KU VC pays a surprise visit to Mass Communication

Tehmina Qureshi

September 9th, Karachi: The Vice Chancellor of Karachi University paid a surprise visit to the department of Mass Communication on Thursday, after the students of the department had complained of the unavailability of modern equipment for practical work in the department to the Governor of Sindh last week.

Prof. Dr. Peerzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui inspected the classes and the practical lab, while giving directives that the chairperson of the department and the teacher of electronic media of the final year, to meet him next morning to discuss the issue of providing modern digital cameras for the students' practical work.

Five students of Mass Communication had gone to the Governor House with 92 other students from other departments of the University of Karachi and had voiced their concerns over the unavailability of modern digital equipment, presence of armed rangers inside the university, and illegal political activities in the university. The students had also requested to be able to work with the media cell of the Governor House and to manage their communication and PR.

Related stories on:
http://thefinancialdaily.com/news/national/ku-vc-inspects-mass-comm-dept-12037.aspx
http://www.thenews.com.pk/08-10-2010/karachi/8806.htm

Former CR sprains ankle, calls it ‘a painful lesson’

Ammar Bin Yasir

Karachi 2 Oct: The former class representative of second year Mass Communication department sprained her ankle while descending the stairs beside Abdul Bhai’s canteen here on Monday.

Maimoona Ejaz, who is usually seen on the front row of most of 2nd year classes, let out a shriek as she missed and slipped three stairs and received an inward-sprain on her right ankle.

Students around her immediately stood up to help and carried her to the nearest sofa since she was in acute pain and unable to move her injured leg. “The pain was excruciating” recalls Maimoona, who’s fondly called Momo by her friends.

Despite the mishap she was adamant to attend her sociology class which was about to start. She asked a friend to call a rickshaw, and finally paid Rs.30 for it.

“Paying Rs. 30 for the rickshaw was even more painful, I almost cried” remembers Momo, who now wears an ankle- brace hidden by socks.

After university, she went to a physiotherapist, who after inspecting her injury, said it was a first degree ankle sprain that temporarily damaged her tissues and ligaments and she will be fine in a week’s time. 

“I want to say to the students of the department that learn from me, I don’t want you experience what I went through. Whenever you’re using the stairs be careful or else you’ll have to pay Rs. 30 for nothing,” said Momo, holding back her tears - AP 

Compulsories Crap

By Shumaila Rais

 “Compulsories”. Whenever this word comes to mind, I suddenly start thinking about countless chromosomes, DNA and Math’s Xwhich is never found. From last two years we are studying many unnecessary things in the name of “compulsory subjects”. Along with our necessary subjects there is a rule that a science student will study arts subjects like Sociology, Economics etc and an Arts student studies science subjects like Mathematics, Computers, Science etc.

I did not get the reason behind this concept of studying compulsory subjects. I am student of journalism and all my subjects must be related to journalism like news writing, news composing, editing, or media studies. Then why am I studying Mathematics and Everyday Science? Will these chromosomes, DNA and finding an ‘X’ help in our field?  On the other hand these subjects are very tough for students studying Arts. Those students who did their matric/intermediate from Arts face horrible problems in studying science sometimes. These subjects become a reason for bad marks and grades because average students can’t understand science.

KU should teach subjects according to students' selected fields because a student wants to take command over their selected fields. At the same time every subject is charged for its exam.Then what’s the point of spending money on these useless subjects? Till now, we have had to study eight unnecessary subjects in the name of Compulsories. Think for yourself what helps more, to a journalist, science and computers or journalism techniques?  Think about it!

My journey to journalism

By Aden Dahir

People are always in situations of taking decisions, not just in professional life but also in personal life. Each decision that we take draws the map of our lives. That is why it is important to know how to draw the map right-take the right decisions. It should be mentioned that when a person takes a certain decision it affects other people too, and it is a serious responsibility that should be taken seriously.

The dream to be Mass Communication student was  journey which started in 1997, when I was an intermediate student in Somalia. I was usually reading daily news papers and monthly magazines, listening to BBC Focus on Africa and BBC Somali Service,  I imagined about how I would become  a journalist one day.

 Of course, it was a great time for me, because I realized that having an imagination is important for every one who wants to achieve something. Sometimes your goal could be beyond your imagination, or less than what you expect to be in your coming days, however it doesn’t matter on which level you reached, but  made you grow personally is what counts. 
All days are not the same, there are bright days for every one as well as dark ones. For me at 12th December 1997, at 20:20 pm after I watched the news hour on BBC World News, I decided to be a journalist.  It was hard decision that made me struggle for many years.

In my high school I used to write articles and features for the monthly school magazine, and ultimately I became the Editor of that magazine for one and half year. Through that job, I became a reporter for a city newspaper.

In March 2006 I achieved another targeted goal; as I became a news-team member of Al-Jazeera office in Mogadishu-Somalia.  I remember my first day.

