University of London: International Programmes

Study in Pakistan, graduate from the University of London

The University of London has 18 colleges and 10 research institutes, and, as the name suggests, it is situated in London. It offers foundation, undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma and research degree programmes. However, the most interesting fact about it is that one does not necessarily have to be residing in London to graduate from this University.

For the past 150 years, the University of London has been providing education to foreign students through distance learning. Those who have work or family commitments or simply cannot afford to live in London can prepare and sit for exams in their own country. Moreover, the standard of the degree provided is exactly the same as that awarded to those students living and studying in London. Presently, this programme is being offered in 180 countries with 54,000 students from around the world enrolled in the University. Students, residing in their respective countries, can either study on their own or at a local institution registered with the University of London.

Image with the courtesy of edu-fair.info

Apply Online for CSS (Competitive Exam) 2016

Are you an aspirant of CSS 2016, and looking to apply online for the competitive exam (CSS) / General Recruitment vacancies advertised by the Federal Public Service Commission?

The Federal Public Service Commission is accepting online applications for the Competitive Examination 2016 from 01-10-2015 till 31-10-2015. The exam will start from 18th February 2016, and papers will be designed according to the new syllabus and rules issued by the FPSC.

You would need to visit the online FPSC Web Portal for applying online. May be you find that the site is slow, and you are facing trouble in going through the online application. But don't worry, it is only due to loads of traffic (thousands of CSS candidates are trying to applying online now).

Procedure of applying for CSS 2016

• Visit the FPSC online Web Portal
• Select "Competitive Examination (CSS) - 2016"
• Create a New User (most probably you would have to do this for CSS as I found that the previous years profile is not available)
• Now come back to the Web Portal and log-in to your account
• Create / Update your profile which includes your personal (applicant) information, uploading a photo and filling in your education, experience, extra activities, parents particulars, disability claim, languages, brothers / sisters info and qualifications, near relatives in civil service and your previous attempts of CSS (if any)
• Deposit the fee of Rs. 2200 in any branch of National Bank of Pakistan / Government Treasury Office / State Bank of Pakistan on the designated Challan form available on FPSC website, and printed in the online application.
• After these above steps, double check the authenticity of all your details, and then apply for CSS. You'll have to enter your Optional Subjects, Groups Preference and Challan details to complete your online application.

University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore

University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore is the oldest institution that started offering engineering education in (the undivided) Pakistan. It began as 'Mughalpura Technical College' in 1921, and started offering various engineering degree programs in affiliation with University of the Punjab, Lahore in 1932. The major development and expansion of this institution took place in 1961 when it was transformed from the status of a college to that of a university and therefore was renamed as 'West Pakistan University of Engineering & Technology'. With the award of university status,  it started offering its own degrees for the Bachelors programs already in place. The University began Masters programs in 1970s and later-on Ph.D. programs were also started.

Now UET Lahore ranks as the 54^th most prestigious university in Asia and 345^th in the world. It has four satellite campuses, seven faculties, thirty-three departments and nine-teen research centers through which it fulfills the educational needs of approximately 10,000 students of which about 700 are foreign students each year. The university has 25 undergraduate and 55 postgraduate programs in the list of programs offered.

HEC organizing Essay Competition for students of Pakistani Universities and Colleges

Image linked from HEC Website

Visit Pakistani Universities Facebook Page for latest admission announcements

Although maximum attempt is made to update all announced admissions at the Pakistani Universities blog, yet there might not be all available here.

For latest admission updates please visit our Facebook Page

See latest open admissions in Pakistani Universities

Please visit our Facebook Page for news about latest admissions in Pakistani Universities.

Essay Writing and Educational Stipends for children of Federal Government Employees

The FEB&GIF (Federal Employees Benevolent and Group Insurance Fund), located at Benevolent Fund Building, Zero Point, Islamabad has a total of six welfare schemes for the Federal Government Employees (and their families).

The schemes related to our discussion are:

• Essay Writing Competition and
• Educational Stipend

Both these schemes are for the children of Federal Government Employees.

Stipend details for Essay Writing Competition

The advertisement for the Essay Writing Competition can be viewed here. Its peculiar details are that the competition is for Matriculate and Undergraduate students who are the children of Federal Government Employees (hereinafter referred to as students). The Matriculate students can write an essay on the topic "How can parents handle their child's cell phone and social media use". The undergraduate students can write an essay on the topic "Influence of Media on our society". The length of the essay for both must be between 1200-1500 words, and the last date for submission of these essays is 30-06-2014.

