FARUKH SHEHZAD

• The offline version of digital learning application successfully deployed in 67 public schools

KARACHI, MAY 6: SABAQ, in collaboration with the School Education Literacy Department (SELD), UNICEF, and Malala Fund has successfully deployed its offline version of SELD Learning Application in 67 public schools across three districts of Sindh, namely; Badin, Tando Muhammad Khan, and Tando Allah Yar. Through this model of blended learning using tablets 20, 776 students have access to digital learning for classroom and remedial learning.

The SELD Learning App contains content for pre-primary and primary grade in the form of animated video lessons, stories, flipbooks, and quizzes. The App aims to provide digital lessons for KG-5 during the COVID-19 crisis to students across Sindh and is aligned with Sindh’s curriculum. Moreover, the App’s interface is available in three languages: English, Urdu, and Sindhi so children with different backgrounds can benefit from it.

SABAQ and SELD selected test-qualified government teachers, to implement blended lessons in the schools.  A total of 89 teachers have been trained to delivery tech-enabled lessons in the govt. schools using the SELD App. As they help bring innovation to public schools, they are referred to as ‘Champions of Change’ in the program.

Dr. Fouzia Khan, Head of Curriculum Wing, and Additional Director (ECCE) of SELD called the implementation of the project as impressive and further observed that the collaboration has empowered the teachers to become Champions of Change for Sindh education system. They receive ongoing training and mentorship from our SABAQ team to ensure a smooth execution.

Sharing her gratitude, Miss Misbah, a teacher from Badin district said “This is the first time an innovation like SELD App has been introduced in the public schools and we are trained on blended learning. Usually, it is the private sector that benefits from these initiatives but we are thankful to SELD, SABAQ and other partners for providing us with the opportunity”.

Miss Sobia, a teacher from Tando Allah Yar district, also voiced her support and said “As a result of the pandemic, I had lost all hope for my students. I felt I won’t be able to help them or reduce their learning losses. But SELD Application has given us hope to help students catch up”

Several parents and community mobilizations activities have been carried out by the Champions of Change in which parents and community members have been trained to download and use the App during school closures amid the COVID-19 situation. With the support of the government, SABAQ aims to scale this successful pilot across all public schools in Sindh in order to be the catalyst for the introduction of digital learning in Pakistan’s education system.

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 6: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday assured Pakistan of its support in its initiatives for regional peace and stability.

The assurance was exten­ded by Chief of General Staff (CGS), Saudi Armed Forces, Gen Fayiadh Bin Hamed Al Rowaily during a meeting with Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Bajwa.

Gen Bajwa is currently on a four-day visit to the Kingdom. His trip is taking place ahead of Prime Minis­ter Imran Khan’s visit scheduled to start from Friday.

“CGS KSA … assured full cooperation and support from KSA in all initiatives aimed at improving regional cooperation, peace and stability,” the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement on the meeting.

According to the military’s media affairs wing, the two commanders discussed regional security situation including Afghan peace process, and military-to-military bilateral cooperation.

Gen Bajwa called for greater military-to-military cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries and said it would positively impact regional peace and security.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 5: To make aware farmers and common masses of R&D activities, Directorate of Public Relations and Protocol of PARC called on electronic, print and social media groups to acquaint about the agri-research and development activities being carried at National Agricultural Research Centre on Wednesday 5th May, 2021.

Special Assistant to PM on MNFS&R Mr. Jamshed Iqbal Cheema was the chief guest while Chairman PARC, Dr. Azeem Khan; DG NARC, Shamim ul Sibtain Shah, all PARC’s Technical Members, PD’s of PDSP projects i.e Rice, Wheat, Sugarcane, Pulses along with other high officials and scientists were also the participants of this event.

On the occasion, Special Assistant to PM on NFSR said that keeping in view of the vital role of agriculture in the development of country and prosperity of farming community, the agriculture sector is among the top priorities of the present Govt. Due to hard work of agriculture scientists, there is no deficiency of any food commodity in the country. He also attributed the progress in agriculture sector to the pro-farmers policies of the present Govt.

