Exams to be held on time across Pakistan: Education minister
The statement comes on the heels of recent protests, held by students, voicing their demands to cancel the exams. A number of students have been detained during a protest against examinations outside the HEC office
Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood has announced that exams would be held on time, dispelling rumours that the ministry is cancelling them.
During a talk with reporters, he reaffirmed the government’s policy of sticking with its decision to commence examinations across the country.
The statement comes on the heels of recent protests held by students voicing their demands to cancel the examinations.
A number of students have been detained by the police during a protest against matriculation and intermediate examinations outside the Higher Education Commission (HEC) office in Islamabad.
The students chanted slogans against the government and demanded the cancellation of the examinations. According to the protesters, they were taught the courses online and they claimed they were unable to prepare well for the upcoming examinations.
They urged Mahmood to either approve their demands or tender his resignation.
The minister urged the students to refrain from entertaining rumours that the government will cancel exams.
“Education sector has already suffered a lot due to COVID-19 pandemic,” the minister said, insisting that pandemic-induced shortcomings would have to be amended.
He reiterated that special arrangements would be made to ensure health safety and prevention of the spread of the COVID-19. However, he maintained, virtual education lacked quality and could not compensate for the physical atendance of students.
Meanwhile, police have booked three officials of the primary and secondary healthcare (P&SH) department of Punjab on charges of making fake COVID-19 vaccine entries at Expo Centre Lahore.
Nawab Town police of Lahore registered the case against three P&SH employees — Rehan, Shahzaib and Zeeshan — under section 420 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on the complaint of Rana Naveed, a shit in charge at the Expo Centre.
Naveed alleged that Rehan and Shahzaib administered Astrazeneca to five people demanding that particular vaccine, charging Rs4,000 per person, and Zeeshan collected the bribe amount.
He said Astrazeneca was not being officially administered at the Expo Centre, but these health employees had made fake entries in the record.
Earlier, Mirpur University of Science and Technology (MUST) held its sixth annual convocation in which 2100 students were given graduation degrees.
Forty students won gold medals for their outstanding performance in various disciplines and five students were conferred PHD degrees.
President Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Chancellor of the University, Sardar Masood Khan was the chief guest of the event held at an open space outside the main campus of the university while a large number of university graduates, their parents, faculty members and residents of the city atended the event.
Addressing the prestigious convocation ceremony, Khan congratulated the students on their brilliant success and lauded the faculty and administration of the university for producing graduates of international standard.
He said that the convocation in the academic life of the students is the time of fulfillment of their dreams as it is the moment when the fruits of their hard work and diligence are handed over to them in the form of degree. Congratulating the parents on the wonderful achievement of the students, he said that it was the vision of the parents, their dedication to education and the spirit of sacrifice that led their children to this destination of success. “Parents’ sacrifices for their children are invaluable and no one can take the place of them,” he said.
“Likewise, your teachers also deserve appreciations for giving you the candle in the form of knowledge that will give you light and guidance to find your destination in the future,” he said.
The president said that we are proud of the MUST for producing graduates year ater year and sending them out to contribute for the good of the society.
Describing the MUST primarily as science and technology institutions, the president said that it was not a time to be complacent but to focus on improving our standards.
“If we can’t compete with other people at home and abroad, we should at least be at par with them,” he said.