ISSUE NO. 12 JANUARY 2009

Focus Fatimiyah

Premier University Relationships Established at FEN Fatimiyah Education Network’s Careers & Scholarship Depart-ment has initiated to invite re-nowned universities for students of FEN. Through this pro-active strategy students are empowered to pursue higher education at Pakistan’s best institutions.

FASTMr. Samiullah, Placement Officer, Ms. Mehwish Aziz, Computer Science Faculty, Ms. Sana Nehal, Telecommunications Faculty and Ms. Sana, student representa-tive of FAST spoke to students of Fatimiyah College on October 30, 2008 at Fatimiyah School of Early Childhood Education auditori-um. They provided an overview of their institution, orientation of reputed disciplines, admission process, scholarship and finan-cial aid opportunities, placement opportunities for graduates and last but not the least student ac-tivities at FAST. The top students of Fatimiyah College were given prizes by FAST representatives. The students thoroughly enjoyed the innovative presentation. For more details about FAST students can visit: www.nu.edu.pk

LUMS (NOP)Mr. Muhammad Asad ul Haque, Sr. Officer, Marketing & National Outreach Programme, NOPLUMS spoke to students of Fatimi-

yah College on November 18, 2008 at Fatimiyah School of Early Childhood Education auditorium. He encouraged students to apply for NOP. Students enjoyed the presentation and more than half of the students of Fatimiyah Col-lege will apply for the competitive NOP program. For more details about LUMS, NOP students can visit: http://nop.lums.edu.pk/

Textile Institute of Pakistan (TIP)Dr. Zubair Bandukda, President, Textile Institute of Pakistan, Mr. Aasim Ahmed, Research Assis-tant, Textile Research & Innova-tion Centre spoke to students of Fatimiyah College on November 4th, 2008 at Fatimiyah School of Early Childhood Education audi-torium. They provided students with an interactive presentation on careers in textile. Mr. Mohsin Rashid, CEO, Abbas Apparel Ma-chinery Co. graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour and shared his valuable insights to students on the textile industry. This uni-versity seminar provided stu-dents with a unique experience of both academic and the work en-vironment. It was great learning experience for our students. For more details about TIP students can visit: www.tip.edu.pk

Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education (DIHE)Professor Dr. M.M.H. Siddiqi, Dean, Business Administration, Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education, Ms. Sukaina Bhojani, Assistant Professor and Project Coordinator, Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education and Ms. Ma-

heen Rehman, Secretary to the Chairman, Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education spoke to students of Fatimiyah College on November 4th, 2008 at Fatimiyah School of Early Childhood Educa-tion auditorium. They provided an overview of their institution,

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FEN Trainers Facilitate at BBSYDPThe Government of Sindh launched a major youth develop-ment initiative, titled “Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Youth Develop-ment Program” (BBSYDP) for addressing the issue of poverty and unemployment through hu-man resource development in the province. The Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers (SPELT) is the lead consortium partner of BBSYDP for training youth in the areas of English, Youth Leader-ship, Science and Math. Through this programme SPELT aims to address the needs of the young generation to develop the skills of approximately 6,000 unem-ployed youth and equip them with strategies to operate in ed-ucational and other public and private sector environments as useful citizens. 11 consortium partners were involved in this project. These partners represent key institutions and organisa-tions of Pakistan with tested and proven track record. We are hon-oured to share that Fatimiyah Education Network was one of the consortium partners. 50 trainers were selected for this premier training program to im-part knowledge to 375 master trainers that had significant years of experience and some of them

had MPhil/PhD. degrees. Mr. Raza Abbas, Ms. Sukaina Bhojani and Ms. Bushra Khan were FEN Trainers who conducted training sessions to Master Trainers from Nov 3-22, 2008 at Karachi. Fatimiyah Education Network provided training to the Mas-ter Trainers in the field of career counselling, preparation of job documents (resume and cover letter writing) interviewing skills, how to conduct professional net-working as well as resources for students/professionals. FEN also researched and developed a teacher/student manual on the topics given above. This was the 1st time career counselling was addressed at the national level. The overall aim of the BBSYDP programme is to equip Pakistani youth with knowledge and skills through a high quality training programme that would enable them to become professionally capable and responsible individ-uals ready to contribute positive-ly to the changing wider world. All three trainers of FEN thor-oughly enjoyed the training sessions and it was one of their most memorable learning experi-ences!Reflection of Master Trainers on FEN’s sessions on page # 7

Ideal StudentMujtaba Ali Kazi

Class: IX Bio

An ideal student is one who is fully conscious of his duties and responsibilities he paves the way for the younger generations. The students of today are the leaders of tomorrow. A nation can prog-ress if the students have high ide-als before them. A student who scores high is not necessarily an ideal student. He may set a new record in the school but prove utter failure in real life. An ideal student believes in simple living and high thinking. He is fearless and bold enough to face the trials and tribulations of life. An ideal student lives in accordance with the strict rules of conduct and discipline. This is the time of life when the foundation of character is laid. It is said, if wealth is lost, nothing is lost, if health is lost, something is lost, if character is lost, everything is lost. A student without sense of discipline is like a ship without a rudder. He is fully conscious to ensure that no evil tempts him. He knows very well that a single rotten apple spoils the whole basket. An ideal student tries to understand, how much he owes to his parents. He realises that he owes a heavy debt to parents. He is a servant of humanity. Our country needs such students who have muscles of iron and nerves of steel. Such students alone can help the na-tion in achieving prosperity for the country!

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STUDENT’S CORNER STUDENT’S CORNER Effective Strategies

for StudentsMariam M.Yousuf

Class: XI A Science

Students are the future of a na-tion. They must equip themselves with the skills that are the need of today’s world. But now-a-days, students are very reluctant to-wards their studies. They take it as a burden and are more at-tracted towards playing comput-er games, using internet and all these sort of things. But it is not their mistake as they are loaded with so much home work that ir-ritates them. They remain unable to give equal time to their studies and other works. Tension of ex-ams is always in their minds. To overcome these type of problems here are some effective strategies that should be employed by every student for his/her own better-ment. • They should manage their time

in such a way that they can give equal time to studies as well as for other activities. They should work according to the planned schedules.