Chairman PARC, Dr. Azeem Khan was of the view that Pakistan Agricultural Research Council is working towards the scientific and technological solutions for addressing the agricultural problems. The highly efficient agricultural scientists/experts are intensively researching in the areas of climate resilient farming systems, technological transformation and high value crop production. The Chairman also added that PARC is putting special focus on technological transformation of agriculture in Pakistan.

The media team visited the field area where they were introduced to the Aeroponic green houses; NARC HG-1 garlic variety fields; wheat trials, wheat /AZRC Dera seed production block; NIGAB activities in biotechnology and Genomics; Horticultural research Institute HRI’s performance in the areas of fruits & vegetables; Agri. Engineering Institute where different Machinery was shown and the Dehydration Units that will be installed at AZRC- umerkot in the near future were Introduced. The visitors also mechanized harvesting of Wheat and visited the rye grass trials of the varieties received from Korea. Media persons also shown interest in Rabbitory and Aquaculture at Animal Research institute.

At the end of the visit, a press briefing was organized for the media representatives in which Jamshed Iqbal Cheema, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Food Security and Research reviewed the government's agricultural initiatives including increasing milk production, livestock, agricultural machinery, wheat production and other related issues.

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 5: On 5th May 2021, A certificate Distribution Ceremony was held for the Online Internship Program, “Contemporary Dynamics of Indonesia” jointly organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia to Pakistan and Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad.

The Online Internship Program was organized to facilitate the academic exchange between the two countries and to familiarize the participants with the contemporary characteristics of Indonesia.

The ceremony commenced with the opening remarks of Mr. Khalid Taimur Akram, Executive Director, CGSS. He highlighted that students from across Pakistan participated in this program, these students were provided with an opportunity to interact with renowned experts, analysts, and academicians from Indonesia. Mr. Khalid further applauded the Ambassador of Indonesia to Pakistan for his efforts in enhancing connectivity between Pakistan and Indonesia through this online internship.

Adam M. Tugio, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Pakistan presented a speech on, “Prospects for “Prospects for Strengthening Bilateral Relations between Pakistan- Indonesia”. He also highlighted the political history of Indonesia and its gradual economic development. Furthermore, he highlighted that Indonesia has survived through all challenges by its strong nationalism, national resilience, devolution, and the true spirit of Democracy.

Adam M. Tugio appreciated the management of the Center for Global & Studies (CGSS), Islamabad for their dedicated efforts in planning and organizing the Internship Program. 

He was of the view that this internship has familiarized the participants with the cultural, historical, and linguistic characteristics ofIndonesia. It has played an important role in developing academic linkages between both countries. He was of the view that this internship will open new avenues of cooperation.

Mr. Sanaullah, Former Ambassador of Pakistan to Indonesia also shared his thoughts on the occasion. He shared his experience of being in Indonesia and highlighted that it is a country of great cultural values and diversity. He emphasized that Pakistan is ready to take more initiatives to further strengthen bilateral ties between both countries.

The speeches were followed by an interactive session with His Excellency Adam M. Tugio, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Pakistan.

Letters and Certificates of appreciation were also presented to the interns and organizers of the Online International Internship Program.

In his concluding remarks, Maj. Gen. Hafiz Masroor Ahmed, Vice-President, Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad. He appreciated the enthusiasm of students during the internship and suggested that these kinds of opportunities play a significant role in the professional and academic profile building of students.

The event was moderated by Ms. Palwasha Nawaz, Project Executive, Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad. The interns who couldn’t attend the ceremony due to the COVID-19 situation participated virtually.

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 5: Shindo Yusuke,  Chargé d’ Affaires A.I, Embassy of Japan in Pakistan, has expressed profound grief and sorrow over the sad demise of Admiral (Retired) Karamat Rehman Niazi, former Chief of the Naval Staff .

In his message of condolences, Shindo on Wednesday conveyed his deepest sympathies to the bereaved family of the ex-Naval chief and prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and grant courage to the family to bear this irreparable loss with fortitude.

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OSLO, MAY 5: The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer expects to sell COVID-19 vaccines for USD 26 billion this year, a sharp upward adjustment from previous forecasts of USD 15 billion.

