Day: May 31, 2022

KARACHI:Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) on Tuesday announced the intermediate examinations schedule.

According to the schedule, the intermediate examinations will begin from June 18 and will continue till July 6. It was learnt that the Sindh education department is likely to delay intermediate exams in the province owing to the first phase of local government elections scheduled on June 16.

Meanwhile, the education ministry had opposed any delay in intermediate exams in Karachi and Hyderabad where local government elections will take place in the second phase. The Election Commission of Pakistan had conveyed Sindh government that the local bodies elections in Karachi and Hyderabad would be held on July 24.

It is pertinent to mention here that matric exams in Karachi were marred by mismanagement on part of the Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) and rampant cheating complaints. The students were also compelled to give their annual paper by sitting on the floor in hot and humid weather conditions.

In a video available with ARY News, the students in govt school can be seen sitting on the floor in a government school located at Malir’s Murad Memon Goth. Despite the capacity of 500 students in the school, the Karachi BISE made the school, an examination centre for over 800 students.

KARACHI:Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor here Monday demanded a new consumption regime to cope with the prevailing energy crisis in the country.

He said that in the back drop of depreciating Pakistani rupee, the import of oil and gas has gone costlier and our economy can’t sustain ballooning energy import bill. He said changed energy consumption behavior is only best option to survive in this worrisome situation.

He said five-day work week, work from home, daylight saving and early closure of markets, cycling tracks, car-free zones and car-free days are some of the methods being used in different societies to conserve energy. He said optimal use of electronic home appliances can also save a lot of energy.

Altaf Shakoor said that early market closure experiment was successfully carried out in our country during Covid-19 peak. He said though traders and shopkeepers were not happy with it but general public to a large extent has adapted to early market closure.

Shakoor said this regime should be restarted and markets should be closed by 8:00 pm and restaurants and marriage halls by 10:00 pm. He said this could help in savings a lot of electricity. He said government and private offices should be allowed five-working-day week and a culture of work from home should be promoted with an aim to save energy.

PDP chief said all public dealing offices should use more information technology platforms to resolve the issues of public in a way that may not have to physically visit these offices. He said it would not only save time of citizens but also a lot of fuel.

He said the concept of a no-car day in a week would also be a great help. He said though our cities like Karachi lack proper public transport and citizens may suffer a lot in such a regime but any way unnecessary use of cars should be discouraged and the citizens provided maximum facilities of public transport.

Altaf Shakoor said that besides energy conservation we need to shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy. He said Pakistan must go solar. Each and every housing unit, each and every shop, factory, office, school, hospital and other facilities must go solar. He said this is a huge task but if the government gives proper incentives millions of housing and non-housing units could be fully or partially run on solar energy and the saving of electricity would be unthinkably high.

PDP chief said government through commercial banks should launch schemes for interest-free small loans for buying solar panels to help Pakistan save electricity. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is well known for innovative solution to issues and speedy work could make this dream a reality.

Quoting a recent report, he said that Europe’s scramble to find alternatives to Russia’s natural gas is pushing the world to the brink of a winter energy shortage, with the worst effects likely to be felt in poorer economies in Asia.

He said Pakistan is struggling hard to meet oil shortage in ongoing summer but the coming winter would possibly bring the worst case scenario. He alerted both the politicians and policymakers to brace for the worsening energy crisis in the country from right now and do their homework before it is too late.

KARACHI:Muhammad Ismail Rahoo, Provincial Minister for Universities and Boards, Government of Sindh, said Tuesday that Sindh Madressatul Islam University (SMIU) had provided a good opportunity to its students for their professional career by organizing a Job Fest, and other universities of Sindh should follow it.

He said this while addressing the inaugural ceremony of “Job Fest” organized by Directorate of Student Affairs and Counselling (DSA) with collaboration of faculty, at the auditorium of SMIU on Tuesday. The minister said that the national and international realities regarding education and employment have been changed now.

In the past, sole objective of educational institutions was to impart education to students, but today, they have enhanced their role by taking efforts for seeking job opportunities for their students. Mr. Rahoo said SMIU has always played a historic role in the field of education, and even today it is proved to be a torch bearer for our young generation. He said universities of Sindh must establish their linkages with industries and other private sector organizations to benefit students.

Vice Chancellor SMIU Dr Mujeebuddin Sahrai Memon in his speech said in the days when they were students, there were limited facilities for students specially in backward areas of Sindh, today, in the 21st century, students of all areas of the province are enjoying a lot facilities and opportunities for learning as well as getting jobs.

Dr Sahrai said it is the first ever event on job opportunities that has been organized by SMIU in its history and it is creating almost one hundred jobs opportunities for its students of various disciplines, through the Job Fest. “SMIU has always focused on quality learning and training of its students through co-curricular activities,” Dr Sahrai said and added that he has remained vice chancellor of some other universities in Sindh, but he has never found such intelligent and active students like SMIU students.

He appreciated the efforts of Dr. Asif Ali Wagan, Director DSA and his team for organizing such mega event for students. Prior, Dr. Asif Ali Wagan presented welcome address and thanked Mr. Muhammad Ismail Rahoo and Vice Chancellor SMIU Dr Mujeebuddin Sahrai for their presence and support. Dr. Jamshed Halepoto presented vote of thanks. Mr. Wafa Mansoor Buriro, lecturer of English Department conducted the proceedings.

In the end, VC Dr Mujeebuddin Sahrai presented a shield to the provincial minister Muhammad Ismail Rahoo. Also, Mr. Rahoo gave away shield to Dr Sahrai. The minister and the vice chancellor gave away a shield to Dr Asif Ali Wagan.

After this session the provincial minister Mr. Muhammad Ismail Rahoo along with VC Dr Mujeebuddin Sahrai attended ribbon cutting ceremony of the Job Fest at IT Tower of SMIU. He visited more than thirty stalls set up by different companies of various sectors and appreciated the role of SMIU in taking this sort of initiative for benefit of students.

KARACHI:Shell Pakistan Limited (SPL) inaugurated its newly revamped integrated retail outlet, SPL Defence Service Station, located at Khayaban-e-Bahria in DHA Phase 5 Karachi.

According to a statement on Tuesday, the new retail outlet has been reconstructed and equipped with Shell Recharge. The latest additions to SPL Defence Service Station cater to the evolving needs for cleaner fuels and automobile services on the go.

The newest addition to the outlet is Shell Recharge, an electric vehicle (EV) charging station. This is the 3rd EV charging facility installed in collaboration with K-Electric in continuation of Shell Pakistan’s strategy for powering progress in Pakistan. The retail outlet is powered by solar energy, a 45 kW solar panel has been installed in collaboration with K-Solar to provide cleaner energy sources, enabling uninterrupted and efficient operations. The modernized Shell Select store offers high-quality snacks, beverages and groceries, with a convenient and renewed shopping experience for consumers.

Speaking at the inauguration, the Chief Executive and Managing Director of Shell Pakistan Limited, Waqar Siddiqui stated, “We are pleased to provide a new experience for residents and customers around SPL Defence who are looking for a wide range of products, a suite of value-added services, clean energy and other mobility solutions. Shell Recharge is another step toward a cleaner and sustainable energy future for the fast-growing segment of Electric Vehicles. With such innovations on-site, Shell Pakistan remains committed to its objective of serving the nation and its people.”