Category: Education

The Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) announced on Friday that the Provincial Management Service (PMS) exam, originally scheduled for 16 May, has been postponed indefinitely. This was due to escalating unrest and violent protests following the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

A spokesperson from the PPSC cited the current situation in the country as the reason for this decision and assured that a new date for the exam will be communicated later.

The situation had become increasingly volatile, leading provincial authorities to close educational institutions as a precautionary measure. The uncertainty surrounding the law and order situation in the province escalated as protestors breached a high-security zone and caused widespread damage to public and private property.

The Punjab School Education Department had resultantly released a notification on 10 May, declaring a temporary closure of all private and public schools for two days, 11 and 12 May.

Source: Pro Pakistani

Chief Minister Gilgit Baltistan Muhammad Khalid Khurshid Khan has said that a significant amount will be allocated for the promotion of IT sector in the upcoming annual budget of Gilgit Baltistan.

He was addressing the MOU signing ceremony of GB Government with Japan Plus W Company in Islamabad.

Under the MOU, Japan will cooperate with the GB Government to impart IT training to youth in GB Universities from August this year.

The Chief Minister said that GB Government has set up 300 IT Labs in schools of Gilgit Baltistan.

He said courses of different foreign languages would be introduced in schools from June this year.

Source: Radio Pakistan

The mismanagement of a school in Sindh has once again brought it into the spotlight. A school-leaving certificate was recently misdated, mentioning the fifth-grade passing date at just 8 months after the student’s birthdate, raising concerns among parents and school authorities alike.

The student’s birth date was stated on the certificate as 20 February 2017, and the date of enrolment was 10 October 2017. This implies that the child was accepted to the school only eight months after birth, demonstrating a lack of clarity in the school’s administrative processes.

Furthermore, as per the certificate, five months after admission, the student seems to have passed grade five on 31 March 2018. This raises concerns regarding the school’s educational quality and the effectiveness of Sindh’s educational system.

The school’s Headmaster, TEO, and Deputy Director have also come under fire for failing to spot the error and approving the certificate with the wrong dates. The present situation highlights the importance of increased monitoring and control in educational institutions to ensure the authenticity and dependability of certificates and reports.

Source: Pro Pakistani

According to a national media outlet, the administration of Punjab University (PU) has re-assigned Rs. 30 million in research funding to the university’s Transport Wing for the payment of student bus expenses.

This move has been criticized by PU faculty members as research funds should only be utilized for academic purposes in order to protect the integrity of research efforts.

According to a national daily, the money was earlier sanctioned by PU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr. Khalid Mahmood from the university’s budget heading ‘Lumpsum Provision for Research-Improvement of Education’ and tabled as an agenda item for official approval at the PU Syndicate meeting on 29 April.

The re-appropriation was accepted during the meeting, although other Syndicate members, notably Dr. Asghar Iqbal and Dr. Muhammad Islam, were opposed. Dr. Islam made a dissenting note.

The decision to redirect the funds has been met with criticism as they were intended to be used for research, and staff members were already struggling to cover expenditures for travel grants and other research-related costs due to stagnant research funds and rising inflation.

Furthermore, reports show that the university’s research funds are mostly underutilized due to the university’s cumbersome processes, which creates a discouraging environment for research culture.

Source: Pro Pakistani

Preface unveils the latest brand campaign in 2023: “The Power of Prompting” (?? ????) – In the era of artificial intelligence (AI), learning begins with questioning. The campaign underscores the importance of questioning as a key skill in the pursuit of knowledge and encourages individuals to develop their questioning skills to enhance their learning experience. Preface has always been committed to integrating technology into daily life. Following the launch of Hong Kong’s first coffee blended with AI & big data in 2020, we have advanced further in 2023 with the highly anticipated debut of Hong Kong’s first cup of ChatGPT-generated coffee!

ChatGPT is a popular language model in recent years, with various functions such as language generation, image generation, question answering, and dialogue. After its launch, ChatGPT has sparked global discussion and widespread application, becoming an indispensable part of the new generation and bringing disruptive impact on human development. Earlier this year, Preface launched a series of Generative AI & ChatGPT training courses and held over 60 workshops in cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and London, allowing enterprises and the public to understand its practical applications in various industries and encourage future development of innovative solutions.

Preface is the first to combine ChatGPT with coffee, launching Hong Kong’s first cup of ChatGPT-generated coffee at Preface Coffee & Wine. When ordering, simply enter your name and select a few keywords. ChatGPT will generate a creative story for you, and our baristas will recommend a unique and personalised cup of coffee based on the story co-created by you and ChatGPT.

