LAHORE: The government will make Punjab “100 per cent literate” by 2030, claims Minister for Literacy and Non-Formal Basic Education Dr Farrukh Javed.

Speaking at a consultative workshop for finalising Punjab literacy policy here on Wednesday, the minister said: “We shall make new literacy schools in each district as per demographic survey. It is the government’s responsibility to provide free and quality education to all citizens, especially the children, and literacy department is striving to achieve this goal.”

The purpose of the workshop was to consult the stakeholders in formulating literacy policy for the province.

Dr Javed further said the department had made literate more than 1.8 million children and 500,000 adults in a short span of time. “More than 4m children are studying in 13,000 non-formal basic education schools. Similarly, 36,000 adults are also studying in 6,300 Adult Literacy Centres (ALC’s).”

He said the government wanted to increase public-private partnership and it would cooperate with NGO’s in order to increase literacy rate.

“Despite limited resources and unexpected circumstances, the literacy department is giving its 100 per cent to achieve the goal of a literate Punjab. More than 2m illiterate people have been given basic education and are taught different skills through literacy department,” he said.

UET: The Pakistan Engineering Counsel (PEC) has recommended accreditation of four programmes for the University of Engineering and Technology Lahore.

According to a UET spokesman, the accredited programmes are environmental engineering, computer engineering, mining engineering and geological engineering.

He said the accreditation had been given in the light of section (ii) of clause (2-2) of PEC Accreditation Manual 2014 under level II. “The PEC finds the faculty and staff requirements according to the criteria set for the accreditation of these programmes.”

PU: Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zafar Moeen Nasir on Wednesday inaugurated a facilitation centre in the examinations department and a fee collection booth of the United Bank Limited at the New Campus.

Addressing the ceremony, Dr Nasir said now the candidates would not have to wait in long queues and experience a more friendly system at examinations department.

Prof Dr Shahid Munir said under the queue management system, tokens would be issued to the candidates for submission of registration and admission forms. Fee collection booth had also been set up to facilitate students in submission of dues, he said.

DONATION: The family members of the late Prof M Rashid, the former principal of GC, on Wednesday donated his personal library and literary collection to the Government College University, Lahore.

Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah, Faculty of Social Sciences Dean Prof Dr Tahir Kamran and family members of Prof M Rashid were also present.

Prof M Rashid, who also served GC Lahore as head of economics department had a wish to donate all his personal collection, including books and literary journals, to the GCU Library for the benefit of the students.

Prof Hassan Shah said the GCU housed personal libraries of 55 reputed literary personalities as more than 150,000 books had been donated to the varsity so far. He expressed gratitude to the family of Prof Rashid for gifting the valuable collection to the university.

Zafar Rashid, son of Prof M Rashid, shared his father’s memories with the audience.

LUMS: The Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) has stood first among the Pakistani universities, says a varisty press release.

“It is among the top 50 varsities in Asia and 250 in the world, according to a new ranking of the QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2018,” it said.

LUMS achieved scores in the following categories: Graduate Employability Rate of 94.3, Employer Reputation 29.1, Employer-student Connections 63.9, Alumni Outcomes 39.5 with an overall score of 32.3-37.9.

“The QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2018 provides important insights into our students’ success in securing quality employment after graduation,” LUMS VC Prof S Sohail H Naqvi said.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2017