The essays could be written both in Urdu and in English, and there will be three prize positions both in Urdu and English for both these essays. The 1st position prize of the essay for Matriculate students is Rs. 35,000 while that for the Undergraduate students is Rs. 40,000. For more details, refer to the advertisement given at the above link.

Educational Stipend details

EDUCATION STIPENDS for two children studying in intermediate or above excluding M.Phil/PhD. programs of serving, retired and deceased employees as per following categories:-

Category-I   100% reimbursement of tuition/semester fee for professional studies (medical, IT, Engineering and Business studies) in public sector universities/colleges/institutions.

Category-II Children studying in Intermediate and have obtained 80% marks in the last held examination—Rs. 10,000 p.a.

Category-III  Children studying in Graduation and have obtained 80% marks   in the last held examination—Rs. 12,000 p.a.

Category-IV Children studying in Masters and have obtained 80% marks in the last held examination—Rs. 15,000 p.a.

Category-V Professional studies of Engineering, IT, Business studies and Medical in private universities and, have obtained 70% marks in the last held examination—Rs. 20,000 p.a.

All legitimate sources for making money online

Making money online is not a fraud, but most sites fraud internet users that they are a legitimate source of earning money online. You can make handsome earnings through different ways like freelancing, affiliate marketing, working on PTC sites and Blogging. All of these are completely different modes of online work which help you generate some extra income online, but never ever think of completely relying on them as a source of earning for your life. You can think of them as some extra cash or pocket money (but not as a regular income).

Pakistani Universities offering Distance Learning Programs

What is Distance Learning?

It might be that some of the readers are not familiar with the concept of distance learning education, therefore I would like to define it first before talking about how it emerged and what benefits it has.

Distance Learning is a method of learning in which the students do not attend regular classes, rather they study at home utilizing the tools of study provided to them by their institute. For example, many distance learning institutes provide course material consisting of printed text (books or handouts), electronic media (CDs or Video/Audio lectures) and reference links for further reading. The course material is often accompanied with assignments to be completed within a particular time-frame and submitted to the institute for evaluation and feedback (either manually or online depending upon the institution one is studying from). The important thing to note is that distance learning involves direct absense of a teacher and a classroom environment which is often found in regular institutes (universities and colleges).

Govt. of Punjab launches E-Learning Portal for students of 9th and 10th

The Govt. of Punjab continues to tread on a path defining bright futures for the younger generations of Pakistan. Recently, the Punjab Govt. has launched an e-learning portal for the students of 9th and 10th classes which will be expanded to include more classes in the future. Read about this e-learning portal here.

Punjab Information Technology University, Lahore

Punjab Information Technology University, Lahore was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Punjab Mr. Shahbaz Sharif on 31st May, 2012. It is the first purely IT University of Pakistan and a provincially chartered private sector university. The temporary campus of the university had been established at Arfa Karim Software Technology Park Lahore, while the permanent campus of the Punjab ITU would be constructed on Ring Road, Lahore (at Dera Rakh Chahal) under collaboration with Middle East Technical University, Turkey. The present temporary campus has a capacity to accomodate/educate 1000 students (both boys and girls) while the permanent campus could enroll upto 6000 students per year.

HEC denounces NTS as the approved testing body for admissions in Pakistani Universities

NTS - that has been conducting Admission tests like NAT, GAT-General, GAT-Subject and GAT-Law for admissions to various undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate programs in the Pakistani Universities - has been denounced from conducting any further such tests by the HEC (Higher Education Commission). Ever since the establishment of HEC in 2002, the NTS has been reporting itself as an approved "National Testing Service" by the HEC and using the HEC logo in this connection from time to time for conducting its affairs.

The HEC has directed the universities that it is not mandatory for them to accept NTS Tested Candidates for the purpose of admission and that the universities are now at their will to conduct admission tests. They (the Pakistani Universities) can now conduct admission tests either at their own or still contract any third-party including NTS for the purpose of conducting admission tests, which if done would be a legal private contractual arrangement. The Punjab University has already announced that it will not accept NTS for admissions.