The new forecast, which corresponds to sales of around NOK 216 billion, is based on vaccine delivery agreements with authorities around the world, the American company wrote in its quarterly report presented on Tuesday.

The company aims to deliver 1.6 billion doses of the corona vaccine, which has been developed in collaboration with German company BioNTech. The two companies share the costs and revenues associated with the vaccine equally.

“Extremely proud”

“I am extremely proud of how we have started 2021, with strong financial results in the first quarter… Operating revenues increased by 8%, in line with the goal of 6% annual growth until 2025,” CEO Albert Bourla said.

“In addition, we have reached clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestones throughout our portfolio, while at the same time increasing the supply of the much-needed corona vaccine.”

Pfizer had revenues of USD 14.6 billion in the first three months of the year, up from USD 10.1 billion in the same period last year – a growth of 42%.

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COURTESY norwaytoday

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 5: The signing ceremony of Technical Cooperation Projects, between Korea Program on International Agriculture (KOPIA), Rural Development Administration (RDA) Republic of Korea and Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) was held today at NARC Islamabad. 

The Ambassador Seo Sang pyo, Dr. Cho Gyoung-rae, Director KOPIA-Pakistan Centre, Mr. Ghufran Memon, Secretary MNFS&R, Dr. Azeem Khan, Chairman PARC, focal person for the KOPIA project from Pakistan, Engr. Shamim ul Sibtain DG NARC, Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali Member Plant Sciences PARC, Member Co-ordination and Monitoring Dr. Shahid Hameed and other high officials also attended the Event today.

Chairman PARC, Dr Azeem on his Welcoming Remarks has briefly described the undertaking of the Memorandum of Understanding between South Korea and Pakistan Starting from 22nd March 2018 to the signing on 6th August 2020 by the Ambassador of Pakistan at RDA Headquarters Korea. The explanation for the agreed upon TCPs was given:

1.            Self Sufficiency of virus free Potato seed Multiplication by Aeroponics technique

2.            Establishment of production technology of Major Fodder Crops in Pakistan

3.            Chili production and Post-harvest Management technology Development in Pakistan

PARC Chairman appreciated the engineers from South Korea who came to Pakistan for the Post haste Installation of the Aeroponic Greenhouse for Virus free Potato Seed Multiplication at NARC.

The Chairman also gave remarks for the progress at AZRC – Umerkot regarding the screen house for the nursery raising of Chilies under Protected conditions , five local varieties were raised and transferred to a demonstration plot of five acres, Two Dehydration plants and one washing unit has also been Received at NARC Islamabad for the Installation at AZRC Umerkot , they will be used for red chili drying to make them Aflatoxin free , a main hindrance for the chili export , and a great alternative for protected and fast drying.

Dr Azeem also appreciated the Introduction of five Rye grass varieties at NARC for their Adaptability trials in climatic conditions of Pakistan One Variety has shown exemplary resilience for Growth in Pakistani Environment and a great alternative to existing livestock feed even in winters.

His Excellency the Ambassador of Republic of Korea, Seo Sang Pyo, appreciated the efforts of bilateral cooperation between KOPIA and PARC and expressed his views that the Signing of TCPs is the first of many more to come in Agricultural Technologies.

He appreciated the diversity of Agricultural production in Pakistan especially Mangoes and Basmati Rice and that the transfer of technologies would further enhance the quality of Pakistani Agricultural Products enabling greater export as well as better food security. He anticipated that the Agricultural Technology Co-operation will be another successful story of Korea and Pakistan’s Relations

Mr Ghuffran Memon Secretary of National Food Security & Research has also put forward the remarks that Pakistan is fortunate to have received technology that has already been tried and tested and has shown great results in South Korea. This Transfer of technology will enable Pakistan to further Enhance Productivity and food Security.

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 4: The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Tuesday decided to form monitoring teams at federal, provincial, and district levels to ensure the implementation of coronavirus SOPs from May 8-16.

The NCOC, in a statement, said the development came during a meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar and co-chaired by National Coordinator Lieutenant General Hamood Uz Zaman Khan. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan was also present at the meeting.