• They should visit recreational sites once a week to refresh their minds.

• They should avoid rote-learn-ing. It does not only consume time but it is not effective at all. Students should try to under-stand things.

• They should try to read between and beyond the lines in order to comprehend the books.

These strategies are very useful to cope with the challenges that a student encounters in his/her life. Friendship

Muzzammil HemaniClass: IX C

Friendship is a key to solve prob-lems which is not with every

My FatherZohair Merchant

Class: VIII B

Dear father;For caring a lot,For being there always,And for being the, Best ‘father always’I love you for all!A father always understands,A father always cares,Whether things go well,Or not somehow he’sAlways there.I love you for all!

The PromiseZohair Abbas Class: VI A

Within a seed is this seedlingWaiting to sprout;Within an egg is this hatchingWaiting for the crack;Within a heart is this loveWaiting to be kind;Within a child is this manWaiting to mature;For within all things is the prom-iseWaiting the day of fulfillment.

Saying that teachers are our “Sec-ond Parents”, won’t be wrong, indeed. As , if partents are the one, who’ve brought us up in the world, than teachers are the one who built up our soul. They serve us with their precious time, teach us and build up our moral char-acter, so that we might live an easy life in the world. They play different roles in our life, some-times coming as a guardian who teaches us the rules of society and grooms our character. Sometimes playing the role of a friend who solves our problems and gives us

good decisions and sometimes coming in front of us as our par-ents, sorting out our misfires, un-derstanding us and being with us in every walk of our life. What if there it be no teachers in the world?? As a result, all would be illiterate, having no man-ners and no knowledge. The life would be much more difficult. They, therefore are the most im-portant personalities for us, and its our responsibility to give them respect as told by our Prophet and Imam in various Ahadith. In the end, I like to thank all my teachers for being so kind, helpful and generous to me and helping me growing myself up. Without you, I really might not be able to gain respect in the society and that please forgive me if I’ve hurt you in any ways!!

TeachersShabi-us-Zehra Class VIII A

one. A friend should fulfill all the needs of his friend. The per-son who has friends is the lucki-est person in the world. A friend is one who always takes care in every stage of life and always be there for every help and coop-eration. A true friend is one who always points out the inaccuracy and gives suggestions to correct them. I pray to God that everyone would have good friends in his life.

SchoolAliza Mubeen Raza Pirani

Class VII D

School is the best placeTo study and learnWe usually sit quietBut sometimes also have funWe also have a playtimeTo play and runAnd when the day is over The bell rings tun – tun – tun

My Family Tatheer Fatima Class VI C

I love my Mom & Dad,They make me happy, not sad.I love my brother and sister, They are sweet not bitter.I love my grandmother,Her love is like a feather.I love everyone daily, Because it is my FAMILY.

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EditorialDear Reader!

Assalam-u- Alekum

Haj Mubarak to our Secretary Education Board Mr. Ghulam Abid Lakhani and our Executive Director, Mr. Minhas Tejani.We are thrilled to share the issue of Focus Fatimiyah 12. Popular features of the issue are profession in spotlight, alumni in spotlight, updates on university relationships with FEN, roles and responsibilities of FEN in developing and implementing the career counselling component at the BBSYDP (Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Youth Development Programme) , professional development trainings for teachers, and participation of the senior management forum (SMF) alongwith our faculty in the conferences are some of the salient features.We feel honoured that collective efforts and hard work of both the students and teachers in the form of Focus Fatimiyah has acquired popularity so quickly among our youth in the community and the youth at large. Take good care till the next issue.

Enjoy Reading!

Editors Ms. Sakina Nanji Ms. Fouzia Nawaz Mr. Raza Abbas Ms. Bushra Afzal Mr. Aun Raza Naqvi Ms. Amna Hussain

STUDENT’S CORNER STUDENT’S CORNER

As I walk through my room, I walk by the shady window which was half open. The chilly wind stocked me to feel something outlandish and so my mind trav-eled into a deep thought. How strangely life flips its angles! How suddenly, unknowingly, and mildly things get changed and we are forced to bow in front of time that cannot be altered. I look over the flashback and turn over to the pages where my school times are written. I was quite mischievous those days that were full of merriment and excitement. It was all rainbows and butterflies with my friends. Those memories

My School MemoriesHuda Fatima Class: XII Science

are stuck in my heart just like a tattoo, for always. I still remember those periods during which we used to have fun and learning at the same time. Those water fights at the back of school, high jinks in laboratories, breaking appara-tus and hiding them off, falling foul for expensive destruction-those were so cheerful moments. The cooking periods in which we never had any piece of interest but when it came to take the to-ken of what we have cooked, we used to take the token twice or thrice to taste the food again and again. Having that tempting food stuff unofficially had its different charm. There is an unending list of my memories. What wise and true words spoken about the role memories play in our lives: “They make us laugh when we remember the times we cried whereas make us cry when we re-member the times we laughed.”

Change begins with choiceShagufta Ghulam Abbas

Class: XI Science

If you aim to reach highMake your motto, just do or die!Success lies in the way of thoseWho daily take the perseverance dose.Hard work is the key to the door,Which makes you reach the success floor.The ones who depend only on fate, On reaching their destiny are always late.The world remembers only those names,Who work hard and acquire fame.So it’s solely our choice; what to choose,Do we want to win or simply to lose?The road to success is waiting your way,Get on to work; success is just a step away!

Qualities of a good leader

Ali RizwanClass: XII Commerce

Few people believe that like po-ets, painters, etc, leaders are born not trained. Well, here follows few qualities that are qualities of a good leader.• A good leader must have con-

fidence in him that he can lead his people; he can make them stand as one nation or group.

• He should have patience in him. He should not get angry or panic if things get wrong.

• He should be observant. He should know what’s going on around him. He should be very up to date.

• A good leader listens to all but do what he thinks is right.

