Karachi’s ambitious project to install 10,000 video surveillance cameras here seems to have gone out of government priorities, as it got only Rs11 million for next financial year. However, a major part of a similar project included in ‘Safe City’ program was duly covered on priority. Thousands of high resolution surveillance cameras are to be purchased under ‘Safe City’ project, but it did not reflect in the budget. Only Rs60m had been allocated for the scheme, approved in October 2016 and is to be completed by 2020, but not a single penny was spent on it in current fiscal year budget. Sindh Police Video System Extension has been given Rs10.9m for next fiscal year. The project is an integral part of the scheme in which 10,000 cameras will be installed at 2,000 locations in Karachi. Sindh CM Syed Murad Ali Shah had approved the project in October 2016 and said the cameras would be installed in three years. Officials said that over 2,000 areas had been identified in terms of criminal activities for installing cameras which would be connected with command and control centre. The government had earlier allocated Rs200m for installing surveillance cameras at places of worship of minority communities in Sindh, and Rs100m had been released during current fiscal. Officials admitted the spending is not more than 11% of released amount. The project was initiated in 2016 after certain places of worship had been vandalised and some received threats.
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China should invest in local SMEs: FPCCI
The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has said the government must develop an effective strategy to attract Chinese investment in the SME sector, which offers low cost job creation and rapid poverty reduction.Chinese businessmen can help boost local SMEs through joint ventures in the industrial zones planned along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), it said in a statement. The transfer of technology from Chinese businesses to their Pakistani counterparts can modernise existing SMEs. Atif Ikram said the development of the proposed industrial zones along the trade route will benefit the SME sector, which is the backbone of the economy.Mr. Sheikh said that development of the SME sector is necessary for equitable and inclusive economic growth.`China must support Pakistan in developing its comparatively advantageous industries in the mining, agriculture and manufacturing sectors, he said.
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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the road to flourish
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, work on construction of seventeen Industrial Economic Zones is in progress, under China Pakistan Economic Corridor CPEC. Radio Pakistan quoting official sources said that these zones are being constructed in Hattar, Rashakai, Ghazi, Jalozai, Chitral, Bannu, Karak, D.I.Khan, Nowshera, Buner, Swat, Gadoon, Jehangira, Mansehra, Kohat, Battagram and Risalpur. The project will be completed at a cost of about thirty-three billion rupees by 2025.
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Chinese not buying industrial plots in Karachi
Chinese investors have not yet shown any interest in acquiring plots in industrial areas of Karachi like SITE (Sindh Industrial & Trading Estate). Chinese are generally investing in auto sector, but do not appear keen on setting up other plants. Market watchers consider cost of plots as a factor discouraging Chinese investment in Karachi. In auto sector, Chinese deal specially in light commercial vehicles, cars and vans. Five Chinese auto companies jointly with local partners have applied for investment in setting up plants in Pakistan – 3 in Lahore and 2 in Karachi. Mashood Ali Khan, Chairman Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts and Accessories Association (PAAPAA), said his members are entering into joint ventures with Chinese. They are entering bike parts manufacturing without involving Pakistani partners, which is alarming. About this we have informed the government, he added.We will be happy, to see Chinese make us 10-20 % partners as it will create jobs, he added. Asad Nisar, Chairman SITE Association said Chinese are procuring cheap land which is not available in SITE where prices hover between Rs150 million to 200 million per acre. Chinese are interested in trading goods like tyres, consumer goods and plastic items instead of setting up factories, he said. And added, they look towards Port Qasim Industrial Area where land price is comparatively lower than SITE and Korangi Industrial Area. In SITE, some Chinese investors have been present for several decades. Their supervisory staffs and petty contractors are visible in KII and KIII projects, he added. Masood Nagi, Chairman Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) confirmed that Chinese have kept out of KATI where land prices range between Rs200m-Rs300m per acre. Chinese are installing waste treatment plants, RO plants, sewerage system, water desalination and some other mechanical and engineering works, he said. Jawed Bilwani, Chairman Pakistan Apparel Forum said, No Chinese company has contacted us for any deal. I do not see any China-Pakistan joint venture in apparel sector as Chinese garments are cheaper, he added. Jawed Suleman, Chairman FB Area Association of Trade and Industry said, `So far not a single Chinese company has shown interest in our area despite two meetings with Chinese Consul General. Akhtar Ismail, Chairman North Karachi Association of Trade & Industry also has similar views.
