AMU holds programme on aspects of female education

The Centre of Adult and ContinuingEducation, Aligarh Muslim University with the collaboration of renowned Hindi literary magazine "Vartaman Sahitya", organized a programme on "Various Aspects of Female Education" at the university. 

On this occasion, the book "Muslim Female Education: From Veils to Moon" by AMU Public Relations Officer, Dr. Rahat Abrar was released. 

Commenting on the book, eminent Hindi critic and former Head of the Department of Hindi, Prof. Pradeep Saxena said that the book written on a serious subject in easy language does not only seek to make an entry in the elite class but it also satisfies the quest for knowledge on the issue among common people. 

Prof. Saxena said that the colonial mentality and ideology is the biggest hindrance in socialdevelopment, which does not allow history to be analyzed rationally. 

The movement initiated by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan sought to free education from the colonial dogmas along with the promotion of modern education, he observed. 

Prof. Saxena said that Dr. Rahat Abrar has written a very informative book on the Muslim female education citing the history of Aligarh Movement that witnessed the contributions of numerous Muslim women of high order. 

While presiding over the programme, former Principal of AMU Women's College and former Director of Women's Study Centre, Prof. Zakia A. Siddiqui said that the killing of female child before or after death is still prevalent in our society. 

The dowry devil is rampant causing destruction of a number of families and female education in India is still a toddler. There is an urgent need of another Sheikh Abdullah who could revive female education movement in order to bring complete awakening in the society, she observed. 

The editor, Vartaman Sahitya, Dr. Namita Singh said that women need to be self dependent economically in order to be empowered and get rid of the chauvinistic clutches of male dominant social order. 

The Director, Adult and Continuing Education, Dr. Mah Seema Masood highlighted the features of informal mode of education and urged the people to adopt a positive outlook to be optimistic in their efforts. 

The Chief Guest and MLC, Mr. Vivek Bansal observed that discrimination against women is an international phenomenon, yet India presents the brightest side of thepicture that the President of Indian republic and Lok Sabha speaker are women and it has had a woman prime minister too. Mr. Bansal said that women have to be educated for all round development of the country. 

Eminent social worker and educationist, Mr. Harnarayan Singh said that a national survey should be made to find out how women's social status is largely determined by their economic condition. 

Conducting the programme, Mr. Ajay Bisaria said that different social organizationscould lead a national movement for female education. He also recited the famouscouplet of great poet Majaz. On this occasion, Salma Kanwal recited a poem dedicated to women.

source:http://www.indiaedunews.net/Uttar_Pradesh/AMU_holds_programme_on_aspects_of_female_education_13692/

Pakistan schools campaign hopes to avert 'education emergency'

British-backed initiative aims to help overhaul a system that has left seven million children without primary education

Schoolchildren in Karachi. Pakistan has admitted it is failing to reach its UN education commitments

With millions of children out of school and one-fifth of teachers playing truant, Pakistan faces an "education emergency" that costs the economic equivalent of its flood disaster every year, a new campaign has warned.

The March for Education campaign, launched with British government backing, deploys stark statistics to draw a picture of a chronically ill system.

One in 10 of the world's out-of-school children live in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state that last year spent just 2% of GDP on education.

The number of children absent from primary school – seven million – is roughly equivalent to the population of its second largest city, Lahore.

Half of the population is illiterate and progress is painfully slow – at present rates the government will not deliver universal education in Balochistan, the largest province, until 2100.

"It's a challenge of global dimensions," said campaign spokesman Fasi Zaka.

The campaign calls on Pakistanis to petition the prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, to double education spending. Oddly, the campaign comes from within government itself – a sign, officials say, of how serious the problem has become.

"When half your population has no skills or education, it's a serious issue of state security," said Shahnaz Wazir Ali, co-chair of the government taskforce behind the campaign. "That's why we're going public with this. It's not just a government issue, it's a society issue."

Campaigners want to raise awareness in a country that is becoming dangerously polarised. Pakistan's elite educates its offspring at expensive schools in Pakistan or abroad, and so education has slipped off the political agenda.