• He should know the strengths and weaknesses of his people. He should be well aware that which person can do a certain task with perfection.

• He should not be a dictator. He must be a democratic support-er. He should take suggestions from everyone.

• A successful leader is one who has the support of his people. His people should love him.

• A good leader must be a good speaker. He should have the ability to convince others.

• Last but not the least; he should be loyal and devoted to his people with the best of intentions in his heart.

LifeAli KhizerClass: III A

Life is a bridge, cross it!Life is a feeling, express it!Life is a puzzle, solve it!Life is a game, win it!Life is a challenge, accept it!Life is a precious gift of God,Take care of it!

Friendship is a gift of God, with-out friendship there is no life, in my opinion friendship means

honesty, patience and sincerity with others because if these things are not present in a relationship so it will not be called friendship. Honesty is the main part of a friendship. We always make good friends who understand any type of our problems, support us any time, so I think it is a better way of friendship, so makes the good friend and enjoy your life.

About FriendshipFarwa Fatima Shabbir Class: IX A

Project work in ECE

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It is indeed an honor for me that Fatimiyah Education Network (FEN) has given me the oppor-tunity to share a few words with you about my educational back-ground which is leading towards a very bright career in Aviation Industry. First of all I would like to thank all the members of Edu-cation Board especially the Prin-cipal and all the teachers who really helped and motivated me towards this challenging career.My affiliation with Fatimiyah School started from grade IV and lasted till my matriculation. Then I joined Bahria College N.O.R.E-1 in Pre-Engineering group and completed my Intermediate in the year 2006. After leaving col-lege I decided to continue my studies and tried to become an Airline Pilot or an Aircraft En-gineer as the world of aviation had always attracted me. To fly or to work in a skilled and highly dedicated environment involv-ing airplanes had also been one of my dreams. Being an aviator, I take an airplane as the best ex-ample of Human Engineering. My passion was to become a

Commercial Airline Pilot and it still remains so, but many Pilots and Aerospace instructors ad-vised me to first study Aircraft Engineering, rather than to join

any flying school. There were two reasons behind this. Firstly, flying is a very uncertain career because if a person looses his medical fitness then he is grounded. In such a case I would be left with no qualification in hand except being an Intermediate pass stu-dent. The other reason was that having an Aircraft Engineering License is considered a plus point for flying, so I decided to opt for the second option. Alhamdolillah I managed to clear the required admission procedure of Pakistan International Airlines Appren-ticeship Aerospace Program. This engineering field is a bit unique as compared to other engineering programs and requires at least 5 years of training to become a ful-ly Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer. Since along with class room training it also requires on-job training experience / hands-on work on actual airplane for a minimum period of two years. Hands-on training really helps an individual to build self confi-dence to work with the huge ma-chinery even more efficiently and effectively.

An aircraft engineer will be held responsible if anything goes wrong during flight when an aircraft system / component mal-functions which was declared as

airworthy by him before depar-ture. Only because of this rea-son, this engineering program includes hands-on experience as a part of integrated training and only the Airline industry pre-pares students for this highly de-manding and challenging career.I am sure that by now you must be anxious to know “Who is an aircraft maintenance engineer and what are his duties”? The answer to your question is that an aircraft maintenance engineer is basically a person licensed for any specialized aircraft inaerospace or avionics (aviation-electronics) technology and he is responsible for the safer operation of an aircraft when it is airborne in accordance with the local and international aviation standards. There are two types of Aircraft Maintenance Engineer. One deals with the electrical portion of an aircraft and is known as Avion-ics Engineer. This electrical/elec-tronics portion includes, Cockpit Instrumentations, Navigation and Communication, Radio and Radar System and in short the complete electronic systems of an aircraft. The other kind deals with the mechanical operation of an aircraft, and is known as Aero-space Engineer. The mechanical portion includes the Aerody-namics, Flight Control Surfaces, Hydraulics and Pneumatics sys-tem, Landing Gears Systems, Air-conditioning and Pressurization systems of an aircraft and the very heart of an airplane i.e. the powerful engines that moves it with an approximate speed of 900 km/h. I will now summarize and I must say to all of my colleagues to pay attention towards this prestigious and evergreen world of aviation. A short message to all enthusiasts and passionate aviators that they should always work with great sincerity as this is a very respon-sible job. One mistake can prove very costly. But then you can be the one who can get the aircraft safely back in the sky.

Alumni in Spotlight

My name is Tahira Mohsin Ali Imani. I am basically a food tech-nologist. I did my B.Sc (Honors) and M.Sc in the year 2006 and 2007 respectively from the Department of Food Science and Technol-ogy, University of Karachi. I was awarded Brook Bond and Nation-al Food Gold Medal for acquiring 1st Position in B.Sc (Honors) and M.Sc examination. And inshal-lah from next year , I will com-mence my M.Phil studies from the same department as I believe that education without research is incomplete and this thought com-pelled me to pursue further stud-ies. I am sure that some people are unaware of the term “Food Technologist”. Basically a food technologist deals with all aspects of food processing, engineering, preservation, safety and quality control issues. It is a field of wide scope especially for a country like Pakistan, whose economy largely depends upon agriculture. Today I feel proud that I have ac-quired my early education from Fatimiyah Girls School and com-pleted my matriculation from this great institution with flying colors. I want to thank all my teachers who worked day in and day out to polish our brains and enabled us to pursue higher stud-ies. It is said that “A master cutter is required to turn a raw diamond into a gemstone”. And fortunately FEN is blessed with such master cutters. I also want to pay tribute to Shaheed Hameed Ali Bhojani who laid the foundation stone of this great education network which is now prospering by the grace of Almighty Allah.In the end , I would advise the stu-dents of FEN to keep themselves dedicated and focused towards studies and acquire higher educa-tion as it is the need of the hour as Quaid-e-Azam rightly said,“The students are the true pillars of our county.”