CSS 2015 Written Part Result

And finally the long wait comes to an end with the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) announcing the written part result of the CSS Competitive Exam (CE) 2015. A total of 379 candidates have been declared pass out of 12176 candidates who appeared in the exam. The detailed statistics of the result are given below:

Candidates Applied :	22412
Candidates Appeared :	12176
Pass in written exam :	379
Pass percentage :	3.11 %

Good luck to the successful aspirants of CSS 2015, I wish them success to finaly qualify and get allocated in the exam. The detailed result of the CSS 2015 exam can be downloaded from here.

-----------------------------------------

CSS 2013 Final Result (After Interview and Allocation)

Candidates Appeared :	11406
Pass in written examination :	238
Candidates Finally Qualified :	220
Male Candidates :	161
Female Candidates :	59
Pass percentage :	1.93 %

Good luck to the newly inducted CSP officers. I wish them success in their Professional and Personal life too. The detailed final result of the CSS 2013 exam can be downloaded from here.

Online Distance Learning University Scholarships, 2014

Post by Scholarship-Positions.com.

International Scholarships at University of Brighton in UK, 2014

Post by Scholarship-Positions.com.

Netherlands Fellowship Programmes for Master’s Degree and Short Courses, 2014

Post by Scholarship-Positions.com.

Victoria Doctoral Scholarships for International Students in New Zealand 2014

Post by Scholarship-Positions.com.

Scholarships for Women 2014

Post by Scholarship-Positions.com.

International Ambassador Scholarships at University of West London in UK, 2014

Post by Scholarship-Positions.com.

COMSATS Virtual Campus

COMSATS University on the lines of Virtual University of Pakistan has established a Virtual Campus (at Islamabad) to promote Distance Learning Education in Pakistan, but is comparatively a little more expensive. The Virtual Campus operates through Study Centers which have been nominated in different cities throughout the country. The Study Centers are the places from where the students can obtain advising, counselling and anyother services required for interaction with the university. COMS

The Distance Learning Methodology similar to that of Virtual University has been adopted providing an advance Learning Management System (LMS) for the students which will be used for their learning. LMS is an online database which provides every registered student a profile he/she can login to and access his/her study material such as lectures, assignments, discussions with students and teachers etc; thus minimizing the direct absence of student-teacher interaction. 

The importance of Distance Learning in a country like Pakistan is very much evident which can provide low cost education in far flung areas where there are no universities nearby. Moreover it can help reduce the vast gap between the students passing higher secondary exams and those taking admission in the regular universities due to many factors such as job requirements and financial constraints (higher costs of study) etc.

Scholarships in Australia for Pakistani Students

Post by Pakistani Universities.

Shanghai Municipal Government Scholarship for International Students in China

Post by Pakistani Universities.

Study in Korea

Post by Pakistani Universities.

Study in Russia

Post by Pakistani Universities.

US Educational Foundation Fullbright Scholarship Award

Post by Pakistani Universities.

Bostan University USA Scholarships

Post by Pakistani Universities.

University of West London Scholarships

Post by Pakistani Universities.

Study and Work in Canada

Post by Pakistani Universities.

Open Merit Scholarships in UK for Pakistani Students

Post by Pakistani Universities.

Virtual University of Pakistan adopts Relative Grading System

The following was the announcement made by the Rector, Virtual University of Pakistan (Dr. Naveed A. Malik) regarding the university's decision to adopt the relative grading system with effect from Fall 2013:

Dear Students,

I am writing to inform you about some very important changes that have taken place in your academic environment. The Higher Education Commission has recently circulated a Semester Guidelines document that has been adopted completely by Virtual University of Pakistan. Two major changes, that will be beneficial for our students are:

1. Grading on the curve for courses having a large number of students. This means that instead of absolute grades, you will now be competing with one another. All students will benefit from this while maintaining relative positions in their respective courses.

2. The CGPA requirements for graduating from all programs equivalent to 14 or 16 years of education will now be 2.0 while the CGPA requirement for MS level programs, equivalent to 18 years of education, will henceforth be 2.5.

Overall, we are very confident that Virtual University graduates attain a higher level of understanding in their respective disciplines as compared to students from many conventional universities. The adoption of above measures will also ensure that their grades and CGPA become commensurate with their academic achievements.

You will be able to see the effect in the result announcement of the Fall 2013 semester.

If you have any questions, please feel free to write to us at GradingOnCurve@vu.edu.pk. As always, our students’ welfare comes first and we will try to answer all your queries.

