Latest news with #PunjabHigherEducationDepartment
Express Tribune
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Express Tribune
Heatwave forces early summer vacations
An ongoing heatwave in Punjab has forced the provincial government to reduce school hours and announce early summer holidays from May 28. The school timings till the beginning of the holidays will be from 7:30am to 11:30am. According to a notification, the Punjab School Education Department announced on Tuesday that the educational institutions would be closed for summer holidays from May 28 instead of June 1 as announced earlier. The schools across the province will reopen after the holidays on August 15. The Punjab Higher Education Department also announced that the summer vacations in colleges and universities would begin on May 28. A spokesperson for the Pakistan Meteorological Department said the prevailing heatwave was likely to continue during the ongoing week. The maximum temperature in Lahore on Tuesday was recorded as 42 degree Celsius. The spokesman said a high pressure is likely to persist in upper atmosphere during the current week. Under the influence of this meteorological condition, day temperatures were likely to remain four to 6°C above normal in South Punjab till May 24. The day temperatures in central and upper Punjab are likely to remain up to 7°C above normal during the period. Dust storms and gusty winds are expected at isolated places in the plain areas due to excessive heat during the period. Due to the heatwave, the residents, especially children, women and senior citizens have been advised to take precautionary measures, avoid direct exposure to sunlight during the day time and remain hydrated. Farmers were advised to manage their crop activities while keeping in view the weather conditions and take care of their livestock as well. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) also issued an alert regarding temperature rise and heatwave. Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed issued instructions to the commissioners and deputy commissioners across the province to remain alert. He stated that the departments concerned, including the district administrations, should be on alert in view of the heatwave. The alert has been also been issued to the departments of school education, health, transport, local government and Rescue 1122, sharing concerns regarding the temperature rise and heatwave in major cities and plains of Punjab till May 24. There is a possibility of an unusual increase in temperature in the next few days. Due to the heatwave, there are also chances of strong winds and thunderstorms in some places in the plains. PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said that an alert has been issued to the district administrations to ensure the supply of clean water in public places. The provision of first aid for heatstroke should be ensured in hospitals and mobile health units, he said. With additional input from APP
Express Tribune
30-03-2025
- General
- Express Tribune
Absentee professors to face music
The college education sector across Punjab has been affected by the absence of professors from their duties, prompting the provincial higher education department to take action against them. According to sources in the sector, the students are facing difficulties in completing their courses because of the absence of professors of computer, science and language subjects. The sources said that around 40 assistant professors in various districts had remained absent from their duties for the past year and the Punjab Higher Education Department had appeared helpless to address the problem. They said the department was set to start taking action against the professors remaining absent from their duties. The problem is more severe in the districts where students rely completely on the college teachers for their education. The issue of teachers remaining absent from their duties is especially serious in South Punjab and remote districts where professors of science, mathematics and computer science fail to take classes. The students of science subjects, including those of BS, are the worst affected. The sources in the higher education department said information about around 40 such assistant professors from various districts had come to the knowledge of the authorities and departmental action would soon be initiated against them. "These 40 assistant professors have been absent from their duties for the past many months. They also include female professors. We sent them a final warning to join their duties," said a senior official of the Punjab Higher Education Department. The official said complaints against such teachers had also been received from students and their parents. The department will protect the interest of the students by taking action under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act (PEEDA), the official said. He said the department would also take action against the principals of the colleges in which the professors habitually skipped classes. However, an office-bearer of a college professors' union said the majority of the teachers had been absent from duties because of their transfer to remote districts after their promotion as assistant professors. He said most of the teachers found absent were those who had been promoted about six months ago and later transferred to other, remote districts. "How can a woman or a senior professor in old age and in the presence of their families afford to go to a district 300km away? It is mismanagement on the part of the higher education department that it transferred professors to remote districts, because of which they are not willing to join their new duties and the students suffer because the teaches are not available in classes," said a female professor. A former president of the Punjab Professors and College Lecturers Association, Dr Tariq Kaleem, said, "It is the right of the professors to be promoted, but it is not fair to transfer them to faraway districts." He said there was a need for the department to implement a formula for the promotion of college teachers under which the posts of the promoted teachers were upgraded in the colleges in which they were currently serving.