M.Phil Food & NutritionTahira Mohsin Ali

Future Pilot - Mohammad Abbas

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Please tell us about your educa-tional background.I have completed my high school education from Government Boys Secondary School No.1, Nazimabad No. 2 Karachi in 1978. My Intermediate from De-hli Boys College, Karimabad in 1980. I have earned my B.Sc (Hons.), M.Sc. and Ph.D. Degrees from University of Karachi.Completed my Post Doctorate Studies from University of Geor-gia, USA in 1999 under Fulbright Scholarship Programme of the United States Government.

Geographical Information Sys-tems is relatively a new profes-sion in Pakistan. Could you pro-vide us with an overview of the profession? Well it is only new in Pakistan but also in infancy in many de-veloping countries. Very simply every action or de-cision on this planet has spatial (geographic) dimension. GIS gives you visualization and ana-lytical power to understand the spatial dynamics without which you cannot take any decision. GIS was a very small world in 1960s, upon its inception, now a multi-billion dollar industry in 2000s. There are more than five million users of this technology around the world. The applica-tion is visible in almost every walk of life ranging from aca-demia, engineering, medicine, biology to natural disaster man-agement etc.

What motivated you to pursue a career in Geographical Infor-mation Systems and what ca-reer move did you make to get to your current position?When I was a student of M.Sc. in 1986 GIS had introduced as a part of course called Remote Sensing. This was appealing for me as it involved computer applications, which was then a buzz word. I had decided to work in GIS for the rest of my life and with the

support of Allah (SWT), I had earned a great deal in GIS which was not possible at a very young age. My career move was my consis-tency in the subject, and I was never a short-cutter and always believed in God. The key word is patience. I am honoured to share that cur-rently I am serving as the Profes-sor and Chairman of Department of Geography, University of Ka-rachi.

What subjects should one take and be proficient in school and college for this profession?The focus would be on Math-ematics, Computer Science and Geography. However, at KU, students from Pre-Eng., Pre-Med. and Arts (intermediate) are equally acceptable to earn a GIS degree. What are the minimum qualifi-cations to become a profession-al in GIS and which universities offer a degree in Geographical Information Systems?At the Technician Level a Cer-tificate Course in GIS and a basic degree like BS in Geography is fine.For Developer’s position MS in GIS is a plus point.For Manager GIS, a MS in GIS, or PGD in GIS along with Geogra-phy Degree.

The day of “GIS Professional” be-gins with the observation of real world and its transformation to a thematic layer (map). His/Her day is always spent in resolving some real issues of this world. What types of career options are available in the GIS profes-sion?Entry Level (Technician, Digitiz-ers, Draftsman) Intermediate Level (Developer)Management Level (GIS Man-ager)Most of the Government sector organization like Ministries of Environment, Health, Education, Transportation etc. both at Fed-eral and Provincial level. City District Administration are also having GIS sections. Notable or-ganizations are SUPARCO, Geo-logical Survey of Pakistan, Sur-vey of Pakistan, Soil Survey of Pakistan. Consultant companies and NGOs.

What types of ongoing training or certifications are necessary to be a competitive candidate in this profession?At the technician level a Certifi-cate Course in GIS and a basic degree like BS in Geography is fine.For Developer’s position MS in GIS is a plus point.For Manager GIS, a MS in GIS, or PGD in GIS along with Geogra-

phy Degree.Good programming skills in Vi-sual Basic and Java will provide a cutting edge in getting hand-some jobs.

What are some of the rewards and challenges of being in this profession?I think underestimation and over-emphasis are both great challenges for the GIS profes-sional. The real challenge is to create awareness of this wonder-ful profession for masses and de-cision-makers.

What is the future of GIS in Pakistan and abroad?I think very bright as the technol-ogy is emerging in many sectors of Pakistan. Many big organiza-tions like World Bank make it mandatory to deal in GIS data for the development. This would certainly sprawl the technology to the infinite limits. What keeps your passion in staying in this profession? GIS is not a monotonous field but very dynamic. This dynamism always exposes you to the un-seen worlds you have never ex-perienced before. You always get a new lesson on every GIS move which is always challenging and great experience. What advice would you give to students of FEN who are con-sidering a career in this profes-sion?Dear friends, you are living in a country where more than 70% population is below poverty line. There are children who have never seen a school door. But you are fortunate enough that you are part of FEN, a prestigious school of learning in Pakistan. After completing your education you must atleast prepare a child for basic education, who has been deprived of this education. May Allah (SWT) keep you on the path of Aim-e-Tahereen (AS).Wassalam!

Profession in SpotlightGeographical Information Systems (GIS)- Professor Dr. Jamil Kazmi

By: Raza Abbas

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Please tell us about your educational background.O - levels - St. Pauls High School, Karachi - 1988A - levels - St. Patricks High School, Karachi - 1990Diploma in Accounting, London Metropolitan Uni-versity, London - 1991Chartered Accountant -

Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW) - Qualified as ACA - 1996, became FCA in 2006. Passed first time at both Intermediate and Final levelManagement Program from INSEAD Business School, France - 2002

What motivated you to pursue a Chartered Ac-countancy career and what career move did you make to get to your current position?My father Shaheed Hameed Ali Bhojani was totally supportive in pursuing this career. I was guided by a friend who was already studying CA in Eng-land.• Worked for a firm of Chartered Accountants as

Trainee Chartered Accountant - 1991-95 - Lon-don

• Worked post-qualification for a Top 5 firm of Chartered Accountant - 1996-97 - London

• Joined ICI Pakistan in 1998 as Audit Manager. Worked as Financial Analyst, Finance Manager and then Finance & HR Manager

• Joined UBL in 2003 as Financial Controller. Moved to business side as Head of Credit Cards & Personal Loans in 2006

• Currently I am heading Premier Banking & Wealth Management at Barclays Bank, Pakistan.

