The University of Peshawar (UoP) has planned to include six more subjects at master level studies in its Distance Education Programme (DEP) keeping in view of pressing demands of the students of Khyber Pakthunkhwa and overseas Pakistanis to get quality high education near at homes.
Prof Dr. Hafiz Muhammad Inamullah, Director, Distance Education Programme, UoP told APP on Friday the university has planned to offer admission to students in six more subjects at master level under its distance education programme.
Under the UoP’s Distance Education Programme, he said, admission would be offered in Journalism, International Relations, Islamiat, Pashto, Urdu and History subjects at master level in addition to the ongoing programs.
Similarly, he said, an Associate Degree in Education program would also be launched where passed students of intermediate examination would be offered admission, adding it would be a two years program comprise on four semesters.
He said Distance Education has started various programmes including Master and Bachelor in Education, Economics, Political Science, Arabic and English for facilitation of out reach students who could not get admission in universities or postgraduate colleges due to some reasons.
Prof Inamullah said Distance Education Program was designed for students irrespective of caste, gender and age discrimination, adding students of the brotherly muslims countries Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia have been enrolled in different disciplines also.
He said over 2000 students in current academic session are being taught in different education disciplines in Khyber Pakthunkhwa including students from Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, adding no compromise are being made on quality of education, punctuality of students, moral values and professionalism.
Keeping in view the overwhelming response of students, he said, two new learning centres in Pabbi Nowshera and Kohat have been setup. He said a Private Fund was setup for facilitation and provision of better services to students, adding the students of distance education would pay a prescribed fee of Rs. 300 towards the Directorate’s Private Fund.
This found would also be used for designing of Teaching Practicum Book with a prime objective to provide better educational services to students at their doorsteps, he remarked. Prof Dr Inamullah said on basis of credible information and complaints strict action would be taken against immoral and misconduct of students and tutors.
In addition to required legislations, he said, the UoP’s Academic Council has approved rules and regulations for this program.
5 faculty members nominated for research productivity award
Five University of Peshawar faculty members have been nominated for the best research productivity award by the Pakistan Science Foundation and the Higher Education Commission.
The scientists include Prof. Dr. Jasmin Shah and Prof. Dr. Saeed Ur Rehman of the Institute of Chemical Sciences, Prof. Dr. Sardar Khan of the Department of Environmental Sciences, and Prof. Dr. Saeed of the Department of Pharmacy.
And Like all other years (and for than a decade) this year also the Vice Chancellor UoP Prof. Dr. Muhammad Rasul Jan has also been nominated for the best research productivity award for the year 2013.
This was revealed through a data sent by the relevant bodies in a meeting of the Tenure Track Professors with Vice Chancellor UoP Prof. Dr. Muhammad Rasul Jan.
The agenda of the meeting was to discuss measures to improve the research culture in varsity departments and provide enabling environment to the junior scientists of the University.
The Vice Chancellor while sharing a document sent by an international independent ranking agency of Turkey said that University of Peshawar has been ranked on number sixth in the country for its contribution in the field of research.
He added that the said ranking position is good but he wanted to bring the mother institution of KP to second to none in the country and achieve status within the top five hundred Universities of the world.
Dr. Raul Jan viewed that the Tenure track professors should take all possible measures to achieve the targeted goal and go for a talent hunt to hire human resource with outstanding research productivity.
He added that the faculty members not performing up to the level should do away with the same and contribute towards the overall ranking of the University.
Prof. Rasul Jan underlined the need for establishment of research societies and groups at the departmental level and urged the faculty members to publish in Journals of international repute with impressive impact factor.
He directed the faculty members to submit proposals and bring funds from institutions like the Directorate of Science and Technology, HEC etc.
Source: The Frontier Post.
