Category: Education

Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi has said that the Punjab government is awarding scholarships to the intelligent students as they are a precious asset of the country.

Addressing the prize distribution ceremony held for position holders in Lahore today, he said that the Punjab government is making efforts to provide every possible relief to the people of the province.

The Chief Minister said that efforts are afoot for bringing reforms and improving the health sector.

He added various steps were taken in order to improve the cotton production in the province and in this regard we have also raised the support price of cotton.

Source: Radio Pakistan

The Senate Sub-Committee on National Health, formed based on a working paper furnished by the Pakistan Nursing Council regarding the list of colleges affiliated with it, revealed that 90 percent of colleges in Sindh province are ghost colleges with no direct affiliations with hospitals for clinical practice.

The Senate Sub-Committee on National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination was convened by Senator Rubina Khalid at the Parliament House to discuss the issue of fake institutions registered with the Pakistan Nursing Council, their affiliations with hospitals, and the issuance of fake degrees/certificates to nurses.

The sub-committee expressed dissatisfaction with the slow progress of the matter and inquired about the reasons for the delay. “The matter has been pending for a year now,” remarked the chair, adding, “This demonstrates the power of the PNC, which seems to be even greater than that of the Prime Minister,” she further stated.

She pointed out that this is evident from the PMC’s failure to implement the directions of the Senate committee as well as the National Assembly committee regarding the repatriation of Mrs. Yasmeen Azad, Assistant Registrar of the Pakistan Nursing Council. “The current state of the PNC is riddled with issues,” she said, expressing hope that the new council will play an active and authoritative role in improving the PNC setup.

The secretary informed the committee that the formation of the new council will lead to changes in the roles of the registrar and other personnel on deputation.

The Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health informed the committee that a new Nursing Council has been established, which will function as a governing body. Its first meeting is scheduled for tomorrow.

He stated that once the new council becomes operational, it will promptly address the issue of fake degrees and colleges, as well as the repatriation orders. The sub-committee decided that the next meeting would invite the president of the new council and a representative from the Ministry, immediately after the council’s first internal meeting.

In its briefing to the sub-committee, the PNandMC stated that the Council does not recognize any ghost or fake nursing institutes, and strong legal actions are being taken against such institutes. The committee inquired about the number and list of colleges that have been closed so far, to which the PNandMC registrar remained silent.

The sub-committee also directed the PNC to provide an inquiry report, if any, conducted since its establishment on the monitoring of ghost colleges and whether any of them have been closed by the Council, in the next meeting.

The committee also questioned a point mentioned in the briefing that no other department, whether government or private, except the PNandMC, can regulate or conduct nursing diplomas/degrees/courses/programs offered by registered nursing institutes/colleges in the country. “What kind of system is this?” Senator Rubina Khalid exclaimed, asking whether the PNandMC has no monitoring authority. She directed the Ministry to provide a briefing on the amendments in the PNC (Amendment) Act, 2023.

The matter was postponed for further deliberation and reporting.

In the meeting, Senator Prof Dr Mehr Taj Roghani, Senator Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health, and other representatives from the Ministry and PNC participated.

Source: ProPakistani

Pakistan’s Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, yesterday launched an out-of-school children fund, to promote early childhood education initiatives in the country.

The 25-billion-rupee performance-based challenge fund, aimed to address the issue of out-of-school children in Pakistan, providing an opportunity to invest in the future of the nation, the minister said, while addressing a ceremony here.

Highlighting the importance of knowledge exchange and innovation for Pakistan’s progress in the modern world, Iqbal said that, early childhood education plays a significant role in fostering creative thinking, critical analysis, and collaborative skills in the young minds of the nation.

“The future belongs to those who embrace knowledge and innovation. We need to nurture inquisitive and creative minds through quality education,” he said, adding that, critical thinking, reflective learning, and collaboration are the key elements that will propel children towards a brighter future.

Iqbal noted that, the special fund would make a significant breakthrough in the education sector, ensuring that every child in Pakistan has access to quality education

Source: Nam News Network

Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has said that a fund of twenty-five billion rupees has been allocated to bring every child to the school.

Addressing the launching ceremony of ‘Out of School Children Fund’ in Islamabad on Friday, he said this fund will be increased to seventy five billion rupees by bringing on board the provincial governments and development partners.

The Minister for Planning said a pre-school system will be introduced across the country through this fund. He said our aim is to equip the children in such a manner that they can meet the future challenges. He said our manifesto is that no child remains deprived of education.

Source: Radio Pakistan

The Ministry of IT and Telecommunication (MoITT) will establish a dedicated Project Management Unit at Ignite to execute Pakistan Innovation Grants.

According to the document available with ProPakistani, the project management unit will carry out the operations of different phases of the project. The ignite employees will provide advisory support to the PMU to make the program successful.

A committee composed of experts from the startup ecosystem will be formed, the committee will help in assessing the submitted proposals of startups and shortlisting them.

The experts for the committee will be selected through an open and transparent criterion based on their expertise and experience in Pakistan’s startup ecosystem.

A nationwide campaign will be initiated to announce the call for proposals under different thematic areas. The proposals submitted by startups will pass through different stages of scrutiny by the industry experts after which the best proposals will be selected and awarded grants through the PM initiative for startups and venture capital.

According to MoITT, the experts’ committee along with Ignite Technology Fund will devise a methodology for the selection of proposals based on market fit, investment potential, team composition, diversity, etc. Initial scrutiny of the proposals will be done by the Project Management Unit established at Ignite, the expert committee will make an assessment of the proposals.

After the review by Ignite National Technology Fund, the CEO of Ignite will give the final approval of the proposals for awarding grants.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif launched the Pakistan Innovation Grant worth Rs. 700 million a few days ago. The Government of Pakistan created the fund in recognition of the role played by startups in driving economic growth, fostering innovation, and creating employment opportunities.

Source: Pro Pakistani