With public spending on education as a percentage of GDP amongst the lowest in the chosen sample of eleven countries, the outcome with regard to literacy levels is not surprising. Within the region, only Bangladesh has a worse outcome on both indicators, spending by the public sector as well as literacy rate. The sources of the sample are World Bank, UNDP, UNESCO, FBS and Ministry of Education.

Nepal spends a substantial fraction more than Pakistan on education, while its literacy is marginally higher. The survey says: in the sample, China’s spending on education is not given, but its literacy is 93.7 pc; Vietnam spends 5.3 pc and its literacy rate is 92.5 pc; Iran spends 5.2 pc while its literacy rate has not been mentioned; Malaysia spends 4.7 pc and its literacy rate is 92.1 pc; Pakistan’s literacy rate is 57 pc; India spends 3.3 per cent on education, whereas its literacy rate has not been mentioned.

The overall literacy rate in Pakistan (age 10 years and above) is 57 per cent (69 per cent for male and 45 per cent for female) compared to 56 per cent (69 per cent for male and 44 per cent for female) for 2007-2008, the survey noted.

The data shows that literacy remains higher in urban areas (74 per cent) than in rural areas (48 per cent) and is more prevalent for men (69 per cent compared to women (45 per cent). However, it is evident from the data that overall female literacy is rising over time, but progress is uneven across the provinces.

When analysed provincially, literacy rate in Punjab stood at (59 per cent), Sindh (59 per cent), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (50 per cent) and Balochistan (45 per cent). The literacy rate of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has improved considerably during 2007-08 and to 2008-09.

Pointing out various problems and issues in the sector, the survey noted the poor quality of existing environment is evident from the fact that a large number of schools are missing basic infrastructure i.e. 37.7 per cent schools up to elementary level are without boundary wall, 33.9 per cent without drinking water facility, 37 per cent without latrines and around 60 per cent schools are without electricity.

Registrar, University of Karachi (KU), Prof. Kaleem Raza Khan, has announced that all examinations (morning and evening) of KU scheduled for Friday (today) are hereby postponed. The new dates of postponed examinations will be announced later, he added.

This was a desperate attempt to invite attention of the authorities to the sorry state of affairs at their college, which was established in 2006 by the then chief minister Akram Durrani as he tried to bring every conceivable project to his native Bannu. Four years later, it is still lacking in many respects.

The students were hoping that their protests in Peshawar and better media coverage would prompt the provincial government to take measures to upgrade facilities at the college for meeting the standards required for its recognition by the Pakistan Medical and Dental College (PMDC).

Their protests made an impact as Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti convened a high-level meeting on June 2 to discuss the needs of Bannu Medical College. If properly implemented, some of the decisions that were taken would help resolve the problems highlighted by the students. The Khalifa Gul Nawaz Teaching Hospital, named after a freedom-fighter, would be made fully operational by the end of the year, an endowment fund would be set up to offer incentives and hire the needed teaching staff and request would be made to the federal government and PMDC for provisionally recognizing the college.

The students, though, are sceptical as in the past also promises were made and forgotten following their earlier protests. However, they are determined to pursue the matter as the first batch at the college is now in the fourth year and non-recognition of Bannu Medical College by the PMDC would render them ineligible to appear in the MBBS examination.

The 500 students of the college had earlier organised demonstrations in Bannu and set up camps selling pakoras and sewing clothes as a mark of protest against the government’s apathy to solution of their problems.

A group of students narrated their woes as they sat down with this writer while camping in Peshawar recently as part of their protest campaign. They had been on strike since May 13, refusing to take classes and instead agitating on the streets. Their major concern was non-recognition of their college by the PMDC due to its various deficiencies.

Initially, 50 students yearly were being admitted, then the number was raised to 100 without providing the requisuite facilities. The intake of students is now 153 and the college strength would rise to 653 later in the autumn when new admissions are given. This has led to overcrowding in the classes, laboratories and hostels, which in case of male students were set up in rented buildings and lack basic services. There are more than 200 female medical students belonging to places all over the province and they too are suffering due to the plethora of problems at the college.

The Khalifa Gul Nawaz Teaching Hospital is not yet fully functional. Work on its construction started in 2004 but only six out of the 11 planned blocks have been built until now. Shortage of teachers is a serious issue. Ninety sanctioned posts of the teaching faculty are still vacant. The PMDC in its last report following a visit by its designated inspection team noted that the college was being run with 20 percent of the required teaching staff only.

According to the students, the problems at Bannu Medical College kept piling from the tenure of its first principal, Dr Omar Ali Khan, who was followed by Dr Shafiullah and was recently replaced by Dr Khan Nawaz. The college principal was normally entrusted with four posts, making it difficult for him to concentrate on his job.

The Ittehad-e-Talaba, the united platform of the protesting students, highlighted many other problems concerning their inadequate library, the non-operational Self Learning Resource Centre, the poorly maintained laboratories, security concerns, etc.

The Bannu Medical College is the third biggest college in terms of students’ strength after the Khyber Medical College, Peshawar and Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad. However, it is fifth in order of merit primarily due to its many inadequacies on account of the government’s inability to meet its needs. The college could slip further in ranking if remedial measures weren’t taken to resolve its many problems.

“In case such material remains available on the website or is uploaded in future from Pakistan, we will hold responsible PTA officials, who shall be exposed to criminal prosecution,” ordered an SHC division bench comprising Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Zakir Hussain. The order came on a petition filed against the project director of the National Response Centre for Cyber Crimes and the FIA additional director for not taking action against a man accused of cyber crime.