What subjects should one take and be proficient in school and college for this profession?No specific requirement to take Accountancy or Fi-nance or Business subjects.High degree of proficiency in Maths and excellent numeracy required. Command and fluency in writ-ten and spoken English.Good subjects to study would include Economics. Please describe a day in the life of a Chartered Accountant.I am now in business management so my day goes as follows:Morning team meeting with direct reports to get updates and set priorities for the dayMeeting with Sales team to review yesterday’s numbers and progress against budgetAttend cross-functional meeting to ensure units such as Operations, Customer Service, etc are func-tioning well.Scan competitor news to see product develop-ments, competitor strategy etc

Talk to staff to coach, guide, set objectives.Rest of the day is to pursue business planning, for-mulating strategies, budgeting and financial plan-ning and deal with day to day matters. What is the difference between a CA, ICMA and ACCA? How will you rate each qualification? CA is the premium qualification. An analogy would be a car where CA would be the top of the line model.Main difference is that they are governed by differ-ent institutes. CA is more similar to ACCA, ICMA has slightly more focus on cost and management accounting. CA is the most comprehensive and well rounded qualification, and certainly the most prestigious. What career options do students have if they can-not complete their Chartered Accountancy? There are still jobs for Intermdiate qualified CAs in industry as well as banks. They can also follow a teaching career. What types of ongoing training or certifications are necessary to be a competitive candidate in this profession?CPD (Continuing Professional Development) is a requirement. CPD training credits can be claimed by attending ICAP courses / seminars as well as participating in other relevant events. What are some of the rewards and challenges of being in this profession?Rewards are prestige and good financial package. Also, well defined career progression in own field, opportunity to cross over into business manage-ment.Challenges : long hours, hard work (both to qualify and work after qualification), high degree of re-sponsibility and accountability. Under-apprecia-tion compared to business / sales / front end man-agers. What is the future of Chartered Accountants in Pakistan and abroad?Continues to be bright. Demand will always ex-ceed supply. There is zero unemployment in this profession. What keeps your passion in staying in this pro-fession? I enjoy the challenge of business management which enables me to use my all-round skills devel-oped as a CA. What advice would you give to students of FEN who are considering a career in this profession?Stay committed. Learn to be completely fluent in English. Be prepared to work very hard.

Profession in Spotlight: Chartered Accountancy - Sohail Bhojani

Training for Social Studies Teachers on

Citizenship EducationThe aim of citizenship education is to promote a culture of peace and harmony, where democratic principles are nurtured, diversity is valued and human rights are protected. In order to teach citi-zenship education, it is important to first educate the teachers who are at the heart of teaching and learning process. With this view a five day workshop from 16 to 20 September 2008, was organized by Idara-e-Taleem-o-Agahi (ITA) at Fatimiyah Education Network. The objective of workshop was to equip teachers with knowledge, skills and disposition required to teach citizenship education effec-tively. Teachers from Fatimiyah Education Network and Govt. Pilot Girls Secondary School, PECHS, participated in the work-shop, which was facilitated by Ms. Rakshanda Ovais from Fatimiyah Education Network and Ms. Cas-sandra Fernandes and Ms. Umme Laila Amin from Aga Khan Uni-versity – Institute for Educational Development.In their feedback participating teachers expressed their satis-faction about the sessions. They liked the concept of citizenship education and reflected that for a better and peaceful society under-standing of citizenship education is essential. They showed eager-ness to attend such workshops in future as well. They particularly found teaching strategies such as discussion, role play, inquiry and cooperative learning very useful to teach citizenship education.

Kids Developing Aesthetic Sense

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Kaniz-e-SyedaReflections on ADELM

Being a part of AKU- IED has been a great experience for me. Do-ing ADELM brought about revolutionary changes in me. I was transformed to being a reflective practitioner. The course has put me on the path to explore for learning and to change for improvement. We were taught to critique ideas not people and to disagree in an agreeable man-ner. I am thankful to the school administration to send me on this course through which everyday we witness that “the only constant in life is change”, we seldom re-flect upon it. However, reflection on experiences, observations and practice has become a second in-stinct for me after doing ADELM

from AKU-IED. Action research, stra-tegic planning, moni-toring and evaluation, pedagogical leader-ship, peer coaching and mentoring are not mere words or education theories. For me all these are vast oceans

which hold within themselves op-portunities which lead towards development and improvement. In all I have learnt to be a person who is prepared to trust others be-fore wanting to be trusted. I take failures as means of learning and opportunity for re-planning. I am greatly indebted to the school ad-ministration for allowing me to be a part of such a delightful learning experience.

Aliya Abidi and Zaib Fatima from Fatimiyah Education Network, along with the project coordina-tor, Ms Rakshanda Ovais Sha-reef, participated in a National Dialogue held at Lahore on 16-17 Nov 2008, at the culmination of a year long project to promote na-tional harmony and peace. The project was a collaborated effort of Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), to promote citizen-ship education in order to prepare children as effective citizens.During the project, students par-ticipated in various activities including essay writing, poster making, perception surveys and national dialogue. The final round of National Dialogue was at-tended by 60 students and teach-ers from 10 schools, representing public and private sectors from all the four provinces of Pakistan. The two days programme proved to be a rich learning experience for the participants. On the first day, which was also the Inter-national Day of Tolerance, the participants visited the historical and architectural places of Lahore such as Ranjeet Singh’s Samadhi, Iqbal’s Tomb, Badshahi Mosque and the Lahore Fort. The chair-person of ITA, Ms Baela Raza Ja-meel, called it a “Tour of Living History” which she said was an

effective method of open learning, to explore the concept of diversity and tolerance. On the second day debates were held on two topics: “Diversity – a source of enrichment or deple-tion for societies”, and, “Human Rights & Responsibilities – an import from the west or resource from our own heritage”. Ms Aliya Abidi from Fatimiyah Education Network spoke against the topic Human Rights & Responsibili-ties – an import from the west or resource from our own heritage and received second prize. Giving evidences from the history, she ar-gued that the concept of Human Rights and Responsibilities was given by our Holy Prophet Haz-rat Mohammad (Peace be upon Him) fourteen hundred years ago, when many countries in the west were passing through dark ages. She said that Islam attaches great importance to universal funda-mental rights for humanity which are to be observed and respected in all circumstances. Zaib Fatima had the opportunity to share her reflections as a participant of the project. She shared her learning and growth and said that she had become more eloquent and con-fident about her potentials as a result of her participation in the project.