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Goods train relaunch lauded
Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) has welcomed re-launching of Goods-in-Transit-to-Afghanistan (GITA) train after the service remained closed for seven years. PAJCCI Senior VP Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi has in a statement hoped federal government would withdraw statutory regulatory order (SRO) 121. The steps would allow handing over empty containers in Karachi to shipping lines to let 70% Afghan Transit Trade goods shift to Iran’s Chahahar Port and be attracted back to Pakistan. He said that restoration of GITA train was long standing demand of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and Frontier Customs Agents Group. The decision was hailed by all stakeholders including customs clearing, forwarding, border shipping agents and Afghan traders, who are satisfied over it. Chairman SCCI, Railway and Dry Port standing committee said federal government’s decision will provide cheap, secure and trustful goods transportation facility plus earn millions of rupees revenue for railways and also strengthen provincial economy.
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Dr. Faizullah Abbasi reappointed as VC DUET
Sindh Governor and Chancellor Mohammed Zubair has appointed Dr. Faizullah Abbasi as Vice Chancellor of Dow University of Engineering and Technology Karachi for further four years. The Governor also appointed Prof Dr. Mohammed Tufail as Pro-Vice Chancellor of NED University of Engineering and Technology Karachi for a four-year term. Dr Faizullah Abbasi is the first vice-chancellor of DUET who had assumed charge of the office today in 2013.The institution, which was formerly known as Dawood College of Engineering and Technology (DCET), received university status recently in February 2013, when the Sindh Assembly passed an act.He has been the Head of Mining and Metallurgical engineering at Mehran University of Engineering and Technology. Dr Abbasi did his post-graduation in production management from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, and a doctorate from Sheffield City Polytechnic, United Kingdom. He also served Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) as managing director and has vast experience teaching, research and administration.
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Subcontracting in huge CPEC projects
Govt, Pak companies face big challenge: Al Kazim Mansoor
Soilmat Chief talks about reasons why Pak companies fail to reap benefits from CPEC
There are two views in Pakistan in the backdrop of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). First, Pakistani industry will be devastated by this initiative, second, CPEC would not affect us at all. I do not agree with both the views as they are two extremes, says Al Kazim Mansoor, the Chief Executive of Soilmat Engineers while talking to Engineering Review.
Pakistan has never seen such magnitude of development which is being witnessed under the CPEC, he believes.
Initially, the impact did not appear as our companies which work under the guidelines of the PEC and PEPRA met the criteria—the work experience and financial stability—set for comparatively low-cost projects.The issue surfaced when big projects like Sukkur-Multan Motorway started coming, he said. Let’s suppose they cost Rs100 billion and Chinese companies are to pass on works worth Rs.30 billion to Pakistani companies provided they meet the criteria in terms of their work experience and financial strength. Unfortunately, Pakistani companies fail to meet the standards which were fit for them in smaller projects. Now, the Chinese companies seek permission for giving such contracts to others.
This is a crux of the issue, he believes.“This is an issue which, at least at the time, the government even do not know how to resolve.”
The question is how come big names like FWO and NLC also cannot meet the standards for acquiring huge projects under the CPEC?
Al Kazim guesses they may be exhausted as they are doing many projects like Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway, Karachi-Thatta National Highway and other full sections of roads.
He said there was yet another aspect as well. The Chinese are not westerners which give contracts to local companies as they find local companies cheaper. For instance, he said his company (Soilmat) worked on Reko Dik Project for which just 10 – 15 people arrived in Pakistan. They got the work done from them (Soilmat) and hired a foreign company for vetting their report. In contrast, the Chinese do it themselves. They pay $700 to $1000 to a fresh engineer who is equal to fresh Pakistani engineer thus the Chinese engineer is cheaper for them. In sum, Pakistanis may not have benefited much from them.