During this period, all businesses and shops will remain closed with few exceptions like food outlets, grocery stores, pharmacies, petrol pumps and bakeries etc., the forum said, adding it was informed that there would be a complete ban on tourism for both locals and outsiders.

"All tourist resorts, formal and informal picnic spots, public parks, shopping malls; all hotels and restaurants in/around tourist/ picnic spots to remain closed," it said.

"Travel nodes leading to tourist spots [will also remain] closed; focus on [the areas of] Murree, Galiyat, Swat-Kalam, Sea View/beaches and the Northern Areas [will remain]," stated the statement.

Meanwhile, Umar has noted a significant improvement in the implementation of coronavirus SOP compliance since the stronger enforcement measures including military deployment took place across the country.

In a tweet, the minister pointed out that national average compliance has doubled from 34% on April 25 to 68% on May 3.

"Significant improvement seen in SOP compliance since the stronger enforcement measures including military deployment took place. National average compliance has doubled from 34% on April 25 to 68% on May 3," Umar wrote on Twitter.

The minister also stressed the need to sustain and build on this compliance level especially till Eid.

Pakistan reported 3,377 new coronavirus infections, taking the total caseload to 834,146 countrywide, according to the data provided by NCOC on Tuesday.

The country last reported 3,953 new coronavirus infections on April 5.

At least 161 new deaths have taken the country's death toll to 18,310. Most deaths in the country were reported in Punjab followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The positivity rate of coronavirus cases stands at 8.9%.

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COURTESY suchtv.pk

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BAKU - On April 15, 2021, two students of Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) got married in the Baku “ASAN service” center No.5.

Elvin Ismailov, a graduate of the BHOS Petroleum Engineering Department, married a third-year student of the same department MasumeRizji, who is originally from Pakistan.

Rector of Baku Higher Oil School ElmarGasimov and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Pakistan to Azerbaijan Bilal Hayee acted as witnesses at the wedding ceremony of the citizens of the two friendly countries.

The rector and the ambassador congratulated the young people and wished them a happy family life based on warm and strong relations, similar to those that exist between the two countries.

The newlyweds were presented with gifts.

Although the wedding ceremony was held in accordance with the traditions of both countries, a small number of close relatives of the couple attended it, according to the quarantine rules.

Elvin Ismailov and MasumeRizji lived in the BHOS Student House during their study at the university. During the same period, they met and fell in love.

On ElmarGasimov’s instructions, all necessary conditions have been created for young people at the BHOS Student House so that they could continue living there.

Elvin Ismailov says that the support provided to our country by Pakistan during the war was an example for them. It was these fraternal ties between the two countries that encouraged them to quickly formalize the marriage relationship.

Note that before the wedding ceremony, the families of the young people met each other via the Internet and blessed them.

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Munaza Kazmi

Worldwide, millions of people have been killed, disabled, displaced, widowed and orphaned as a result of acts of violent extremism. In the majority of cases, the statistics are available because it is a tangible, visible damage that can be measured. However, the discourse regarding around the extremism and violence that has inflicted on communities, societies and countries is still limited. States have introduced strategies and policies to prevent and counter violent extremism, but there is no strategy or policy developed till yet to address the long-lasting impact of extremism on individuals, families and communities.

Extremism today has become an outlook not only in the countries which have been directly affected by violent extremism but in countries that have not experienced it directly. In my opinion, extremism is an attitude and it becomes part of one’s belief system when it is not checked, condemned and disapproved by family, the larger community and the state itself.

Hence, this tendency permeates into institutions, organizations, families and the wider community and has devastating impact on the social harmony and unity.

However, the greatest impact of such a societal attitude is the transformation of a tolerant, accommodative and pluralistic society into an intolerant and exclusionist one. The intolerance of ordinary citizens matters because it impacts the socio-political sphere of the society.  Due to prevalent religious, ethnic and sectarian intolerance, people have less heterogeneous peer groups, they are more critical of others’ behavior and faith, and they do not feel free to express themselves because of the fear of negative consequences. 

