ISLAMABAD, JULY 14 (DNA) – Experts and civil society representatives have shown their grave concerns over least prioritizing the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 – Life Below Water that deals with the maritime affairs.

They urged the government to take immediate steps to tackle marine pollution, streamline its management in a more sustainable manner by amicably resolving the overlapping mandate of the federal and provincial authorities.

The participants also showed their trepidations and apprehensions for the extremely overlooked revised draft of the National Maritime Policy (NMP) that is lost in the government shelves for over three years.

They also suggested establishing a joint policy advocacy, awareness-raising and outreach platform for the maritime stakeholders especially on the SDG14 targets.

They were speaking at a multi-stakeholder consultative webinar organized by the Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan) and DTNTV on Tuesday. Well-known environmentalist and Devcom-Pakistan and DTNTV Director Munir Ahmed hosted and conducted the webinar.

Speaking on the occasion, Admiral (Retired) Asaf Humayun said that Pakistan was signatory to many international treaties and conventions on maritime affairs but we hardly had any significant implementation.

Maritime affairs hava also divided mandates between the federal and the provinces after the 18th amendment in the constitution.

On many occasions, he said, it turned to be quite confusing what role is of the federal and what role should be picked up by the provinces. Being far away from the Centre despite having the federal ministry, often the maritime affairs have no fanfare and sometimes we see duplication of work. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has all types of globally accepted regulatory frameworks, Pakistan simply adopts it for the sake of marine resource conservation.

Rear Admiral (Retd) SaleemAkhtar said we have three ports and a very long coastal belt to benefit from the blessings of the ocean but have no adequate policy and action plan to harness the benefits. More than 3000 million gallons of untreated wastewater is drained to the ocean. It has caused severe sea pollution damaging the fisheries. European Union has banned import of fish from Pakistan resulting one-sixth of the catch goes to the poultry feed and part of it consumed locally.

He said we need to take immediate steps to stop plastic pollution and flow of untreated liquid waste to the sea. We have defined parameters to check the oil pollution from the visiting ships and those we break in the shipyard. But SOP are hardly implemented in letter and spirit.

SDG 14: Life Below Water – Introduction and importance for Pakistan

Mirza Zeeshan Baig, Director General Maritime Affairs, Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, said the Federal SDG Unit in the Planning Commission is effectively coordinating progress with the partners and stakeholders. All tiers of government need to establish horizontal and vertical partnerships for coordinated efforts to achieve meaningful progress on SDGs. To achieve success on SDGs agenda a strong partnership between public and private sector and civil society is needed.

He also urged the partners and stakeholders to develop a platform for the SDG 14 to develop an integrated approach to combat the maritime challenges.

Talking about the best practices to tackle marine pollution, the UK-based Pakistani research scholar and Senior Research Fellow Central and South Asia at the East-West Institute Dr Najam Abbas said: Different countries and international forums have devised mechanisms to control marine pollution. SOP defined are religiously followed by the watchdogs. Many countries have taken strict steps to stop untreated water and they have found ways to stop the plastics flowing to the sea.

Highlighting the policy gaps, Karachi-based Staff Officer Research with the National Centre for Maritime Policy Research (NCMPR), Naghmana Zafar said: Maritime affairs are the least priority for the government from policy to action. After 18th amendment, most part of maritime was handed over to provinces without building up their capacity to handle it. Some functions were kept with the Centre. Lack of efficient policies and action agenda, the deep waters are left to the mercy of neglect. The new National Maritime Policy is long awaited but the government is busy elsewhere that shows lack of political commitment.

Khalid Taimur Akram, Executive Director of the Centre for Global and Strategic Studies (CGSS), said the adverse impacts of Climate Change has been witnessed over the world’s Oceans. They are heating up and causing the worst impact on aquatic life as many species have vanished, fishes are dying while the oceanic system is getting bleak that would not only result in wiping off more species but causing disasters too.

Kanwar Javed Iqbal, Sr Research Fellow with Islamabad-based National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA), said: Pakistan’s maritime agenda, federal government along with provincial governments of Balochistan and Sindh should take necessary steps for the promotion of applied research and its uptake in policies and processes. After the 18th amendment in the national constitution, it’s a shared responsibility for various segments of marine resources.

He said, for the purpose, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs (MoMA) needs to establish a research wing in order to ensure effective policy and planning cycle in collaboration with respective provincial and federal departments such as Environment Protection Departments (EPDs) and EPAs. The Planning Commission of Pakistan should provide an enabling role towards the planning cycle while academic institutions be linked for issue-based MS and PhD research where support may be taken from the Ministry of Science and Technology. DNA

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Pakistani Drama serial Jalan started on airing a few weeks ago. So far, five episodes of drama serial have been on aired. The drama serial is produced by Fahad Mustafa’s Production House “Big Bang Entertainment”. The Drama has in no time gained extensive public attention and has crossed millions of views on Youtube alone. Drama Serial Jalan revolves around a girl named Nisha (Minal Khan) and her loving fiancé Ahmer (Fahad Sheikh). Nisha’s elder sister Misha (Areeba Habib) gets married to a very rich guy named Asfand (EmmadIrfani).

