Pak students studying in Saudi Arabia to be hired as 'Khuddam'

900 Pak students studying in Saudi Arabia to be hired as 'Khuddam'
Islamabad: The Ministry of Religious Affairs will hire 900 Pakistani students studying in Saudi Arabia as Khuddam-ul-Hujjaj for this year's pilgrimage.

Under the Haj policy-2011, the number of local Khuddam has been increased from 250 to 900 whom's services will be hired at 100 riyals per day, official sources told APP.

"For the welfare services, Medical Haj Mission has been increased from 260 to 540, while 230 Khuddam will be drawn from Armed Forces, Civil Armed Forces and Pakistan Boy Scouts and the number of local Khuddam-ul-Hujjaj will be increased from 250 to 900 subject to availability of resources," they said.

This year, one dispensary will be set up at each residential building acquired for the Hujjaj performing the Haj under the government scheme. The facility, equipped with doctors and paramedical staff, will be functional round-the-clock, they said.

Around 180,000 pilgrims will be sent to Saudi Arabia for performing Haj under the government and private schemes. Under the government scheme, applications are being received from April 15 to May 10 through 5,000 designated bank branches from across the country. "This year, there will be no balloting for Haj as the applicants will be selected on "first-come and first-served" basis to ensure transparency in the entire process," the sources said.

HSSC exams from May 7
Rawalpindi: The Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) Annual Examination of Rawalpindi Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education will commence from May 7. The news

Uncertain start to academic year
Rawalpindi: Admissions given in the upgraded classes of six schools in the city may create problems for both the administrations and students as the education department has not yet notified their upgradation and provided them with the needed facilities, it has been learnt.

At the start of the new academic year this month, the administrations of two elementary and four primary schools in different areas of the city offered admissions in higher classes after the government verbally upgraded the schools, said teachers of these schools while talking to this reporter.

The Government Girls Middle (elementary) School, Morgah, and Govt Girls Middle School, Rajar, were upgraded to secondary level, while the Government Boys Primary School, Aliot; Government Boys Primary School, Dhoke Chaudhrian; Government Girls Primary School, Aria Mohallah, and Government Girls Primary School, Dhoke Kala Khan, were upgraded to the middle level.

"We had been directed by the district education office to enroll students in class-IX but the school administration has not yet received any notification in this regard," said a female teacher at the school in Rajar on condition of anonymity.

She said the principal had been directed to use the existing staff and facilities to start the new classes. "If a school is upgraded, more staff is inducted, additional classrooms are added and other facilities are made available," the teacher said.

Another teacher in the boys' upgraded school said it would be difficult for the existing teaching staff to take extra classes until the department hired teachers for the upgraded classes.

"Every year in May the examination board seeks registration of students of 9th class in all the public sector schools.

However, students who took admissions to the secondary level in the upgraded schools may not get themselves registered with the board on time," said Chaudhry Saghir Alam, the president of Punjab Teachers Union, Rawalpindi chapter.

He said in the absence of any official notification for upgradation of the schools, the administrations of the institutions would be unable to get their students of 9th class registered with the examination board. He said higher classes in the schools were initiated only after the approval of the required staff and addition of needed facilities.

Executive District Officer Education Qazi Zahoorul Haq could not be contacted for comments on the issue despite repeated attempts. Dawn