistan agreed to compensation for the losses incurred by the Fauji Jordan Fertiliser Company, renamed Fauji Fertiliser Bin Qasim Ltd. in the wake of non-implementation of the provisions of the Fertiliser Policy, 1989.....``

You`re reading things into this which do not exist. Please read your own quotation again i.e. ``...in the wake of non-implementation of the provisions of the Fertiliser Policy, 1989.....``

Whenever due to acts of the Government, or due to sudden policy changes resulting in the material detriment of industry, the Government ``compensates`` for losses incurred upon representation, and not ``absorb`` the losses through grants from exchequer as you appear to suggest. This happens all the time in case of all large industry and is done mainly through tax refunds and/or relaxations in excise duty etc. Sugar industy has been a beneficiary of these compensations many times, as has been cement.

The question is: are public servants allowed to be members of the administrative committees of private corporations?...``

Of-course they are. Bulleya, what kind of a question is that? If a public sector organisation holds a significant interest in a private entity, wouldn`t it place its officers on the boards of directors? Take the example of NIT. It is a public sector corporation. Right? Yet it`s executives are on the boards of more than 300 private corporations of all sorts. And a board of directors has sub-committees for all kinds of stuff including administrative committees. So if the Army, with it`s serving employees pension benefits funded through deductions in their service-long paychecks are at stake, wouldn`t they deem it prudent to place their own executives on the boards to safeguard their interests?

Besides, you have also noted vide your post that the Chairman of the administrative committee of The Fauji Foundation is Secretary Defence, and not a serving General.

The article you quoted is mostly uninformed nitpicking. Newsline is known for that as a blackmail rag. For instance, it mentions Marri Gas. You may recall that during this current military rule, a bidding for gas conscessions took place in 2002/03. The most lucrative Badin conscessions went to BP and Texaco, while Marri could only win a small block. And not only that, but they were even denied foreign exchange expenses by the Govt because they hadn`t brought-in any as investment being a local company. I know all this because it is my business to know.

However, the following is indeed true in your quoted article.

The mission statement of AWT declares:

“It is a major obligation of the army to look after the welfare and rehabilitation of retired members, who have devoted the best part of their lives to the motherland.”

And hats off to them for their good work in the private sector, while at the same time fulfilling their mission statement.

There`re always two ways to look at controversial matters like these. One is to look at them with a jaundiced eye, clouded with bias due to many bad things that the accused may have done, while the other is to isolate the facts and examine these objectively.


:~)

Re: # 150

Romair:

Is that you hidden under the garb of bulleya? I did not realize till I found a strange similarity between your style and someone else`s on Chowk. Finally, I discovered that someone else has been missing. Are you on a spiritual bandwagon or are you exploring yourself? That`s a major development. All the best!

Z