The taskforce estimates an extra £725m a year is needed to gets the school system into shape. But money is not the main issue. At least 26 poorer countries send more children to school, but Pakistan's system has been eviscerated by decades of cronyism and mismanagement.

Politicians use schools as patronage, and although public teachers are relatively well-paid, 15%-20% are absent from class on any given day.

"There's very little accountability," said Wazir Ali, whose co-chair is Sir Michael Barber, a former education adviser to Tony Blair.

Critics said the campaign fails to focus on the outdated curriculum in Pakistani schools that promotes a narrow view of Islam, hatred of Hindus and other bigotry.

"The emergency is not that there's too little education but that there's an excess of miseducation," said Pervez Hoodbhoy, an academic and campaigner. "Decades ago there was less literacy and fewer students in schools. But children were not fed their daily diet of hate, and open minds were more welcome than today."

Under constitutional changes introduced last April, education became a right for all Pakistanis under 16. But the country is lagging far behind its south Asian neighbours. India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka say they are on track to meet their education commitments under the UN's millennium development goals programme by 2015; Pakistan has already admitted failure.

Last week UK development secretary Andrew Mitchell announced a huge aid injection to provide Pakistan with an extra four million school places and 90,000 new teachers by 2015. But a large proportion of the money will go into the booming private education sector, especially in Punjab province, in the hope of bypassing the creaking public school sector.

The campaign hopes to invigorate debate by publishing British-style education league tables, broken down by constituency. But it has stoked controversy over its claim to debunk myths about the country's controversial madrasa sector.

Just 6% of Pakistani children attend such religious schools, the campaign says – a figure critics say is too high.

"It's a staggering number," said Hoodbhoy, calling for an education system that "demands questioning, teaches skills and downplays indoctrination in favour of knowledge and enlightenment".

source:http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/08/pakistan-faces-education-emergency

Old friends, old memories at Panjab University's alumni meet

Chandigarh: Rather nostalgic about the times gone by, walking down the memory lane, and cracking jokes, the old-timers of the Panjab Universitymarked their first university-level meet at its campus here.

"It is always good to be back," the alumni repeated this line every time someone asked them about their feelings at the first-ever get-together in recent times.

An air of reminiscence filled the air, as alumni from 1970 batch and previous years were honored on Saturday with a memento and a shawl to be draped over shoulders.

The oldest alumnus present during the meet was 86-year-old Kuldeep Kaur.

Kaur did her matriculation from the girls' school in Lahore's Lyallpur district in 1943.

Despite health problems, she made it to the alumni meet in her wheel chair with enthusiasm. She was helped by her grand-daughter.

"During our times, teacher-student relation was sancsupreme. But now it has drastically changed," Kaur told the sources.

"We religiously did whatever our teacher directed us to do; there were no 'ifs' or 'buts'. This sanctity of the relationship is now missing. I was hopeful to meet some of my old classmates, but nobody has come here," Kaur said.

Motivating female students, Kaur said, "They should keep their focus clear in mind. I was engaged while I was in class eighth and was married while doing my graduation. But I continued my studies and achieved my goal. My father, who himself was a teacher, was very supportive."

Kaur had topped in MA Punjabi in 1958.

Harbans Lal Sawhnie (73) was another former student attending the event.

"My teachers and Panjab University played a dynamic role in shaping my career. I owe everything to them," Sawhnie told the sources.

Sawhnie did his graduation and post-graduation in 1957 and 1959 respectively, from the Government College in Ludhiana.

"Though I did not meet any of my old friends here this time, I hope they will come next time. I am really happy that the university authorities come up with this unique idea to honor old alumni," said Sawhnie, who had retired as general manager from the State Bank of India.

The Punjab University is also the alma mater of many senior bureaucrats and senior politicians, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Singh not only completed his post-graduation in Economics from the university, but also started his teaching career here.

Manjit Mann (70), an elated alumnus, said, "I spent around four-and-half years of studies at PU. Studying at the varsity proved a turning point in my career. After passing out from here, I taught at different colleges for over 33 years."

