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DERA GHAZI KHAN: Smartphones uploaded with curriculum will be delivered to the faculty and students on their admission to the university.
This was stated by newly-appointed Vice Chancellor of Ghazi University, Prof Muhammad Khalique Ahmed, here on Saturday at a welcome ceremony organised by the Urdu department.
He said the university was planning to give iphones with curriculum and books apps to students to convert the campuses into cyber campuses.
He said the students and faculty would be in contact round the clock and students could use respective e-books.
He said students would have to bear a nominal cost and they could save money spent on purchase of expensive books.
The VC said he himself was using iphone technology to remain linked with international academicians and PhD students.
He said the existing library would be converted into a modern one equipped with cyber technology.
Earlier, the vice chancellor inaugurated the model class room equipped with all cyber facilities.
Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2016
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Comments (21) Closed
Jan 17, 2016 12:49pm
lol trying to be modern but infact it would backfire.
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Jan 17, 2016 12:55pm
Very good initiative!!
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Jan 17, 2016 01:28pm
This is a good step. I hope all educational institutions will follow suit and harness the positive effects of IT. The Government of Pakistan in Center, provinces and local governments should also use such technology and initiatives, which in Europe and USA started in 1980s with the use of computers. In our governments, many offices are using computers as a "electronic typewriter with memory". Using emails, ebooks, PDFs, databases is still a distant dreams in many of the ministries, departments and governmental institutions. Reducing paper will also reduce the commercial and environmental cost. Syed Mudathir Shah
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Jan 17, 2016 01:37pm
Brilliant!!!
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Jan 17, 2016 02:06pm
Not a bad idea.
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Jan 17, 2016 02:20pm
Why is it that I smell a scam here? Considering the price delta between an iphone vs say an ipad-mini the later being conserablely cheaper (yet still above the Rs 45K mark) and more suited to a students needs compared to an iphone(i.e. one of the most expensives that can be bought),it is apparent that someone in the university management just wants to just make some extra cash on the side.
Also I'd be interested to hear what this nominal charge for providing an iphone to students is, as it may very turn out to be a deterent rather than being an enabler for poor students.
Lastly whilw loading text books on an electronic device may seem like a good idea it may be morally questionable since the university doesnt own copyrights to any textbooks , one wonders who would pay the price of the books loaded on the devices to the publishers?
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Jan 17, 2016 02:39pm
The initiative and idea is good. But you cannot replace the physical book experience. I know because I am a PhD researcher myself !
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Jan 17, 2016 03:35pm
Good to see DAWN has covered (perhaps first time) a university having world record for being "VC-less university for years" under present Sharif s government (Actually it should not be called a "university" considering its faculty and infrastructure gaps.) Instead of smartphones, Mr VC should explain first why he did not take charge of his office after being appointed VC months ago? And now, rather than establishing and expanding faculties of modern sciences and international level research centers, he is more inclined to lollypop initiatives. A typical "Punjab govt. gimmick" !
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Jan 17, 2016 04:37pm
And we all know what the students are going to do with these gadgets.
The pinnacle of stupidity and ineptness, waste of resources and efforts.
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Jan 17, 2016 06:02pm
Good
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Jan 17, 2016 06:23pm
They should just make a school website and upload all the data which can be accessed from any device. Here is Canada, elementary school students get their homework on their school website. Plus they can send messages to their classmates and their teachers from the same website. Why waste money on iPhone?
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Jan 17, 2016 06:44pm
@Mudathir Shah Very nice ideas
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Jan 17, 2016 06:49pm
@Zala This idea is more practical and useful than having smart phones issued on payment.
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Jan 17, 2016 07:41pm
Book reading is much easier on print material compared to digital one. I still prefer to buy and read even if it is available online... may be I am getting old..:)
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Jan 17, 2016 07:51pm
We need technology based approach to evolve out of the dark age of ignorance.
We are not yet well connected with world class Universities and Research Institutes merely because we have not yet explored the strength of IT and got benefited from its significant role in uprising the standard of education and research and making world, a globe, in literal sense.
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Jan 17, 2016 08:05pm
Every year kids sugffer because Punjab text book borad does not publish and supply books on time. Why not upload PDF books on their website so that every body can download and print. Is it some neuroscience/rocketscince?
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Jan 17, 2016 09:13pm
@Zala
Same here in India
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Jan 18, 2016 04:09am
Stupid idea , had this been such a good approach ... why hasnt any of the dozens of very developed country adopted such a stupid thing?
how can you upload a book to a phone? do you have all the copy rights of all the books?
who reads a book on something as small as iphone? you want your students to be blind by the end of their studies?
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Jan 18, 2016 06:54am
@Imran in the world outside Pakistan, no one cares for a PakistanI PhD. Everyone knows how easily you can buy degrees and PhD.
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Jan 18, 2016 07:53am
Would the VC give a reference of a single country where smart phones are being used for education purpose? How many people in this world read books on 5" light emitting screens? Folks try to read some book that has diagrams, tables or mathematical equations on phone and share your experience.
Sahabaz Sharif has appointed a VC having same level of IQ and caliber as Mr. Sharif himself has. Feeling sorry for my native city DGKhan.
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Jan 19, 2016 02:41am
It's like purchasing decorations for a car that you do not have. Quality teachers with quality administration, is the first important thing that is still missing quite a bit.
Tech is helpful but nothing without the core things. I've had more good teachers use white/black boards than things more modern.
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