After the final decision that I had taken, I started for searching universities in Asian countries including Pakistan, for Mass communication studies. I sent my academic documents to the Embassy of Somalia in Islamabad and after a few weeks and the embassy had informed me that my admission documents were submitted to KU and is going to announce the admission in the coming weeks.  After 30 days the admissions of Karachi University were announced and fortunately my name was amongst the list of those who had been  selected as the batch of 2013. After completing of all necessary requirements eventually I joined University of Karachi to be a Mass Communication Student that I am in today.

  Ten years back I had a  beautiful dream that become reality today. Now I have another dream that I decline to mention it here and now in the hope that they would become true, Inshallah. Believe in what you want to achieve and what you are motivated to do. You will reach your target.

Volunteer education program for illiterates annnounced by Ishrat ul Ibad

By Tehmina Qureshi

Thursday, 30th September: Governor of Sindh announced the formation of a volunteer education program to be piloted by the University of Karachi in which 150 000 students would take part, and teach illiterates to read and write. He also stressed the need to initiate a volunteer program in universities for their students.

Dr. Ishrat ul Ibad was responding to questions posed by almost 100 students who had been invited to the Governor House for an interactive session with the Governor, along with the Vice Chancellor, Pro Vice Chancellor, Registrar, and faculty members of KU.  The governor also had an hour long meeting before the session with the Vice Chancellor of Karachi University.

During the question and answer session, students from Mass Communication informed the Governor about a “briefing” they had been given about not asking controversial questions. The governor however, immediately encouraged everyone to ask whatever they wanted to, but he refrained from answering them. The students questioned the governor about illegal student politics and the presence of armed rangers inside the university.

The hot topics for questions and requests to Dr. Ibad were about the lack of enough points in the University for commuting,  and illegal political activities at the campus.

In his remarks Dr. Ibad stressed the need to channelize the students’ enthusiasm which was exemplary in volunteering for the aid of flood victims and lauded the spirit shown in coming to the governor house for helping in the packing of gifts for those affected by floods.  He said that the youth are frustrated about the problems of their country but nation building needs time and patience. He said that the problems of Pakistan were more diverse than other countries of the same age like, India and China. He also remarked that out of the total votes, only 12 to 15 percent were literate votes. 

The students part of the volunteer education program will each teach five to six illiterate people to read and write. The Governor also stressed the need for volunteer work to made part of the curriculum with the incentives of 10 marks and certificates.

The Vice Chancellor, Dr. Peerzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui praised the students’ enthusiasm about volunteer work and highlighted the varsity’s efforts in raising and the aid of flood victims.

Related report on this link: http://thefinancialdaily.com/news/national/illiterates-to-get-education-vows-ebad-9411.aspx 

Idle students organized Protest against Aafia’s Sentence

Mohammed Ammar Bin Yaser

Karachi, 29th September:  A group of non-partisan students of Mass Communication department organized a protest rally against, what they say, a harsh and biased verdict meted out to Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s in US.

The rally was organized by Ahsan Raza Firdausi, a final year student, who enjoys a reputation of being the leader of the politically lazy students of  MassComm department.     

Ahsan Firdausi, popularly known as Ahsan Bhai, was seen all pumped up, desperate to flaunt the strength of what he called "the non-partisan majority." 

To make the rally a success, he coaxed a junior into buying a brand-new mouth speaker, or Bhopoo, for the occasion that cost the kid a whopping Rs. 1200; collected Rs. 10 from students and brought a number chart papers and markers, and made placards.

Girls, with a reputation of good-handwriting, were seen in the lobby, busy scripting the spotless sheets with black markers in English and Urdu. They came up with razor-sharp catchphrases and slogans, condemning the gross injustice done to the daughter of Pakistan. 

In the mean time, Ahsan Bhai was found actively stirring up the long-dead conscience of lazy students – pleading them to join the march and make a difference.

By noon, a total of seventeen students agreed to ‘make a difference’. They left the cool and the cozy shadow of the department building and came out under the scorching sun.

Following their leader, they went to the Silver Jubilee Gate, where a handful of bystander joined them. And the protest began.

A number of students spoke ad-lib on the occasion. And the majority peacefully held the placards.

Cognizant of the ever-possible ugly implications for raising his voice on a political issue in KU, Ahsan Bhai, made it a point to loudly declare on the Bhopoo that the rally was purely nonpartisan in nature and was in no way encouraged by any political party.

He, and other speakers who joined the rally on the way, urged responsible citizens to use ‘pressure-building’ tactics and force the government to take necessary steps to bring Dr. Aafia home.

The sun was so torturous that the reporter found it impossible to wait for the event to end.  So he left in the middle of the protest, and was later informed that the protest ended peacefully and there was nothing worth reporting about the event further, so Ciao.  - AP :P