The petitioner submitted that the accused, Faheem Mughal, fraudulently obtained pictures of his 16-year-old daughter from the mobile phone of his 12-year-old son. The petitioner claimed that Mughal then prepared a video using reproduced images adding objectionable features, and uploaded it on YouTube, ruining the life of his daughter. He alleged that despite lodging complaints with the FIA and Cyber Crime police station, the accused was neither arrested nor the obscene video removed from the website.

He said that an Intelligence Bureau (IB) Inspector Babar Shah was forcing the local police not to register his FIR. On Monday, the Mirpurkhas DPO produced Mughal in the court. The bench directed Mughal to execute a personal bond in the sum of Rs 100,000 with the SHC nazir for appearing in court on each date of hearing.

They said despite issuance of a letter stating the results would be announced the same day at 4pm, the procedure was not followed.

“Not only was the result announced later than the time mentioned in the letter, it was also not displayed on any notice board. Instead, a clerk at the KU Administration Block simply showed us the list carrying the names of successful candidates and swiftly took the paper back again,” a candidate revealed.

In this regard, KU Registrar Prof Rais Alvi said, “I don’t know why the result in this case was delayed, but if the candidates appearing for a test are in greater numbers, the announcing can take extra time.”

Asked if he was aware whether the result sheets were displayed on the notice boards or not, Alvi averted a clear answer and said, “Such things never happen at the university. Results are supposed to be listed at three different places on campus including the test venue.”

Besides the ambiguous way of announcing the results, at least two PhDs appearing in the test were reportedly unsuccessful.

This implies that either the quality of the university’s own PhDs is debatable, as they were unable to clear the test, or the results were tampered with.

However, Alvi said that changing test scores for “vested interests” is not a possibility.

“The test was designed by a team of experts from the Punjab University and the same team was responsible for checking the tests. To maintain transparency in the entire process is the exact reason why we invite experts from other universities,” he added.

On the other hand, expressing lack of information on the issue, KU Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr Nasiruddin Khan said no complaint in this regard was received on the test day or afterwards.

However, he assured that he would “take the matter to the vice chancellor (VC) if people have reservations in this regard. The VC only gets the final list of candidates from the testing committee, so he must have been unaware of the situation.”

He also explained that legally, candidates who had complaints should have registered them with the VC within 24 hours of the test.

“Still, the matter can be resolved if people who have qualms about the test come forward before the successful test contenders’ interviews scheduled for June 7,” he added.

What adds to the ambiguity of the entire testing process is that a successful candidate, wishing to remain anonymous, said, “Although the test results were announced an hour-and-a-half later than the time stated prior to the test, the result sheet was clearly displayed on the notice board. No clerk showed it to us hastily and all the candidates saw the list for themselves.”

As part of the campaign, precious books highlighting the efforts of various leaders have been placed in the university library and students as well as teachers have been asked to read them.

The notable personalities on which books have been placed in the library include the names of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Allama Mohammad Iqbal and Hakim Mohammed Said.

Addressing the students and teachers, Hamdard University Director General Masood A. Malik said that the campaign has been launched to promote the reading habit among young people. “It is an unfortunate fact that today’s youth have an immense lack of interest in reading, which is an integral part of personality building and ultimately nation-building,” he said.

Previously, a drama festival was organised by the Student Affairs Committee, in which the Hamdard Institute of Information Technology (HIIT) and Hamdard Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (HIPS) took part and presented humorous skits and dramas.

The drama titled ‘Madness,’ presented by the HIIT students, was declared the best in the contest. It revolved around a complicated social system, which sometimes turns the easiest of things into the most difficult job on earth.

The satirical drama was written by the students themselves, while the acting skills were no less than that of professionals.

The other dramas and skits presented on the occasion included ‘Kaun Banay Ga Crorepati,’ ‘Rough’ and ‘Musharraf Parody’ by the students of HIPS and ‘Bay Nishan’ by the HIIT.

The panel of judges included Hamdard University Director General Mushtaq A. Malik, Assistant Professor (Pharmacy Department) Iftikhar Ahmed and HIIT Director Brigadier (r) Zahid Malik.

It will go in favour of the PPP government if the aforesaid medical college is so located as to provide this educational facility to maximum possible nearby backward districts, irrespective of the province, without a medical college. So, I propose a suitable site is Mianwali which is located at the intersection of roads from the adjacent districts of Chakwal, Khushab, Bhakkar, D.I. Khan and Karak.

The additional significant benefit to the people of these districts will be upgradation of the local hospital to qualify for a teaching hospital which will provide state-of-the-art medical facilities as well. I hope the Prime Minister will be kind enough to consider this proposal in the wider public interest.

The PU Examinations Department has also announced the written examination date-sheets of MBBS, Final Professional (New Re-Organised Scheme), Supplementary Examination 2009, and MBBS, Final Professional (Re-Organised Scheme), Supplementary Examination 2009.

MBBS, Final Professional (New Re-Organised Scheme), Supplementary Examination 2009, will commence from June 5 and conclude on June 18, 2010 while MBBS, Final Professional (Re-Organised Scheme), Supplementary Examination 2009, will commence from June 5 and conclude on June 21, 2010.

A KU statement issued on Monday said that the forms and fee for the BPEd annual examinations-2010 will be accepted by June 15 without a late fee.