Rs191m awarded to high-achievers

LAHORE: An amount of Rs191 million was distributed among the position holder students of the secondary school certificate and intermediate examinations 2017 along with their teachers in a ceremony held at Awain-e-Iqbal on Wednesday.

According to a handout issued here, 445 students who got top three positions in the secondary school certificate and intermediate examinations were awarded cash prizes worth Rs 4 lac, 3 lac and 2 lac, whereas, the teachers were awarded Rs 2 lac, Rs 1.5lac and Rs 1 lac, respectively.

Provincial Minister for Higher Education Syed Ali Raza Gillani, on behalf of Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was the chief guest of the event. Provincial ministers Malik Nadeem Kamran, Zakia Shahnawaz and Mehar Ejaz Ichalana, and Adviser to Punjab CM Rana Muhammad Arshad and Higher Education Secretary Nabbel Awan were also present.

Raza Ali Syed said the Punjab government had awarded cash prizes of Rs 1 billion and 13 crore and 80 lac in the last 10 years to acknowledge the achievements of position holder students and their teachers.

“We cannot afford “Ratta System’ anymore and Higher Education Department has planned to introduce conceptual learning system by 2023 to compete other countries in the education sector,” he announced.

While elaborating initiatives taken by his department, Syed Ali Raza Gillani said that by 2020 all government colleges would be bound to launch B.S Honours programme, and in the first phase, prominent colleges would start B.S Honours during the current year.

He also said that during the last one and a half years the Punjab Government appointed 3,971 teachers to overcome faculty shortage. “Under the scholarship programme, 65 students are studying in the world-renowned universities, including Cambridge and Oxford” he said.

Books donated to GCU: Eminent scientist Prof Dr Muhammad Afzal has donated his personal library comprised of valuable publications to the Government College University Lahore for the benefit of students and researchers.

According to a press release issued Wednesday, Prof Dr Muhammad Afzal is currently Professor Emeritus at the University of Kuwait. His personal library had very valuable reference books, textbooks, journals, conference proceedings of different scientific subjects including microbiology, biotechnology, and bio-chemistry.

Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah expressed gratitude to Prof Afzal for this valuable donation, saying that the GCU library already housed a collection of more than 150,000 books donated by 55 reputed personalities, including Prof Sufi Tabassam, Prof Qayyum Nazar, Ashfaq Ahmad, Bano Qudsia and Malik Meraj Khalid.

The Vice Chancellor also appreciated efforts of Dr M Nauman Aftab, Associate Professor, Institute of Industrial Biotechnology for the transfer this personal library to GCU.semiNar: Punjab University (PU) College of Statistical & Actuarial Sciences will organise a seminar on Thalassaemia on Thursday (today). The seminar will start at 10am.