April 23, 2009
Closing Ceremony of the Teachers Capacity Building Workshop by PAT
The closing ceremony of the Teachers Capacity Building Workshop by PAT was held on April 23, 2009 at the F.G. Minwala Girls Public School.
Pictures of the event as well as a report on the proceedings by Javed Jabbar are posted below. To view these pictures, click on one of the Library Buttons below.
Report by Javed Jabbar
Dear fellow Publicans,
Assalam-o-alaikum & greetings.
1. At a time when the "jaahil" Taliban are spreading ignorance and repression, Publicans are humbly promoting teachers' capacity to spread knowledge , understanding and respect for diversity amongst the Talib-e-Ilm of Pakistan.
2. On the conclusion of the 8-day Teachers Capacity-building Workshop conducted for PAT by Mrs. Rubina Naqvi of the Teachers' Resource Centre for the benefit of 21 teachers of both successor Schools, a simple yet engaging concluding ceremony was held at F.G. Minwalla Girls' Public School from 4 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. on Thursday, 23rd April, 2009.
3. About 50 persons attended. These included the 21 teacher participants, other teachers and staff, the 2 Principals and 2 Vice Principals, Lt.Col. Tariq Mehmood on behalf of the Directorate, 2 little girl students (daughters of one of the teachers), and 16 Publicans (names listed below).
4. Zohair Ashir, Convenor of the PAT Board Committee on Educational Initiatives welcomed participants and ably conducted the proceedings. After Tilawat of Surah Al-Ikhlas by teacher Mr. Aftab Hussain , Zohair Ashir introduced the programme. He invited 2 teachers, one from each School, to share their experience of the Workshop.
5. Both Ms.Humera Naz and Mr. Aftab Hussain , speaking on behalf of their colleagues , said that they found the Workshop to be an unprecedented opportunity for learning. They said that they had never before had a chance to absorb so much new information and so many new ideas and perspectives on how they could enhance their relationships with students and their ability to impart effective teaching. They paid fulsome tributes to Mrs. Rubina Naqvi of TRC for making the Workshop a memorable experience. They pledged to apply what they had learned to their tasks in the future and called for more such workshops.
6. Mrs. Rubina Naqvi praised the enthusiasm and diligence with which all 21 teachers took part in the learning process. She said that she herself enjoyed the experience as much as the teachers did and recalled that several years ago she had spent time at F.G. Minwalla Girls' Public School at a formative stage of her own research.
7. Mrs. Rashida Jalil, Principal of the Boys School stressed the values of humanism as being the ideal code-of-conduct for all, especially teachers.
8. Mrs. Musarrat Aslam, Principal of the Girls' School noted the great value of the Workshop to all, including both Principals and said that the Principals and Vice Principals had attended for all 8 days.
9. Both Principals expressed their warm thanks to PAT for this initiative.
10. Lt.Col. Tariq Mehmood said it was a pleasure for his Directorate to become a partner with PAT in seeking to restore the excellence achieved by the original Karachi Cantonment Public School. He announced that the Directorate had decided to allocate a total of Rs 2 million (Rs 1 million for each School) for new facilities at both Schools through projects to be jointly launched with PAT.
11. The undersigned appreciated the co-operation extended by all, and thanked Brigadier M. Asif , Lt.Col. Tariq Mehmood & The Directorate for their support and said that at a time in Pakistan's history when children are continuously exposed to a sense of insecurity and uncertainty about the country's future, including in their own homes, it was vital for teachers to become sources of confidence and inspiration for each student in order to build a stronger Pakistan.
12. Lt.Col. Tariq Mehmood and all Publicans present handed over certificates of participation, from both PAT and TRC to each teacher.
13. Zohair Ashir reminded all participants that the next PAT event will be on Thursday, 7th May 2009 at the auditorium of the F.G. Minwalla Girls' Public School comprising 2 events :
a. Presentation of 16 computers, 8 for each School , donated by Sabiha Pervez and by HSBC.
b. The First Distinguished Publican Lecture to be presented by Javed Jabbar on the subject of "the unique origins of Pakistan : a voyage of discovery in search of a new destiny".
Further details about the exact time will be circulated by 30th April 2009 ( most likely 11:30 a.m to 1:00 p.m on 7th May 2009 ).
14. The under-signed also thanked Zohair Ashir for his valuable efforts.
15. The Event Management Committee comprising Shamim Riaz , Nudrat Alvi and Dr. Masroor Afridi were also thanked for their organizational support .
16. Nudrat Alvi attended the Workshop for all 8 days on behalf of PAT
17. The event concluded with customary refreshing tea and snacks coordinated by Khawaja Fariduddin and served by a La Rosh.
Thank you for your attention.
Looking forward to your continued - and increased ! support to PAT initiatives.
With best wishes ,
Javed Jabbar
Chairman , PAT
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Names of Publicans present on 23 April 2009 :
1.Mr. Khawaja Fariduddin 2.Mr. Zaffar A. Khan 3.Mrs.Sabiha Parvaiz 4.Mrs.Nighat Mir 5.Mr.Khalid Zaki 6.Mr.Ashraf Kapadia
7. Mrs. Yasmeen (Honey) Kapadia 8.Mr.Zohair Ashir 9. Mr.Atiq Rehman 10.Mr.Shamim Riaz 11.Mr.Tariq Siddiqui
12.Ms.Nudrat Alvi 13. Dr.Masroor Afridi 14.Mr.Fahim Siddiqui 15.Javed Jabbar 16. Muhammad Saeed Khalid