National Dialogue on Reclaiming Cultural and Social Diversity:

Mobilizing youth for national harmony and peace- 16-17 Nov 2008

Feedback on Raza Abbas’s session-“I had attended various training conducted by USAID, CIDA, UNESCO, but never learned such type of module before. Raza Abbas is the mirror in which all of us saw reflection clear as crystal. He is the man of leading abilities.”

Hub Group

“I suggest that career counselling should be taught in Government institutions as policy of teaching.”

Makli Group

Sukaina Bhojani’s session-“We had so many sessions but this was the best so far. You come again to teach us.”

Sh. Ayaz Group

“This is the first session in which I did not feel sleepy at all. Time passed so quickly. It should be more. This is an important topic. Gov-ernment should have taken career counselling seriously long time back.”

Moenjodaro Group

Bushra’s Khan’s session-“It was very informative and nice session on career counselling, job interviews and documents. I learned all that I never knew before.”

Mehran Group

“This has been a successful training I have ever had. Now I believe I have learned something”

Sassi Group

Aliya Abidi, Zaib Fatima and Mrs. Owais outside Badshahi Mosque, Lahore

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Test yourself for Diabetes Hunger and Thirst: n You are often very thirsty n You feel hungry all the time

Health Problems: n You have an itchy skin or skin problems n You often develop boils n Your injuries take a long time to heal n You often get leg pains and cramps

Urinary Problems: n You have to pass urine often in the day n You get up at night to pass urine n You frequently develop urinary infections

General Symptoms: n There is numbness or a tingling sensation in your

feet or hands n You feel tired and weak n You have lost weight recently without making an ef-

fort n You are very nauseous

Other risk factors: n You have a family history of Diabetes n You are over weight

The more times you answer “yes” to the above statements, the greater you are at the risk of developing diabetes mel-litus.

FEN Health CornerWORLD DIABETES DAY

14th Nov 2008

On 14th November 2008 World Diabetes day was observed in Fatimiyah Girls School and Fatimiyah Boys School. The aim of observing this day was basically to develop knowledge about diabetes and to promote awareness in students about the prevention of this deadly disease. The information was

conveyed via role play through child to child approach.Two students acted as doctor and ten girls acted as patients asking questions to the doc-tors regarding awareness and prevention against diabetes, its symptoms and prevention.The information was bilingual in order to give easy and equal understanding to all the stu-dents of Fatimiyah Schools. Cross questioning was also the part of the presentation at the end of the role play to clear fur-ther concepts of the students. Through this presentation not only students, but teachers as well developed information about diabetes, its symptoms and prevention.

ECE Certificate distribution ceremony On 11th October 2008, Saturday third Early Childhood Education (ECE) Theo-ry and Practice (basic and advance), Pre service teacher training programs cer-tificate ceremony was organized at ECE auditorium. Certificates were distributed among 45 teachers in different course works. These training sessions were con-ducted at FEN in the month of July and

August 2008.Sr. Margaret Madden (Director Notre Dame Institute of Education was the chief guest. In her address she shared a story in which students were active but not very good at studies but later it was discovered that due to teacher’s negative perception about the children they were suffering. So in short, she emphasized on

teacher’s role as a pivot to keep the wheel roling.Mr Minhas Tejani Executive Director FEN in his welcome address spoke about the importance of teaching profession and the role FEN has played in this re-gard.

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Youm-e-Hussain (A.S.) was commemorated on 5th Moharram (3rd Jan ‘09) at all units of FEN

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Mr. Nisar Virani, President KPSIAJ, Mr. Altaf Bhojani, Hon. Secretary KPSIAJ, Mr. Afzal Doosani, Treasurer KPSIAJ, Mr. Minhas Tejani, Executive Director, FEN and Mr. Raza Abbas, Manager Careers & Scholarship, FEN visited Infaq Founda-tion on 23 October, 2008. They met with Mr. Swaleh Naqvi, Co-Chairman Infaq Foun-dation, Mr. Anwar Gillani, Member Governing Board Infaq Foundation, Rear Admiral ® S.A. Baqar, Chief Operating Officer and other key personnel of Infaq Foundation. A pre-sentation on the activities and future plans of FEN was given by Executive Director. The visit was very fruitful and both organisations expressed an interest in collaborating towards the betterment of the society.

Views of Dignitary on Fatimiyah Education Network:“Extremely impressed! Marvellous achievement that reflects the dedication and commitment of sponsors, teachers and families of the children. May Allah give you all even greater success”

Swaleh Naqvi, Co-Chairman Infaq Foundation

Senior Management of KPSIAJ & FEN Visit Infaq Foundation

Continued from page # 1

orientation of reputed disciplines, scholarship and financial aid op-portunities, placement opportuni-ties for graduates and student ac-tivities at DIHE. For more details about DIHE students can visit: www.dadabhoy.edu.pkThe university seminar ended with a vote of thanks given by Mr. Raza Abbas, Manager Ca-reers & Scholarship Department at Fatimiyah Education Network. He stated that students of Fatimi-yah College are blessed to receive numerous opportunities to suc-ceed in their career. “Now it is your moral responsibility to en-cash on these opportunities and make your alma mater proud of you.”

Views of University Dignitaries on FEN: “Among all colleges we have visited, this is one of the best ex-perience we had. The Careers & Scholarship Department is doing extremely good job via inviting top universities for students’counselling, it will make them de-cide their careers on choice and not by chance.”Mr. Samiullah, Academic Placement Officer, FAST

“Fatimiyah College is one of those colleges which not only has a vi-sion but also a representation of that vision through its environ-

ment and people associated.” Mehwish Aziz, Computer Science Faculty, FAST

“It was an honour, visiting such promising institution. Especially the kind of work Fatimiyah Edu-cation Network is doing is highly commendable. I wish them all the best for their future endeavours.”Muhammad Asad ul Haque, Sr. Offi-cer, Marketing & National Outreach Programme, LUMS

“The blood of Shuhada shall nev-er be in vain. May Allah bless this institution.”Professor Dr. M.M. Siddiqi, Dean, Business Adminstration, Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Educa-tion

1. Identify the Distortion. Write down your negative thoughts so you can see which of the ten cognitive distortions you’re in-volved in. This will make it eas-ier to think about the problem in a more positive and realistic way.