Nisha starts comparing her fiancé with her sister’s husband. Instead of valuing the real wealth i.e, love and sincerity, she starts falling for money, luxurious lifestyle and wealth. Nishais blinded with greed to such an extent that she decides to get rid of Ahmer, no matter what is takes. She starts hurting Ahmer, Disrespecting him and insulting him. This hurt Ahmer badly but he ignores it as he is toes deep in love with Nisha She even involves her brother in law and asks him to talk to her father and help her stopping her marriage with Ahmer (Fahad Sheikh).

Ahmer who was so far bearing everything for the sake of love finally bursts out in anger when he hears Asfand interfering in his personal matter. But inside, he is badly hurt and broken. Ahmer walks into his room and cries with helplessness and pain. The way Fahad Sheikh has portrayed the suffering of Ahmer is just outstanding. His acting was so realistic that even you’d cry for Ahmer if you watch him crying on screen.

Later in Jalan’s Episode 4, Ahmer apologizes and begs Nisha’s father not to end this marriage. He cries and assures him that he’ll do anything but don’t separate him from Nisha, don’t end this marriage. These scenes will leave you in tears and you’ll actually end up feeling for Ahmer (Fahad Sheikh). What a brilliant peace of acting!

In the fifth episode, Nisha blames Ahmer for attempting to kill her however he is totally innocent in that scenario. The girl is so blinded with greed and jealousy that she broke the hearts and ties of two families who were tied together in blood relations. Ahmer is forced to leave the house and what happened next is for you to watch and find out! I assure you it is going to keep you hooked for the rest of it’s episodes.

Here are some Behind the scene pictures from the sets of Drama Serial Jalan

DNA

ISLAMABAD, JULY 14 – Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change in its meeting on Tuesday approved The Environmental Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2020 introduced by Senator Faisal Javed Khan after detailed discussion.

The meeting was held with Senator Sitara Ayaz in the chair here at the Parliament House on Tuesday and was attended among others by Senators Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Faisal Javed Khan, Muhammad Akram, Pervaiz Rasheed, Sana Jamali, Keshoo Bai, Minister for Climate Change Zartaj Gul Wazir, officials from the ministry and Environmental Protection Authority.

The Committee was told by the Director General EPA that the intended legislation is a much needed requirement for the Islamabad Capital Territory but the preventing littering comes under the jurisdiction of Municipal Corporation of Islamabad and CDA and MCI already have a huge human resource to ensure sanitation of the city but they have failed to do the same. She said that the Islamabad Local Government Ordinance of 2015 has many provisions, preventive measures and penalties on littering and the MCI should be asked why they haven’t imposed fines n littering or done efforts to curtail it. She said that EPA is not empowered to oversee littering and does not have resources to ensure implementation of the said amendment.

The Committee members were of the view that this amendment is a good start to improve the environment of the capital and should be adopted. The Committee assured the authority that all loopholes and capacity and resources related issues as well as those of overlapping jurisdiction will be taken up and discussed in the subsequent meetings by calling all relevant departments including CDA and MCI but that shouldn’t be the reason to stop carrying out legislation. Operational requirements and resources to implement the law are secondary questions and will come at later stages.

The Committee was also given a briefing regarding status of climatic changes (pollution level and migration of animals and birds etc) of Islamabad after COVID-19. It was told that 400 industries in Islamabad, combustion of fossil fuels for energy and transportation needs, 25-30,000 vehicles entering ICT daily, municipal waste burning and brick kilns are the major sources of pollution in the capital.

Particulate Matter (PM 2.5) a major cause of pollution in the city had a reading of 49.65 ug/m3 in November 2019 and has come down to 22.74 ug/m3 in June 2020 with the best figures coming in April 2020; 17.67 ug/m3. Any reading of PM 2.5 below 35 Ug/m3 is considered good for environment and in this way the lockdown resulting from COVID-19 was a blessing in disguise for the environment. The Committee was told that readings of other pollutants like Sulphur Dioxide and Nitrogen Dioxide are also under control in the capital and less pollen allergy cases were reported this year.

The Committee was also given details of the fauna of Margallah Hills National Park (MHNP). IT was told that there are 38 species of mammals, 218 species of birds, 82 resident species, 32 summer visitor species, 73 winters visitor species, 31 transit migrants, 32 reptiles and 9 species of amphibians in the MHNP. It was told that due to lockdown the trails were closed and on one hand the local species have been seen in growing numbers and on the other they have been seen coming out of the hills and into the city and so far 26 complaints have been received regarding monkeys and wild boars coming towards residential areas.