Express Tribune
03-03-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
How to apply for the CM Punjab Laptop Program 2025: Registration details
Listen to article The Punjab government has officially launched registration for the CM Punjab Laptop Scheme 2025, which aims to provide 110,000 latest-generation laptops to outstanding students. The initiative also includes 2,000 laptops reserved for minority students. The scheme is open to students who have completed their matriculation or intermediate education. Provincial Minister for Education Rana Sikandar Hayat, while announcing the launch of the laptop scheme, stated that under this initiative, 110,000 students will receive the latest generation laptops from the Chief Minister of Punjab. The scheme is open for BS students of public sector educational institutions in the first and second semesters. The Education Minister mentioned that students will be provided with Generation 13, Core i7 laptops. The official link for online applications has been advertised, and all information is available on the Punjab Higher Education Department's website. Rana Sikandar Hayat added that within a few hours of the portal opening, over 34,000 students had already registered. Eligibility Criteria and Distribution Details: The scheme aims to distribute 110,000 latest-generation laptops, including Core i7 devices, to students in various academic fields. This initiative is open to BS students, including those from the secondary and higher secondary levels. Additionally, 2,000 laptops will be awarded to minority students. Laptop Distribution Breakdown: 20,000 university students 14,000 college students 4,000 technical and agricultural college students 2,000 medical and dental students 32% of recipients will be from South Punjab Required Qualifications: The applicant must be enrolled in the 1st or 2nd semester of BS in any public sector university or college. For public sector universities/colleges, a minimum of 65% marks in intermediate are required. For medical and dental colleges, a minimum of 80% marks in intermediate are necessary. Students must have a domicile from any district in Punjab and must not have received a laptop from any previous government schemes. How to Apply: Interested students can register by visiting the official website: and submitting their details online. Anticipated Distribution Timeline: The distribution of laptops is expected to begin after Ramadan 2025, with the first shipments already arriving in Pakistan. Ceremonies for the distribution will be held at various locations, where the laptops will be handed over as part of the Honhaar scholarship programme.
Express Tribune
26-02-2025
- General
- Express Tribune
Result delay panics scholarship hopefuls
Thousands of students of public sector universities and colleges may be deprived of benefitting from the Honhaar Scholarships of Punjab government because of a delay in the issuance of their results. The result card is compulsory to apply for the scholarship scheme by the last date of February 28. According to sources, most of the students whose results have not been declared so far by the universities are of the third to eighth semesters. The Punjab Higher Education Department has issued a letter to the administrations of the public sector universities, urging them to immediately resolve the issue of the students so that they can apply for the scholarships. The sources said thousands of university and college students facing delay in the announcement of their results despite wishing to apply for the Honhaar Scholarships of the Punjab government. The government had launched the scholarship scheme to provide financial support to deserving and talented students of the province. The submission of applications for the Honhaar Scholarships is under way with February 28 set as the deadline. "We are three sisters studying in universities, while our parents are poor and are struggling hard to pay our fees. I am doing a job to continue my studies so that I can get a degree. The Honhaar Scholarship Scheme has given us hope but our results have not been announced, causing disappointment and worry as the deadline is approaches and the university administrations are not addressing our plight," said a student of a university, Samra Batool, while speaking to The Express Tribune. She said her class fellows had also been unable to apply for the scholarships because of the delay in the announcement of results. She alleged that the relevant officials were oblivious if the anxiety of the students as the deadline for the submitting the applications neared. Officials of the Punjab Higher Education Department also expressed concern over the delay in the results announcements. The department has written a letter to the public sector universities, urging them to immediately announce the results of the students. A senior official of Punjab Higher Education Department said the attention of the vice chancellors had been drawn towards the issue of delay in the announcement of various semesters' results affecting the students intending to apply for the Honhaar Scholarship. The official said submission of the current result along with the previous academic performance was compulsory to apply for scholarships, The delay in the issuance of the results is causing hurdles for the students in applying. All VCs were advised to facilitate the students applying for the scholarships by announcing the results at the earliest. The college administrations had also been requested through the letter to immediately announce the results in the best interest of the students, the official added. An official of Government College University Lahore also said many students would not be eligible to apply for the scholarships due to the delay.