2. Examine the Evidence. Instead of assuming that your negative thought is true, examine the ac-tual evidence for it. For example, if you feel that you never do anything right, you could list several things you have done successfully.

3. The Double-Standard Method: Instead of putting yourself down in a harsh, condemning way, talk to yourself in the same compas-sionate way you would talk to a friend with a similar problem.

4. The Experimental Technique: Do an experiment to test the va-lidity of your negative thought. For example, if, during an epi-sode of panic, you become terri-fied that you’re about to die of a heart attack, you could jog or run up and down several flights of stairs. This will prove that your heart is healthy and strong.

5. Thinking in Shades of Gray. Although this method might sound drab, the effects can be illuminating. Instead of think-ing about your problems in all-or-nothing extremes, evaluate things on a range from 0 to 100. When things don’t work out as well as you hoped, think about the experience as a partial suc-cess rather than a complete fail-ure. See what you can learn from the situation.

6. The Survey Method. Ask peo-ple questions to find out if your

thoughts and attitudes are real-istic. For example, if you believe that public speaking anxiety is abnormal and shameful, ask several friends if they ever felt nervous before they gave a talk.

7. Define Terms. When you label yourself “inferior” or “a fool” or “a loser,” ask, “What is the defi-nition of ‘a fool’?” You will feel better when you see that there is no such thing as “a fool” or “a loser.”

8. The Semantic Method. Simply substitute language that is less colorful and emotionally load-ed. This method is helpful for “should statements.” Instead of telling yourself “shouldn’t have made that mistake,” you can say, “It would be better if I hadn’t made that mistake.”

9. Re-attribution. Instead of auto-matically assuming that you are “bad” and blaming yourself en-tirely for a problem, think about the way factors that may have contributed to it. Focus on solv-ing the problem, instead of us-ing up all your energy blaming yourself and feeling guilty.

10. Cost-Benefit Analysis. List the advantages and disadvantages of a feeling (like getting angry when your plane is late), a nega-tive thought (like “No matter how hard 1 try, I always screw up”) or a behavior pattern (like overeating and lying around in bed when you’re depressed). You can also use the Cost-Ben-efit Analysis to modify a self-defeating belief such as, “I must always try to be perfect.”

*Copyright © 1989 by David D. Burns, M.D. from The Feeling Good Hand-book

Ten Ways To Untwist Your Thinking*

1. Don’t forget to study throughout the semester! Being unprepared is the primary reason for test anxiety.

2. Get enough sleep and rest the night before an exam.

3. Don’t forget to eat on the day of the exam, pref-erably something nutritious.

4. Avoid arriving too early or too late to the exam.5. Avoid last minute studying. Focus on relaxation

or taking a walk.6. Avoid listening to others or discussing the exam

while you are waiting for the exam to begin. The anxiety of others can “rub off” and suddenly you begin to doubt yourself.

7. Don’t forget to breathe! Take long SLOW breaths letting out more air than you take in.

8. While breathing slowly, replace negative self-talk and automatic thinking with supportive and encouraging messages to yourself, such as: “I’m okay. I’ll take this test one step at a time.”

9. When you find yourself getting bogged down with questions you don’t understand, move on. You can come back to those later. Sometimes you will find answers in other exam questions.

10. Reward yourself by doing something comfort-ing and healthy after you finish the exam.

Tips To Reduce Test Anxiety

24th SPELT Conference 2008An Educational Conference was organized by SPELT (Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers) from 17-19th October, 2008 at Karachi. We are pleased to inform you that seven senior leadership and faculty of FEN participated in the conference and presented.

Names of the Presenter Topic DesignationMs. Afshan Zafar & Ms. Yazdana Roohi

Promoting writing skills through com-prehension

Urdu lead subject Incharge

Urdu Lead teacher Ms. Fouzia Nawaz &Ms. Afreen Kanwal

Project based learning (PBL) – Tool for language and concept development

PDT-FENScience coordinator sec-ondary

Ms. Sameera Zaidi & Ms. Amna G. Hussein

Nurturing Children Building Nations Principal ECEAcademic Coordinator

Ms. Humera Majeed All have intelligences English lecturer College

Among four of the presentations from FEN two were workshops, one was presentation and one was a demo. All the presentations were thoroughly enjoyed by the audience. In each session there were more than 45 participants. The objective for the workshops was to share the classroom experi-ence and to provide hands on ex-

perience through different simple activities. The paper presentation was based on the learning gath-ered from the implementation of PBL in the science at FEN. The successes and challenges were shared in the presentation. The demonstration was based on the High Scope technique (comprised of three components

PLAN, DO & REVIEW by the stu-dents for ECE classroom teaching) being followed at FEN. In this pre-sentation material was arranged to show to the audience how the choice and use of concrete mate-rial at early years support the ini-tiation of language base.

Faculty Achievements of

Fatimiyah College

Fatimiyah College is proud to have lecturer like Sani Afroz. She attended the workshop on “GRID COMPUTING” which was spon-sored by “The Abdus Salaam In-ternational Centre for Theoretical Physics”. This workshop was held in Trieste, Italy. There were 95 stu-dents from all over the world and Sani Afroz was one of them. It was an honour for her to attend the workshop as she was the youngest scientist among them. She worked on grid system using parallel computing and data transferring between different grid systems. She believes it was a nice experi-ence and she learnt a lot.

Outstanding Excellence Award Teacher’s Convention 2008

Every year KFC Pakistan in collab-oration with Cupola organizes a Teacher’s Convention to acknowl-edge the efforts of the teachers in Karachi. This year at the KFC 5th Annual Teacher’s Convention 2008 Ms Fouzia Nawaz (PDT-FEN) was selected for the outstanding Excel-lence Award. Out of 118 teachers in this category Ms Nawaz was among the three who received this award. She has worked in dif-ferent capacities from Science and English teacher to the Vice Prin-cipal of FBS and now as a Profes-

sional Development Teacher. She is serving the Network for the last six years. We congratulate her on this success.

