THE AMAN FOUNDATION DONATES Rs 905 MILLION TO IBA

Mr. Arif Naqvi, the Chairman of Aman Foundation and the Chief Executive of Abraaj Capital signed an agreement with Dr. Ishrat Husain, Dean & Director IBA, under which a substantial grant amount of Rs. 905 million would be given to the Institute of Business Administration. The money will be used to construct two new IBA buildings and upgrade its Information Technology infrastructure and services, which is part of a larger strategic IBA plan to develop the future capacity for Management and Leadership in Pakistan. Governor Sindh, Dr. lshrat UI Ebad Khan hosted the signing ceremony followed by dinner at the Governor House in Karachi.
Aman Foundation is a new philanthropic organization operating in Karachi, committed to making strategic interventions to support and strengthen educational institutions and take other initiatives related to human development that are critical to providing the people of this mega-city with the resources they need to reach their full potential.
Mr. Naqvi said the mission of Aman Foundation is the relentless pursuit of sustainable, substantial and systemic development in the areas of Pakistan's education, health and food security. The Foundation combines the skills of experienced management professionals with the know-how of technical experts in these areas.
Aman Foundation is also currently supporting other private sector education projects, including a food supplementation programme for school-children in under-privileged localities of the city. It has also laid the groundwork for a major emergency health care initiative in the form of a state-of-the-art ambulance service, scheduled to launch in Karachi later this year.
In his address, Governor Dr. lshrat UI Ebad Khan appreciated the contribution of Aman Foundation to IBA as a commendable example for others to facilitate higher education in the country. He said, "The Government of Pakistan and Sindh are facing serious financial constraints and despite our wish we are unable to cope with the growing demands of our higher education institutions. In order to face the challenge, I appeal to the private sector and philanthropist of Pakistan to step forward and make generous contributions to institutions such as IBA which have an established track record as well as a future full of promises."
Dr Ishrat Husain, Dean and Director IBA, expressed his gratitude to the Aman Foundation for its generous contribution to IBA. He said, "Management of knowledge which is exploding at an exponential basis is going to be as tough a problem as the dissemination and assimilation of knowledge is. Institutions such as IBA will have to sift out the chaff from the grain and embed this attribute in the graduates they will provide over the next few decades."
He urged the guests and the philanthropists of Pakistan to emulate the initiative taken by the Aman Foundation and extend financial, moral and intellectual support to IBA in its endeavor to be ranked among the top 100 Global Business Schools and top 10 Business Schools in the Middle East and South Asia region. "The commitment you make today by your support can be disbursed over next few years." He added.
Shaukat Tarin, advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs & Statistics, and members of the IBA Board of Governors, Alumni and other distinguished personalities were also present at the occasion.

Violations of summer vacation tuition fee remain unchecked

Taking undue advantage of the new academic session which has been advanced from August 1 to April 1, many private schools are forcing their students to pay their tuition fee for the summer vacations (June and July) by March 10 at the latest.

According to notices issued to students by a number of private schools, parents have been asked to deposit the tuition fee for June along with the tuition fee for February and July with the fee for March.

The managements of such schools in their circulars have even warned parents that if students failed to deposit the tuition fee for both the months of the summer vacations by March 10, they will not be allowed to appear in the upcoming annual examinations or their results will be withheld.

Surprisingly, even those students who will be appearing in their Class X annual examinations, scheduled to be held in March, and thus will no longer be students of schools are also being forced to pay their tuition fee for the summer vacations.

Moreover, all those students who intend to move to some other schools during the next academic session are also being asked to pay the tuition fee for the summer vacations, though, according to the rules, the right to charge the summer vacations fee lies with only those schools where students will be studying in the next academic session.

A number of parents have protested over the use of strong language by the managements of schools regarding fee collection, saying that although they already have intimated the schools that their children will be seeking admissions to some other schools in the next academic session, they are still being forced by schools to pay the summer vacations fee.

“Isn’t it a joke that we have been asked to pay the summer vacations’ tuition fee of our children in their present schools and as well as in those schools where our children will be studying during the next academic session?” wondered a woman who said she wanted to get her child admitted to some other school in the next academic session.

A couple of parents rang up Dawn to complain that operators of school vans had also threatened them by saying they would not provide services if they did not get, in advance, van charges for the summer vacations, while school managements had also warned them that they would not allow their children to sit in exams or would withhold their results till the clearance of the summer vacations tuition fee.

Some other parents whose children will be appearing in Class X annual examinations in March have complained that school managements have demanded that the tuition fee for the summer vacations be paid, although their children will no longer be students of these schools in June and July.

When an official of the provincial Directorate of Private Educational Institutions was contacted by Dawn, he said that no school could charge the summer vacations fee from those students whose parents have already informed school administrations in writing that their children would be seeking admission to some other school in the next academic session.