Moreover, purchases is also an issue. The Chinese companies have benefit of exemptions on import duties in Pakistan. They win projects because they bid the lowest rates as Pakistani companies cannot compete because of high taxation on purchases of material. This is a jolt to Pakistani industry.
Citing an under-construction building in Karachi as an example, he said: our developers also find Chinese companies cheaper and also better in building and material quality so they get attracted to them. Therefore, this question is not so easy to respond.
How to resolve it then? Is making consortium a way out if Pakistan companies do not meet standards for subcontracting?
“We are actually a hasty nation. We have to push things hurriedly. We do many things keeping elections in mind and it all becomes political too. There is no culture of thought process in the country. Like, Pakistan is going for the privatization of its airports—a decision which neighboring India took ten years back when Manmohan Sindh was the Prime Minister. They looked at all the aspects of the decision and implemented it. Here we are in hurry. It harms the country.
Yet another example is the projects launched by Mustafa Kamal in Karachi. They were done in a hurry and thus compromised quality. It also happened in Lahore but they now have expertise. Still the projects done in haste are faulty. When asked if the Chinese companies will bring workers from their country also? It seems so, he replied. Their eye is on benefits. I believe there will be some projects here on which Chinese laborers shall work.
On perception that there are a few companies in Lahore which get the lion’s share, Al Kazim said it was difficult to comment. Normally, the companies earn a lot of confidence of their client and consultant. They work together. Everything is open and every company is active. Thus, it is not possible to hide it if someone is denied. Relationships do work but still hoodwinking is not possible when there are many institutions involved. -
Education failure in Sindh
A truth which costs the writer its job!
For a decade, we have been boasting about grand education-sector reforms in Sindh. But things are not improving. Half of the schools in the province are still without basic facilities such as drinking water, electricity, toilets and furniture, etc. even though in every year`s budget documents, there is always a special mention about providing such essentials. Institutional inefficiencies and vested interests continue to plague the education sector.The second Sindh Education Sector Reform Project (SERP-II), a five-year plan with a total budget of $400 million, is about to complete its full cycle by the end of the current month. To everyone`s dismay, achievements under SERP-II are pretty much the same as they were at the end of SERP-I. We have not only squandered money, a World Bank loan, but have also lost time. Broadly, the project sets two main targets: increase school participation at the primary, middle and secondary levels, and improve students` learning outcomes. Specific targets included an increase in net enrolment at the primary level (six-10 years) from 61.6 per cent to 67pc, at the middle level (11-13 years) from 35.7pc to 40pc, and at matriculation (14-15 years) from 23.1pc to 26pc. These baselines were developed according to the Pakistan Living Standards Measurement Survey 2010-11. According to the latest PLSM data for the year 2014-15, released in 2016, there is no significant improvement in the above indicators. The government of Sindh may question the reliability of the data but it still would not be able to absolve itself of its due share of blame because the same source of data was used to design the baselines.
Another crucial indicator is the quality of education, where the situation does not look promising either. In 2012, the provincial education department started assessing the performance of students of Class 5 and 8 in three subjects: languages (English, Urdu, and Sindhi), Math and Science. These assessments were done though a third party, the Institute of Business Administration, Sukkur. Since then, the Standardised Achievement Test (SAT) is carried out across the province on an annual basis. To date, four assessments have been carried out. Again, the results are very disturbing. Overall, the provincial average score in languages for Class 5 was 32 pc and for Class 8 it was 37 pc, while the average score for Math and Science was around 24 pc for both classes.