Mann did her post-graduation in zoology from PU in 1964.

"These days I am very busy in traveling in Punjab, Shimla and Canada, but I spared some time to come to the PU to attend the alumni meet. It's all very nostalgic," she added.

Keshwa Nand Munjal (76), another former student, said, "It is a great feeling, meeting college friends after so many years. It's always good to be back. I cannot express it in words. I want more such events in the coming years."

Munjal did his bachelor's in commerce from University College of Commerce in Jalandhar in 1957.

The Punjab University was established in 1882 in Lahore, now in Pakistani part of Punjab province. It was shifted to the present campus in Chandigarh's Sector 14 in late 1950s. The university is now spread over an area of 550 acres in sectors 14 and 25.

The university has 75 teaching and research departments as well as 15 centres and chairs at the main campus.

The PU has 188 affiliated colleges across Punjab and has three regional centres in Muktsar, Ludhiana and Hoshiarpur. It also has one regional rural centre in Punjab.

source:http://indiaedunews.net/Punjab/Old_friends,_old_memories_at_Panjab_University's_alumni_meet_13561/

Panjab varsity to hold first alumni meet on Saturday

 Panjab University (PU), one of the oldest universities in the country that is PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh's alma mater, is organizing its first university-level alumni meet on Saturday.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra will deliver the inaugural address at the meet and several former students are expected to participate.

PU's Dean-Alumni Relations Bhupinder Singh Bhoop said around 225 alumni of 1970 batch and previous ones will be honored on the occasion.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been a former student as well as a faculty member of the economics department in the PU in 1950s and '60s. However, he is unlikely to participate in the event this time.

Various teaching departments of the university will also be holding events to mark the alumni meet.

Panjab University was established in 1882 at Lahore (now in Pakistan). It shifted to its present campus in Chandigarh's Sector 14 in late 1950s. It is now spread over an area of 550 acres in sectors 14 and 25 of Chandigarh.

The university has 75 teaching and research departments and 15 centres and chairs for teaching and research at the main campus located at Chandigarh.

PU has 188 affiliated colleges across Punjab and has three regional centres at Muktsar, Ludhiana and Hoshiarpur. It also has one regional rural centre in Punjab.

source:http://indiaedunews.net/Punjab/Panjab_varsity_to_hold_first_alumni_meet_on_Saturday_13542/

UK seeks to raise language entry levels

Proposals for tougher visa requirements put language skills at centre of bid to reduce bogus foreign students.

Open for study? Prime minister David Cameron meets schoolchildren in China. Photograph: ANDY RAIN/EPA

UK ministers are expected to put in place tougher English language requirements in a bid to reduce the number of students coming to Britain to study at below degree level.

Proposals to raise minimum English language skills levels were part of a range of options published by the Home Office last month which, if implemented, could see tens of thousands of students from outside the EU turned away.

Two-thirds of the non-EU migrants who enter the UK come on student visas and the government must bring down these numbers if it is to fulfil its pledge to cut net migration from 200,000 to below 100,000 by 2015.

Consultation on the proposals closes at the end of this month, but ministers are expected to move quickly to make changes to the rules for the Tier 4 student visa category.

Setting out the proposals, home secretary Theresa May said: "We want a student visa system which encourages the entry of genuine students coming to study legitimate courses – that means students who are equipped to study their courses."

Under current rules, students studying at below degree level must prove that they are already at level B1 in English. That level, referring to the Common European Framework of Reference, is approximately equivalent to intermediate language skills.

The UK Border Agency, which published the consultation, wants to raise that minimum level to B2, or "upper-intermediate competency", and to extend the requirement to all students, not just those studying at below degree level.

Under the proposals, only results from approved language tests will be accepted as proof of proficiency.

The UKBA consultation document stated: "Raising the language bar will act as evidence of a student's fitness to complete the course in English, as well as assisting with their integration with other students. Secure language testing will ensure that the person applying for entry is the person who sat and passed the language test."

Most UK universities, which already ask foreign students to meet proficiency requirements at or above B2, are unlikely to be affected by the proposals. The UKBA's intended target are private pre-degree-level colleges that have lower entry requirements and less independent scrutiny of language skills.

