Tag: university

  • German Embassy issues student visa application schedule

    German Embassy issues student visa application schedule

    The schedule of applications for student visas has been announced by the German Embassy in Pakistan.

    Student visa registration for the winter semester 2024-25 starts from May 21.

    According to the embassy, appointments for students with an admission letter for the 2024 summer semester will not be offered by the end of MA, while any admission letter for the 2024 summer semester after May 15 will automatically be cancelled.

    Affected students will be notified via email.

    The move is being taken to streamline the visa process and address the high volume of applications received by the embassy.

    Preference will be given to applicants and PhD students with scholarships from German institutions, while there is a special online registration category for students who have achieved a CGPA of 3.7 or above.

    Applicants must prepare a comprehensive set of documents for their visa application, including various forms, copies of passports and IDs, educational records, proof of financial means and health insurance.

  • Hey Pakistani students: is your university among the top 1,000 in the world?

    Hey Pakistani students: is your university among the top 1,000 in the world?

    The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by subject released its list for 2024 and 14 universities from Pakistan have made it in the top 1,000.

    It consists of more than 16,300 academic programmes, with an addition of over 600 in comparison to the previous year.

    The 2024 list consists of 55 separate subjects under five broad areas. In total, 1,559 institutions are included, with 64 universities being added for the first time.

    From Pakistan, the university programmes have qualified for Arts and Humanities, Engineering and Technology, Life Sciences and Medicine, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and Management.

    These have been ranked through various metrics, including academic reputation, employer reputation and the International Research Network (IRN) Index.

    The Pakistani universities among the top 1,000 universities are COMSATS University Islamabad, National University of Sciences and Technology, University of the Punjab, Bahria University, International Islamic University, Lahore University of Management Sciences, University of Karachi, University of Peshawar, Aga Khan University, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Government College University Faisalabad and University of Malakand.

  • A hundred pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at New York’s Columbia University

    A hundred pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at New York’s Columbia University

    Police arrested more than 100 pro-Palestinian student protesters at New York’s Columbia University Thursday, a day after the president of the prestigious school was grilled in Congress over accusations of anti-Semitism on campus.

    “NYPD officers moved in to ensure the safety of the campus, the students and the staff made more than 108 arrests, and the NYPD ensured that there was no violence or injuries during the disturbance,” New York Mayor Eric Adams said during a press conference.

    The arrests and dismantling of tents that had been erected Wednesday also attracted a crowd of other demonstrators in support, according to an AFP journalist.

    According to The New York Times, the daughter of Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar was among those detained and she has been ordered to appear in court.

    The students were calling for the school, which has an exchange program with Tel Aviv University, to boycott all activities associated with Israel in light of the country’s war with Hamas and the ensuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

    University president Nemat Shafik requested police intervention to disperse the protesters, who she said had violated campus security regulations.

    Universities have become the focus of intense cultural debate in the United States since the October 7 attack and Israeli genocide in Gaza, as many students’ pro-Palestinian sentiments drew accusations of anti-Semitism.

    Congressional Republicans have taken up the issue, calling the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University to testify, and Harvard’s president Claudine Gay resigned shortly after.

    Shafik herself appeared in Congress Wednesday, where she said “anti-Semitism has no place on our campus.”

  • British student finds lost sketches 4,000 miles away in Lahore

    A British student of fashion and arts lost her collection of sketches but miraculously found all her work, thousands of miles away, in Pakistan.

    BBC reports that 20-year-old Grace Hart was worried that she would not get into the university where she applied for admission when her mother accidentally discarded her portfolio required for her admission. But a year later, she found out that her artwork was being sold in a charity shop in Lahore.

    A photographer who came across her work in the city, found Hart on Instagram and sent it all back.

    The chain of events took place while she was putting together her portfolio for an application for a fashion degree at Manchester Metropolitan University.

    Hart’s artbooks got mixed up with the things her family was donating to a charity shop.

    “I was stressing so much, because those art books were the only thing I had that proved I did work at school,” she told BBC. But fortunately, Hart had pictures of her art which she was able to send to the university and got accepted.

    Fashion photographer Tajwar Munir from Lahore found her work in a thrift store and messaged Hart. Initially, however, she thought that the message was a scam and did not respond.

    Months later, the international delivery arrived and she got back her lost art work.

    “I’ve always taken a lot of pride in my art,” she said. “It was very upsetting when I realised it had gone missing.”

    Her mother recalls that they “had searched everywhere”.

    “I did feel sick. I was absolutely gutted. Grace is really talented and her artwork is amazing. I started to panic and thought, ‘What is she going to do for university?’”

    She asserted that everyone should extensively check bags before discarding them or giving them away.

    “I never expected in a million years that we would get her artwork back, but it does restore your faith in humanity,” she said.

  • Holidays are around the corner in Sindh

    The Sindh Department of Education has officially announced the winter vacation schedule for all educational institutions.

    Holidays will commence on December 22 and end on December 31.

    All private and government educational institutions, including universities, colleges, and schools in the province will reopen on January 1, 2024.

    The winter vacation 2023 in Sindh notification was issued on November 30.

    The holidays are being observed in accordance with the decision of the department’s annual steering committee, said the secretary of education.

