KOHAT: The Kohat University of Science and Technology refused to delay the on-campus examinations as it partially opened on Wednesday following a students’ strike on Tuesday over the management’s decision to hold the regular examinations in a week.

The vice-chancellor made it clear to the students that the on-campus examinations would commence from the scheduled date of Sept 21.

He told Dawn that he was in Islamabad for a meeting and declared that nobody was empowered to take any decision about marking of the mid-term papers without his final consent.

However, some staff members said all of the students would be awarded 65 per cent marks in 70 per cent papers of the mid-term online examinations provided they ended the agitation.

When contacted, acting vice-chancellor Dr Tasleem Hussain, told Dawn that the students should not be worried that the varsity would do any injustice with them in marking of the remaining 30 per cent papers of the mid-term examination papers.

He said the students with cheating habits had benefited from free marks under the open book system in the online examinations for four months, but they now would have to sit the practical examinations under invigilators.

EXHIBITION: A first-ever exhibition of household and commercial items made from leaves of a shrub called mazri was held in Orakzai tribal district on Wednesday. The shrub is first made into a rope and then used for making different products like baskets, boxes and sacks.

Deputy commissioner Wasil Khan Khattak was the chief guest. Programme manager for rural development, Faheem Khan, assistant commissioner Imtiaz Khan and a large number of elders and tribesmen showed up and took keen interest in the items made from the shrub.

The deputy commissioner stressed on the occasion that the tribesmen should use mazri baskets for bringing groceries from bazaars instead of using plastic shopping bags which were hazardous for human health.

He asked the shopkeepers to also keep mazri baskets in the shops and give groceries to buyers in them. He said by marketing such products to other districts the tribesmen could earn a decent living.

Mr Khattak congratulated the tribesmen and the officials for holding a successful exhibition.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2020