DNA

Islamabad, July 14, 2020:  Over the last 18 months, HEC has undertaken extensive consultations with over 1,000 individuals in 143 universities on measures needed to enhance student success. The consultations have led to the revamping of the undergraduate curriculum, and the introduction of “competency-based education” at all universities and affiliated colleges across Pakistan. Competencies are defined as combinations of knowledge, skills, behaviour, and interpersonal characteristics that enable individuals to succeed in their future life.

Several key meetings were organised in 2019, including two national dialogues, five regional consultations, and 10 thematic workshops. These involved 143 universities from across the country including AJK and GB, and over a thousand individuals, including Vice Chancellors/Rectors, faculty members from universities as well as colleges, college principals, Secretaries and other officials of higher education departments, and heads and officials of professional councils.

The Chairman HEC stated that the purpose of education is to enable students to succeed in their future life, not only in their jobs, but also in their social, political, and personal endeavours. Universities have to work in such a way as to maximise the probability of such success, especially through the undergraduate degree programme, which is the flagship of any higher education system. In practice, however, this has not been the case. A major reason is that very little attention has been given in the past to this question, and therefore to the substance and quality of university education.

He said that the new system is based explicitly on “competencies”, i.e., the determinants of future student success, and is designed to ensure that educational programmes orient themselves to the future needs of students. This shift will have long-lasting positive impacts on educational achievement and future success. The new system will be rolled out over the coming year, he added.

There are numerous and well known critiques of undergraduate education in Pakistan, especially from employers and admissions committees. The old curriculum does not provide Pakistani students with such essential 21^st century skills as critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, effective communication, quantitative analysis, team building, or research methods. The new curriculum is designed specifically to enable the transmission of these skills as well as interpersonal and behavioural attributes. More importantly, the new curriculum focuses on applying the acquired knowledge and skills to life’s challenges, rather than merely acquiring theoretical knowledge. It emphasises exploration, curiosity, discovery, and creativity amongst students.

The academic component of the curriculum seeks to balance generalization and specialization. In earlier semesters, every student must complete General Education (GE) courses in the major domains of human knowledge, i.e., Arts and Humanities, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Quantitative Reasoning, and Expository Writing, in addition to Pakistan Studies and Islamic/Religious Studies. In subsequent semesters, the students will move towards required departmental courses in their areas of specialisation (also called “Majors”). This sequencing is meant to provide the students with flexibility in the choice of their area of specialisation. Students will also have the flexibility to graduate either with a single Major or a double Major, or a Major plus one or two Minors.

In order to respond to the concerns expressed by potential employers, the new curriculum has made practical experience a mandatory requirement for graduation. All students will have to complete a summer internship in an actual work environment. In addition, students will have to choose an additional real world life skill, e.g., entrepreneurship and business development, civic engagement and network building, or participation in sports and competitions, and register for corresponding extracurricular activities in business incubation centres (BICs), student clubs, green clubs, sports, or university magazines. Although the practical work will be evaluated and included in the students’ record, it will not have letter grades or formal credit requirements.

In other words, the objective is to equip students not only with the latest knowledge in their chosen fields of specialisation, but also with essential life skills, i.e., effective writing and communication, introduction to quantitative analysis,

This framework will apply to all undergraduate degrees, including the four-year Bachelor Studies degree (BS), the degrees in any of the professions (MBBS, B.E., LLB, and the like), as well as the two-year Associate Degree (AD). Some details may vary for the different types of degrees, but the structure will be the same.

As designed, the new undergraduate programmes will make it possible for students to switch between degree programmes. For example, an AD holders may apply for admission to a BS programme and receive a transfer of credits from their AD to the BS programme. Similarly, a student admitted to the BS programme may exit just with an AD after fulfilling the credit requirements for the shorter degree. Further, a student admitted to a professional degree programme may apply for transfer to a general degree programme, or vice versa, provided they meet the admissions criteria of the admitting institution. This will also determine how many of the earned course credits and completed practical experience hours can be transferred.

The quality of undergraduate education cannot be improved solely by revamping the curriculum. To improve quality, reforms are needed in at least the two closely associated areas, namely effective teaching and meaningful quality assurance. Work has already started on these activities in parallel with curriculum reform. The National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE) has been established to invest in effective teaching methods. The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) is being revamped to streamline oversight of quality enhancement.

Partial support for the rolling out of the new undergraduate curriculum has been received from the World Bank-funded Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP). The HEDP is a five-year project (2019/20 – 2023/24) being implemented by the HEC. It aims to support “research excellence in strategic sectors of the economy, improve teaching and learning, and strengthen governance in higher education”. The Postsecondary Education Reform Unit (PERU) of the HEC is taking the lead in improving the teaching and learning component of HEDP.