He said that schools could also not charge the fee from those students who were appearing in their Class X examinations this year. (Dawn)

New academic session commences at SSUET

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

The Chancellor of the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology, Mr Z.A. Nizami, has said that the institution has been established after the name of great educationist and reformer Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and, therefore, politics is completely disallowed in its campus.

He made the observation while addressing the orientation session for the newly admitted students of 1st semester at the University's convocation ground. Among others, the session was also addressed by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr Syed Nazir Ahmed, Engr Zakir Ali Khan, General Secretary, Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association, Shah Mahmood Hussain Syed, Registrar, Brig (Rtd) Qamarussalam and Adil Usman, Members Board of Governors besides Dr Javed Rizvi, Dean Faculty of Engineering, Dr M.A. Haleem and Dr Bilal Alvi.

Mr Nizami said that he has spoken to top leaders of various political parties and they have assured of non-interefernce in the university's academic activities.
He pointed out that it is because of strict maintenance of discipline that no one indulges in any kind of anti activities and that is why the university enjoys worldwide recognition and its degree is accepted all over.

He told the new entrants that for them it is a very important occasion as they were starting a new journey towards their future.

He said that the university had been founded and sponsored by Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association (AMUOBA) based on the mission propagated by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and Aligarh spirit.

Mr Nizami said that Higher Education Commission has awarded top `W' category and its disciplines accredited by the Pakistan Engineering Council.

The Chancellor said the credibility of the university can be judged from the fact that it is a member of Commonwealth Universities Association and has collaboration with reputed UK and US universities.

Its syllabus, he explained, is prepared after consulting 80 top universities and colleges and only last week 910 graduates of this university were either doing Masters or service in the US. He said that graduates from this university have bright employment prospects.
He made it clear that the university has been established as a centre of excellence with belief in discipline and merit. Therefore they should take special interest in their classes with 100 percent attendance.

Addressing the session Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Syed Nazir Ahmed, while highlighting the essential need of regularity and punctuality during their 4 year stay in this university, he told them that Engineering College at Aligarh Muslim University was quite different from other sections because the students and teachers both know worth of their time.

He made it clear to them that while studying here, there would be no relaxation for them in assignments given to them or else they would lose the marks.

The Vice-Chancellor said that they would receive here best possible education and it is for them to assimilate and make use of it.

Earlier Engr Zakir Ali Khan, General Secretary AMUOBA, spoke in detail on Aligarh Spirit and Traditions and said that the new entrants have been provided with the literature encompassing these two values. He said these are embodiment of Islamic values and starts with exchange of Assalam-o-Alaikum.

He said Aligarh Muslim University has 30,000 students out of which 30 percent are non-Muslims but even they, when meet each other, exchange greetings with Assalam-o-Alaikum.

Engr Zakir Ali Khan said this university was established under Sir Syed's Mission who wanted to develop the youth with all round qualities. He told them that when they enter the premises of this university, they would be nothing else but only Pakistani and Aligarhian.

He highlighted the facilities provided in sports and said the university has proper sports department and its students have won laurels in various sports. He said their involvement in sports will help them to enjoy their academic pursuits.

Welcoming the new entrants, the Registrar Shah Mhamood Hussain Syed congratulated them for getting admission in this university which, he said, was different from other universities as its sponsors Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association believed in education for developing overall personality and grooming the young generation to shoulder the future responsibilities.

"We not only impart knowledge but also inculcate various character building qualities, self-confidence, humility, accepting challenges and getting things done and see them grow not only as successful citizens of Pakistan but also as a true Pakistani, a Muslim and a true gentleman," he said.

Engr Zakir Ali Khan advised the students to take advantage of state-of-the-art laboratories, library containing latest reference books as well as extra curricular facilities that included both indoor and outdoor sports.

For research work, Registrar said, SSUET has collaboration with many foreign universities.
Members Board of Governors, Brig (Rtd) Qamarussalam and Mr Adil Usman also extended valuable advice to new entrants and their role during their stay in the university for four years.

Later the teachers guided the incoming students to their respective classrooms. It must have been a Red Letter day in the lives of the students in particular.

Private schools: Fees for June, July abolished

The Directorate of Private Institution Sindh has restrained private schools in the province from collecting school fees for the months of June and July from matriculation students.“The annual exams of matriculation students will take place in March 2009 and their practical exams will end by the end of May, so there is no reason for the schools to charge fees for the months of June and July,” said Private Institutions Sindh Director Mansoob Ahmed Siddiqi.

According to an official notification, Siddiqi has urged parents to file written complaints to the directorate in case any school collects fees from them. While warning of stern action against the violation of directives, Siddiqi, however, gave private schools permission to collect fees up to the month of May from matriculation students.The directives were issued in light of the last academic year when private schools charged fees for June and July from matriculation students despite clear instructions against doing so from the concerned authorities.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of Private Institutions has launched a survey to identify unregistered private institutions besides schools that unilaterally raise fees without permission from the directorate.The officials of the directorate on Tuesday inspected schools situated in Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Gulshan Iqbal for the purpose.