With best regards,

Dr. Naveed A. Malik

Rector

ninthd Launches International Certifications in Pakistan in Urdu and English

ninthd (9th D) is a Pakistan based initiative that has entered in the education sector of the country with an goal to train people in economically viable (EVS) skills, so the youth of the country can further excel in their fields. To meet this task, ninthd designed international certifications in association with the top universities of the UK and US like UKCET and iCarnegie Global Learnings. The highlight of these programs is that they will be offered in Urdu and English languages that will enable the youth to receive high quality education without breaking any geographic and language barriers. The certifications will also offer practical solutions of learning-by-doing tools and formats that will develop a work force, which will play a vital role in the growth of a business.        

ninthd has made this experience even more interesting for the trainees, as it  has offered the programs in blended model. This means that students will not only be limited to online lectures and course materials, but they also get the opportunity to interact with their peers and some international students during group works at satellite campuses, which ninthd will setup all over Pakistan.

The initiative has also ensured that it has a rigorous assessment process, which will evaluate and certify the learning outcome. This process will enable ninthd to develop the required work force which will meet the requirements of both local and international markets. Whereas, trainees will be able to develop economically viable skill (EVS) at most affordable price and in very short period because ninthd’s programs will last from 8 to 12 weeks and cost no more than 12,000 Rs. to 25,000 Rs. The best thing about this model is that students will be able to learn at their own pace, as they can view the lectures again and again until they feel they have achieved full command over them. 

More importantly, students can take lectures or access online course materials at anytime from anywhere through their smartphones, tablets, laptops and personal computers. With this technology, trainees will not have to make any changes in their busy schedule, unlike traditional classes. The best part is that once the training gets over, students will be the master of tools and formats that are commonly used in nearly all the major corporations of Pakistan.  

Initially the international certifications of ninthd will assist students to develop skills around entrepreneurship, information technology and business management. Nevertheless, in the future it is anticipated that ninthd may introduce some new programs that will cover other areas. At this point in time, the initiative is looking to deliver one million EVS trainings or workforce development programs in Pakistan by building over 6,000 small campuses and leveraging technology.

The confidence of the team behind the project can be judged from the fact that they have already engaged leading corporations of the country to endorse their programs.           

Careers for Pakistanis

Ratio of the labour force employed by different sectors of the Pakistani economy;

In Pakistan where unemployment exists at an alarming rate (6%) coupled with high inflation (8%), people really are left with meagre choices to opt from for earning their lively-hood. A total of 55.7 million people of Pakistan constitute the labour force (those capable of and willing to get an employment) out of the total population of 180 million. The main sectors of the Pakistani economy providing job opportunities to these people constituting the labour force are the agricultural, industrial and the services sectors. The agricultural sector employs 44% of the total labour force, whereas the industrial and services sectors employ 20% and 36% of the employed labour force respectively. Do not confuse this with the contribution of different sectors in the GDP, which is a different thing. For example the contribution of these sectors in the GDP (of Pakistan) is 21%, 25% and 54% respectively. Therefore, the services sector is the largest contributor to the National Income or the GDP of Pakistan.

FPSC Consolidated Advertisement No. 2/2014 could not be published in the newspapers due to a ban by the APNS

The Federal Public Service Commission, Islamabad has announced / advertised different job vacancies in multiple government departments on 28th Feb, 2014 via the Consolidated Advertisement No. 2/2014. A press release issued by the FPSC on the same date declared that the advertisement could not be published in the newspapers due to a ban imposed by the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) on advertisements of the Federal Government. However, for the convenience of the desiring applicants, the advertisement is available on the FPSC website. You can only apply online for any General Recruitment jobs advertised by the FPSC. The last date for applying online for the current advertisement (No. 2/2014) is 17th March, 2014.

Study in England

If you want to study in England, then the following website has a lot of related stuff for your information and guidance;

CSS Competitive Examination 2016

Screening Test (A brief History and the current status)

In the year 2014, FPSC had announced to hold a Screening Test for the CSS Examination of the year 2014, with the prime purpose to short-list serious candidates. In this connection, the commission had also published a brief syllabus for the said screening test. But later on in the same year, the Federal Public Service Commission, Islamabad issued a Public Notice which notified the cancellation of CSS Screening Test 2014 and announced that the examination for the Central Superior Services for the year 2014 will be held as per previous practice. 