Preface will also use your creative story to generate a uniquely styled image using AI, for you to share on social media. Every image will be projected in real-time onto the store’s projector screen, forming an AI art piece co-created by Hong Kong people. In addition, anyone who orders an “AI Coffee” can receive a complimentary beverage, allowing more people to experience Generative AI technologies like ChatGPT, Dall-E, and MidJourney.

In addition, in anticipation of the era of AI, Preface looks forward to learning together with you and exploring more possibilities, understanding the application and development of AI in different industries. We will hold a series of “Future Symposium 2023”, inviting elite speakers from various fields such as Mr John Tsang, to speak on topics related to marketing, brand building, education technology, financial technology and human resources. The symposiums will be held at Preface Coffee & Wine Causeway Bay flagship store from May to June, and all interested parties are welcome to participate.

Preface AI Coffee

Date: From 29 April to 21 May 2023

Location: Preface Coffee & Wine Flagship, G/F – 1/F, The Sharp, 11 Sharp Street East, Causeway Bay

Anyone who orders an “AI coffee” can receive a free non-alcoholic beverage on their next visit (redeemed latest by 31 May 2023).

Preface Future Symposium 2023

1. The Future of Consumer Engagement

2. The Future of Education

3. The Future of Financial Services

4. The Future of Work

Date: 10 May, 23 May, 6 June, 20 June

Time: 7:00pm to 8:30pm

Location: Preface Coffee & Wine Flagship, 1/F, The Sharp, 11 Sharp Street East, Causeway Bay

Details and registration for the symposiums will be announced on Preface’s social media platforms in May. Register now for the AI & ChatGPT workshop: https://bit.ly/41ARDyF

Source: Xinhua Finance Agency

The government colleges across Karachi have been hit by a massive corruption scandal with allegations of funds mismanagement and unfair distribution of resources.

Millions of rupees have been released to institutions with low enrollment numbers, while colleges with high enrollment have been left without adequate funding for sports events.

It has been reported that five government colleges that only hold evening classes and have a low student count have received a disproportionate amount of funds.

These institutions include Government City College No. 2, Government College Commerce and Economics No. 2, Government Superior Commerce College Evening, Government Degree Boys College Gulistan-e-Johar Evening, and Quaid-e-Millat Government College. These institutes have been given a total of Rs. 4.922 million despite their low student numbers.

On the other hand, institutions such as Sir Syed Girls College, Government Premier College for Women, Government Boys College Sector 42 Korangi, Allama Iqbal Science College, Government Premier Boys College, Government National College, and Adamjee College have only received Rs. 917,000.

In response, the Director General of Colleges in Sindh, Professor Shadab Hussain, stated that he has not received any formal complaint from any principal of the concerned colleges.

Shadab Hussain further added that the issue took place before he joined the office and that he will launch an official investigation if he receives a written complaint from the colleges.

Similarly, the Regional Director of Colleges, Professor Sulaiman Sial, has also shed light on the matter, saying that he has received similar complaints from other institutions and that “it merits an investigation”.

Source: Pro Pakistani

The Higher Education Commission has launched PhD Country Directory Online System for the benefit of PhD scholars.

It was inaugurated by Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Rana Tanveer Hussain at a ceremony at Higher Education Commission, Islamabad today.

The online system which can be accessed through eservices.hec.gov.pk.

The system will enable inclusion of Pakistani PhDs in the HEC data, through university focal persons, within a few days without submission of documents or applications in the hard form.

Earlier, it took several months for a PhD scholar to be part of the registered PhD community of Pakistan.

Addressing the ceremony, the Minister for Education commended the launch of online system and hoped that the development will benefit the PhD scholars.

He said universities should establish special on-campus setups for promotion of skill-based education.

Source: Radio Pakistan

Islamabad Medical and Dental College (IMDC) held convocation for its Medical, Dental, Nursing and Allied Health Sciences pass-outs today in Islamabad. Hundreds of MBBS, BDS, DPT, MLT and Nursing graduates attended the event along with their parents and members of family.

Lieutenant General (R) Nigar Johar Khan graced the event as the Chief Guest.

On the occasion, she acknowledged the efforts of IMDC to impart high quality medical education along with advising the graduates to uphold the best professional ethics while practicing in the sacred field of medicine.

Source: Radio Pakistan