The performance of the education department has been pathetic and there is no sign of improvement. Can this department, which received 18-20 pc of a share in the provincial budget, even justify its existence? Yet it would be unfair to not mention some positive developments, such as the biometric verification of all employees of the education department and the establishment of a directorate for monitoring and evaluation, amongst a few other things. Unfortunately, these small gains are being squandered. Some employees who were in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau on corruption charges, and submitted to `voluntary return` have not only been reinstated but even promoted. Further more, absent and irregular employees (identified as a result of the biometric exercise), whose salaries had been frozen, are now being facilitated in getting their salaries before Eid. The political leadership is eyeing the upcoming general elections, so its top priority is to consolidate its vote bank. And officers are so wedded to their posts that they are happy to find any ways and means to oblige the leadership.
Sindh cannot progress without an educated and skilled labour force. Who will fix it, and how? There is a no simple answer. First, understanding is required as to where the fault lies. Only sincere and honest efforts can steer us out of the education crisis. While working for international aid agencies, NGOs and the government of Sindh, I have observed a strong network of vested-interest parties. The situation has plummeted with the involvement of huge funds and poor accountability mechanisms. Whenever someone dares ask critical questions, all opposing forces come together to silence it. Therefore, to begin with, it is essential that the nexus be understood and exposed. Currently, plans are being made to get approval for SERP-III. Would this be wise after the failure of SERP-I and II? Why do we even need a loan when we fail to spend our own funds? Given the poor quality of service delivery by the education department, it would be prudent to put our own
house in order first. Is anyone listening? I doubt it. No one appears concerned about the education of Sindh`s poor; all the “haves” have withdrawn their stakes from the public education system. –(The writer Asghar Soomro was posted as Communication Specialist in Reform Support Unit (RSU) of the Education Department Sindh. His article appeared in Dawn).
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OBE and Cooperative Learning in Engineering Institutions
In the present time, universities, education regulators and teachers are involved in much discussion on how to best prepare engineers for future jobs in the industry. In this regard, questions such as “Should industry standards be taught as a discipline for its own sake or for the body of knowledge, skills and values to be derived from it (or both)?” and “Are projects executed during study as part of curriculum sufficiently providing the students exposure required to deliver on real-world job projects?” remain central issues in shaping the approach of teachers and policy makers alike. To address these questions, approaches such as Outcome Based Education (OBE) and Cooperative Learning are already in practice in developed countries. These approaches provide opportunities for promotion and adoption of best practices, developing linkages with industry, stimulation of innovation and diversity in engineering education in keeping pace with changing scenario of the world. OBE is an advanced model of education focused on achieving goals through approaches of Problem Based Learning (PBL), Linking Programme Learning Objectives and Outcomes, and Course Learning Outcomes. It is high time that efforts be taken for implementation of OBE based system in all engineering programs as “it is high time we must move forward from the old methods of education”. Benefits of OBE system includes more directed and coherent curriculum, graduates produced will be more “relevant” to industry needs and other stakeholders (more well-rounded graduates), and Continual Quality Improvement (CQI) becomes an inevitable consequence. Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) is trying its best to regulate the profession of engineering along international standards and has arranged several training programms on OBE based systems over last four to five years. PEC became a provisional member of the Washington Accord (an international agreement for accrediting undergraduate engineering degree programmes) in 2010 and is taking all efforts to become its permanent member. Under the guidance, and support of PEC, a very few engineering institutions of the country have embarked upon the OBE system for their selected engineering programs. Its implementation requires some additional resources and big efforts for regular faculty training. However, the benefits of Co-operative learning is still unknown in this part of world. The idea of Co-operative learning is to intertwine academic and practical training in an architecture that puts equal emphasis on theoretical knowledge as well as skills required for practical jobs. By introducing mandatory placements in companies and merging them in to study cycle of a degree course, future graduates could be better prepared for jobs nationally and internationally. Co-operative learning also promotes social and academic relationships well beyond the classroom and individual course creates environments where students can practice building leadership skills. There is a great need for HEC and PEC to jointly organize a workshop in this regard to eulogize its benefits and must take steps for implementation of cooperative learning in the engineering education of the country resulting in improved job perspectives for future graduating engineers.