Afterwards, the FPSC advertised that CSS 2016 will be held from 18^th February, 2015 (see next paragraph for a link to the advertisement). Nothing was said in this advertisement about the Screening Test, which meant that the screening test was not be held for CSS 2016. But one thing is for sure, that future prospects for holding the Screening Test still exist for the year 2019 or the forthcoming ones.

Advertisement for CSS 2016

The CSS 2016 advertisement inviting online applications from the prospective candidates was been published in the daily newspapers of Pakistan. The cut-off date for applying online for the competitive examination was 31st October, 2015 while the cut-off date for determining the eligibility of candidates was 31st December, 2015. 

The candidates were required to apply online beginning from 1st October, 2015. After making online applications, they were to take a print out of their online applications and post or mail hard-copies of it along with the requisite documents to the Federal Public Service Commission within 10 days of the closing date. The desirous and eligible candidates could apply from 1^st October 2015 till 31^st October 2015 in online mode only at this link. Hard copies of the application could be sent at any of the FPSC offices throughout the country. The cutt-off date for determining eligibility of the candidates for CSS 2016 was 31st December, 2015.

Earlier, a preliminary advertisement had been published in the National Newspapers which said that the formal advertisement to invite applications from the candidates would be published later on in the last week of September 2015. 

A Guide to Foreign Scholarships/Fellowships in Pakistan

A Guide to Foreign Scholarships/Fellowships has been compiled by the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology (PCST) for the guidance of potential Pakistani students willing to apply for foreign scholarships. The council has compiled this guide through the information collected from the concerned ministries and donor agencies. The guide provides detailed information about the type of grants / scholarships, the study duration and the subject/fields for which the grants are offered. The eligibility criteria and the addressee (to whom the application for grant is to be made) are also given in this guide. Download this guide from here.

Shariah Academy, IIU Faisal Mosque Campus, Islamabad

Shariah Academy (Islamabad) was established in 1981 as an independent Institute of Training in Shariah and Legal Profession. Its purpose was (and is) promoting the Islamic Legal Philosophy, orientation in Islamic Law and the Islamic Concept of Justice through the training of Judges, Attorneys, Prosecutors, Lawyers and other Legal Professionals who are the key players in the Judicial System of the country. Later in 1985, the Institute was upgraded to the status of an academy thus now known as Shariah Academy and attached to the International Islamic University as its constituent unit. The trainings of the academy aim at equipping its course participants with the vision and capability to Islamize the contemporary laws in the country. To meet its objectives, the academy operates with three sections; Training Section, Research and Publication Section and Correspondence Courses in Islamic Law Section.

Dawah Academy, IIU Faisal Mosque Campus, Islamabad

Dawah Academy was founded in 1985. As the name suggests its mission is to launch educational, training and research programs for Dawah (meaning inviting people through the word of mouth to accept the supremacy of Allah the Almighty and thus follow the right path of submission to none other but Him). Dawah is an obligation upon all Muslims as said in the Holy Quran:

كنتم خير امت اخرجت لناس تامرون بالمعروف وتنهون عن المنكر

(Sura Al-Imran 3:110)

“You are the best Ummah; you have been appointed for the (better of the) people, you command for the good and forbid from the bad”

In the light of this Quranic verse, it is both an individual as well as the collective responsibility of the Muslims for i) living their lives in accordance with the teachings of Quran and Sunnah and ii) inviting others to do so. A saying of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is:

“Those of you who know even a verse should apprise others of it”

And thus whoever knows that the creator, owner and manager of every existence that we see or cannot see is Allah; and that we being creatures are answerable for our behavior before Allah should be eager to guide the wrongdoers with sympathy. As it is evident that nothing even in our world evolves of its own, there is the hard work of somebody behind who invents it; thus in the same way we the humans, our earth and all its resources are Allah’s creature.

To spread the knowledge to others, Dawah also necessitates Muslims to learn other religions and ideologies so that they are in a better position to communicate efficiently. Thus the study of mass-communication, history, languages, sociology and psychology also form an eminent part for the dissemination of the responsibility (Dawah).

Virtual University of Pakistan and University of the Punjab sign an MoU for exchanging their academic programs broadcast

Punjab University and Virtual University have signed a Memorandum to this effect on November 20th, 2012 according to which Virtual University will also utilize some of the airtime of Punjab University's FM 104.6. Read details at the following link;

http://virtual786.blogspot.com/2012/12/punjab-university-programmes-to-be.html?spref=bl