But the government has shown that it is willing to listen to lobbying from the education sector. Just days after the UKBA consultation was launched, immigration minister Damian Green announced that he was extending the period that English language learners can remain in the country under the student visitor visa from six to 11 months.

Green said the temporary extension, which came into effect at the start of the year, was in response to representation from English language teaching providers who argued that learners would need more time to reach higher minimum levels.

"This concession is intended to create flexibility to allow legitimate English language colleges to continue to offer opportunities to genuine students. I shall monitor closely the practical impact to ensure that it does not become a loophole," he said.

Tony Millns, chief executive of English UK, which represents English language schools, said: "This change will provide a route for English language students who are relative beginners and are likely to need a course longer to reach level B1."

source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/jan/11/tefl-internationaleducationnews1

India's Best Student: Dr. Manmohan Singh

The Prime Minister stood first in class throughout his academic life.

Whenever he was asked for the secret of his professional success Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would say only one thing, “I am what I am because of my education.”

He has often thanked his family for ensuring that he went right up to college and then had opportunities to win many scholarships that finally helped him get a PhD from Oxford University.

Manmohan Singh was born into a family of modest means in the village of Gah in Pakistan. For the first 12 years of his life he lived there, a village which had no electricity, no school, no hospital, no piped drinking water.

He walked for miles every day to school and studied at night in the dim light of a kerosene lamp. When asked once why he had poor eyesight he confessed that it was because he had spent hours reading books in that dim light.

It was his hard work that enabled him to finish his schooling and attend college in Amritsar, where he lived after the Partition. He then won a scholarship to go to Cambridge University in England to do his Master’s in Economics. Another scholarship helped him complete his PhD.

He won the coveted Adam Smith Prize in Economics for his outstanding academic record. He always stood first and was a brilliant student.

For all his brilliance, he was a very shy boy. He once told Mark Tully, the famous BBC correspondent in India, that throughout his stay in Cambridge he used to bathe with cold water because the moment hot water was available in the hostel all the other students would come in to bathe and he felt shy to show them his long hair.

As the only Sikh student in the hostel he felt inhibited to remove his turban in front of others. It is this shy boy who became the darling of his teachers because he was such a good student.

He returned to India to teach at his college in Amritsar. One day, his neighbour, renowned writer Mulk Raj Anand, took him to meet Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Panditji asked him to join the government. But he had a commitment to teach at the college and so he could not accept that offer.

Later, when he was working at the United Nations under the famous economist Raul Prebisch, he got an offer to join Delhi School of Economics as a lecturer. He immediately accepted that invitation and decided to return to India. Dr. Prebisch was shocked. So many brilliant economists would be delighted to get a UN job and this young man was giving it up to teach in India? “You are being foolish,” Prebisch told Manmohan Singh, adding, “But, sometimes in life it is wise to be foolish!”

Manmohan Singh returned home first to teach and then to work in the Government.

He has held every important job in the field of economic policy making in India: Chief Economic Advisor to Government of India, Finance Secretary, Governor, Reserve Bank of India, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Union Finance Minister and now Prime Minister.

In 2005 when he visited Kaula Lumpur for the India-ASEAN Summit he was introduced at the ASEAN Business Forum meeting as “the world’s most qualified Head of Government”!

That is what makes us all proud. No country in the world has a more qualified head of government and India has never had such a highly qualified Prime Minister. Manmohan Singh’s life is a record of excellence and of merit being rewarded. His life will always be an inspiration to young people who want to work hard and achieve something based on their learning.

No rich parents, no influential uncles, no wealth, no inheritance, no one to pull strings and ‘put in a word’ – it was always his merit, his hard work, his honesty, his intelligence and, above all, his deep love for India that energised him. Every young Indian should feel inspired by the life of Manmohan Singh!

Sanjaya Baru served as media advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from 2004 to 2008, and is currently Editor at Business Standard.

source :http://in.education.yahoo.com/news/yeducareers360/indias-best-student-dr-manmohan-singh-20110201