This mass religious, ethnic, sectarian and political intolerance has resulted in a culture of conformity that constrains individual rights and liberty in many important ways. At the same time, cultural intolerance has divided once united communities on the narrow lines of sectarianism, religion, ethnicity and language. 

Moreover, the economic impact of extremism is the closure of many businesses in the affected areas. This results in a further increase in poverty, unemployment and various types of crimes. Extremism also has a devastating impact on women’s mobility, social protection and services. Many women are left as heads of households and a significant number as widows.

Thedisease of Extremism and Radicalism is more fatal than any other, since it not just infilters the heart but the soul. Nevertheless, itis changing the fabric of society, as one could seehow less tolerant, aggressive we became and without love and harmony for others.

However, some of the recommendations for policymakers in this context should be that, states honor their obligations under international human rights law to fight any discrimination and take effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief in all fields of civil, economic, political, social and cultural life. Legislation protecting the rights of all religious communities should be adopted and implemented with the full commitment of police, judiciary and other actors.

In the face of the bleak global landscape of growing persecution and restrictions on religious freedom, it is imperative to hold interfaith dialogue and forge alliances within and between religious groups that can become a formidable force in coping with existing persecution and preventing it in the future.

Moreover, countriescan also work to institutionalize inclusive peace education as a long-term remedy and integrate diversity into education, so that our young generation consider the religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity of their societies an important part of their national heritage. More broadly, there is need for a greater understanding of the invisible and unrecognized impact of extremism on individuals and communities.

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Munaza Kazmi has recently done Master of Philosophy from Bahria University Islamabad. Her debut novel is Unrequited Love.

She’s an author, columnist writing in different newspapers and a researcher having seven publications till yet, she’s been writing since 2016.

You can connect to Kazmi at twitter @munaza_kazmi or on research gate as munaza kazmi.

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 4: President Arif Alvi has called for promoting Knowledge-Economy and digitalization of Government organizations to enhance the efficiency of work and service delivery. He said that Pakistan was blessed with immense talent and resources and the government was making serious efforts to channelize this potential in the right direction. The President stated this while talking to a delegation of Huawei, led by the Vice President of Huawei Middle East Region, Mr.Spacelee, who called on him, at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

The meeting was attended by Secretary M/o Science and Technology, Dr Arshad Mahmood, Secretary M/o Federal Education and Professional Training, Mrs Farah Hamid, Additional Secretary M/o IT&T, Mr Ali Sher Mehsud, Huawei Pakistan CEO Mr.Mark Meng, other senior officials of the Government while the Chairman PM’s Task Force on Science and Technology Dr Atta-ur-Rehman attended the meeting via video link.

Mr.Spacelee gave a presentation about the role of his organization in the promotion of IT Skills in Pakistan. He informed that Huawei had contributed to Pakistan’s economy by providing 10,000 jobs and paying $120 Million in taxes to the Government from 2018 to 2020, besides spending $6 Million to support disaster-relief efforts of the government. He highlighted that his organization had contributed to Pakistan’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) talent by providing 10,000 certifications till 2020.  Mr.Spacelee informed that the M/o IT&T in collaboration with Huawei would train over 1,000 Government employees to achieve Digital Pakistan initiative. He apprised the meeting that government officials would be registered and enrolled for training programs which would be conducted through Huawei Experts.

Huawei Pakistan CEO Mr.Mark Meng added that Huawei will collaborate with the public and private sectors in Pakistan to create an ICT ecosystem that drives digital transformation forward. Huawei will continue to support the government’s Digital Pakistan vision with the latest technologies, unlocking new avenues of growth and innovation.

President Arif Alvi appreciated the initiative of Huawei to provide training and ICT skills to the people of Pakistan. He asked the M/o IT&T to develop an action plan and set timelines for launching training programs for the government employees to train them in fields like Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Technology, Big Data, Blockchain, Neural Networks and Communication Technologies. He urged the M/o IT&T to come up with more innovative ideas and enhance collaboration with Huawei for early realization of Digital Pakistan Initiative.

After the meeting, Mr.Spacelee presented one award to the President for his efforts made towards the development of the ICT Sector in Pakistan.

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