  • Fulbright scholarship: TOEFL replaced by Duolingo English Test for 2025

    Fulbright scholarship: TOEFL replaced by Duolingo English Test for 2025

    The United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) has announced an update in the language proficiency test for the Fulbright Scholarship Program for the year 2025.

    Applicants were previously required to pass TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), which will now be replaced by the Duolingo English Test.

    Fulbright scholarship program: Duolingo english test replaces TOEFL for 2025

    The eligibility criteria for the Fulbright Scholarship Program, however, is the same as before.

    A generously funded scholarship programme, Fulbright is open for all Pakistanis citizens with a strong academic background, who commit to return back and serve Pakistan.

    Preference is given to women, individuals with disabilities, and those hailing from specific regions such as Balochistan, Northern Sindh, Southern Punjab, KP, AJK, and GB.

    Application and documentation

    Prospective applicants are required to submit an application form along with three reference letters, a GRE score report, and scanned transcripts.

    Deadline and submission

    The deadline for applications for the 2025 Fulbright Scholarship Program is February 28, 2024, accessible through the USEFP’s website.

  • ‘IBA ya Pagal khaana’: Asim Azhar shuts down ‘Hania Amir’ chants at literary festival

    ‘IBA ya Pagal khaana’: Asim Azhar shuts down ‘Hania Amir’ chants at literary festival

    Asim Azhar was attending a literary festival held at the Institute of Public and Business Adminstration (IBA) when he was heckled by some members of the crowd while talking to Yasir Hussain. The crowd began taunting the singer by chanting the name of Hania Amir, the actress Asim had previously dated.

    In a viral video clip, Asim can be seen shutting down the misogynist chants by responding “IBA hai ya pagal khaana?”

    Yasir also slammed the hecklers by telling them to act like educated people.

    We have to applaud Asim for refusing to be bullied by hecklers. It’s not so hard to understand that nobody deserves to be taunted in such a demeaning manner about their private lives, let alone at an institute that is recognised as one of the superior universities of Pakistan.

  • Peshawar students to campaign against use of drugs in educational institutions

    Peshawar students to campaign against use of drugs in educational institutions

    The students of the University of Agriculture in Peshawar have decided on starting a mission to prevent use of drugs in educational institutions.

    According to reports, the administration has become active to protect the students of the University of Agriculture from drugs. The Anti-Drug Awareness Committee held a meeting at the campus.

    According to experts present at the meeting, drugs give temporary relief by increasing hormones, but later they cause permanent destruction; adding that the addict becomes a burden on his family and society.

    The students have decided to join hands with the government and social organisations to play an active role in the anti-drug campaign.

    According to the report of a non-governmental organisation, 7.6 million people use drugs in Pakistan, including 78% men and 22% women.

  • Karachi University Teachers’ Society boycott classes

    Karachi University Teachers’ Society boycott classes

    Karachi University Teachers’ Society (KUTS) held a meeting on Thursday, announcing a boycott of teaching classes from Friday (today), demanding the Chief Minister of Sindh to take immediate notice of the administrative crisis at the University of Karachi.

    Express Tribune spoke with KUTS secretary, Faizan Naqvi, who explained that regular and visiting faculty members have not received their evening program salaries for over a year and a half, and the total amount owed exceeds Rs70 million.

    This means that the evening program is operating at a loss.

    Naqvi highlighted that all university employees are being paid their salaries except for the teachers. Currently, there are around 250 permanent teachers for the part-time evening program.

    Demands

    Karachi University Teachers Association has announced a complete boycott of the teaching process from Friday. The decision to boycott was taken in a general body meeting organised by the teachers association.

    The teachers’ association has also demanded an investigation by the commission for the non-approval of the university budget for six years.

    The participants of the meeting expressed their anger over the appointment of part-time teachers at six hundred rupees per lecture and non-payment of salaries to them for more than six months and a year.

    They demanded that the dues evening classes should be paid in full and on an immediate basis.

    Moreover, they pressed upon the restoration of exemption in MPhil and PhD fees should be restored immediately.

    They highlighted that handling of administrative matters is the responsibility of the Sheikh-ul-Jamia and the management team, not the teachers. That being said, ad hoc Assistant Professor appointment of Ph.D. teachers approved by the syndicate should also be restored.

    The meeting demanded for immediate release of funds for the revival of research in the university; that the budget of the university, which has not been approved for the last six years, is financial corruption and must be investigated by a commission. The hike announced in Budget 2023 should be included in salaries without delay.

  • Senate orders restoration of student unions in Islamabad universities

    Senate orders restoration of student unions in Islamabad universities

    The Senate Standing Committee on Education has approved the Islamabad Capital Student Union Bill 2023.

    The Committee passed Capital Student Union Bill 2023 in ‘principle’ in a meeting held under the chair of Senator Irfan Siddiqui on Wednesday.

    The committee members were asked to submit suggestions in a week.

    Senator Behrmand Tangi stated that “problems” are created with the lack of student unions in educational institutions in the universities. He gave an example of the University of Peshawar which was closed for three months due to protests.

    “The purpose of this bill is to give rights to the students. This is not a political bill. With this bill, the problems of teaching in the university will be solved,” he said.

    Similarly, senator Jam Mehtab Dahar believes that unionisation can reduce student protests in universities.

    A representative of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), however, suggested establishing councils instead of students’ unions.