Valuable Scholarship ResourcesHigher Education Commission, Pakistan www.hec.gov.pk/HRD/scholarships.htm

United States of Americawww.usefpakistan.org/

Kingdomwww.britishcouncil.org/pakistan-education-scholarships.htm

European Commission www.ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/mundus/projects/index_en.html

Australiawww.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/overview.cfm

www.ilmkidunya.comwww.pkstudents.com

The Senior Management Fo-rum (SMF) members Ms. Sakina Nanji (Principal FGS), Mr. Raza Abbas (Manager Careers and Scholarship), Ms. Fouzia Nawaz (PDT –FEN and Mrs Rakshanda Ovais (PDT-FEN) attended PARE Conference on 22nd Novem-ber 2008 at AKU-IED. Key note speaker Mr Abbas Rashid (from SAHE- society for advancement of education ) , a profound edu-cationalist and founder chair-man of the organization shared his experiences in the field of education and the statistics of re-search in Pakistan. The topic for his presentation was “Research, Advocacy and Policy: Exploring Contextual Imperatives”After the key note address, the audience went for different con-current sessions. Later in the af-ternoon a panel discussion was arranged which was attended by all the participants. Among our panelists there were Dr. Ab-dul Aziz (Hamdard University) and Mr Tahir Javed (Almurtaza

–PDC).Among others included Dr Neelofar Halai (President PARE), Mrs Tanveer Khalid (KU faculty education department). The panelist discussed the col-laboration of universities with the schools so that good quality teachers could be made possible. Panelists confirmed that missing link between teacher education institutes and schools need to be found to gain maximum benefits of research that has already been done in our context as there is lot more to learn from the research being done in Pakistan.Dr. Shamim (Karachi univer-sity-Faculty) concluded the ses-sion with a note that a research culture will be developed in our society because there were many young researchers who present-ed their research from the PARE forum.PARE Conference was a wonder-ful learning experience for the SMF team. For more details stu-dents and professionals can visit www.pare.org.pk

Pakistan Association For Research in Education (PARE)

Conference

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Published by: Fatimiyah Education Network, 174, Britto Road, Near Numaish, Karachi -74800 Phone: 2256361 website: www.fen.edu.pk Email: info@fen.edu.pkunder the management of KHOJA (PIRHAI) SHIA ISNA ASHERI JAMAAT

EID MILAN BRUNCH - 2008

Fatimiyah College basketball team wins Inter-Collegiate

Championship

Sports Achievements

Rohan Abbas of Fatimiyah College stood first in 100 me-ter Breast Stroke in Inter-Col-legiate Swimming Champi-onship organized by Board of Intermediate Education,

Karachi.

Examination of students of our community schools particularly Fatimiyah Schools by the Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU EB) was a matter of discussion at various levels. The issue was considered thoroughly by the Education Board and unanimously approved in 2005 when Maulana Mohammed Raza Dawoodani was the Chairman of the Board. This was later unanimously approved by the Managing Committee of the Jamaat in 2006 and the Education Board was authorized to regis-ter the students with the AKU EB at an appropriate time after assessing the effectiveness of the exams which were taken for the first time in 2007. Com-munity students belonging to Al Murtaza Schools, Habib Schools (Boys and Girls), Ghulaman-e-Ab-bas School and Shah Wilayat School have per-formed with outstanding positions for the last two years. The core intention was to provide a better and reliable examination system to the students for their better academic progress and get rid of the old system of Karachi Board. In the matter of Aga Khan University Examination Board, issues related to the Examination were put on the back benches and the beliefs of the Ismaili Aga Khani sect were openly discussed creating an atmosphere of hatred for them which did not au-gur well for peaceful co-existence among the com-munities. Issues that had no concern at all with the Fatimiyah Education Network were heaped upon the Fatimiyah Schools and disinformation about several aspects which too had no concern with Fatimiyah School were floated to mobilize the com-munity members against the Jamaat forgetting the remarkable services in the education sector by the present and past committees of the Jamaat.The Jamaat tried to address the issue in a decent manner with a comprehensive document stating

the rationale of FEN joining the Aga Khan Univer-sity Examination Board for quality assessment of community students. Questions related to academ-ic aspects of the Aga Khan University examination mechanism were answered. Issues related to the beliefs of Ismailis needed no attention and were left as nothing new had been said about their already known beliefs. Ayatullah Seestani was consulted regarding the is-sue and a question was sent by the Jamaat which was received at the Aga’s office on 15th. Zilqad and answered promptly on 18th. Zilqad and was rece-ived by Jamaat on 21st. Zilqad. Before that several queries from various Ulema and persons who per-petuated the disenchantment were ignored by Aga Seestani who honored the Jamaat by answering its query. Keeping the situation before him Aga See-stani through his representative, wisely conveyed his reservation to rest the issue for his Muqallids but did not call it Haram. Please visit our website www.fen.edu.pk to view the answer from Aga’s of-fice. We are thankful to Aga Seestani for granting a fresh IJAZA for collecting KHUMS upto Rupees 14 Crore for the upcoming project of Fatimiyah School of Early Childhood Development at the recently pur-chased plot of 2000 sq yds. adjacent to Shaheed Ha-mid Ali Bhojani Hall. 50% payment has been made till the end of the December 2008 but the project which was to be finalized by now has been delayed owing to the concerns shown by the donors owing to recent discord in the community over the AKU exams issue. We again thank Aga Seestani for ex-pressing his confidence for the Management of the Jamaat.

Ghulam Abid Lakhani Secretary Education Board, KPSIAJ

If you would like to share your valuable

input on Focus Fatimiyah

kindly email us at : info@fen.edu.pk

Fatimiyah Students to appear from Karachi (SSC) Board

Ms. Sukina Bhojani, Professional Develop-

ment Teacher at Fatimi-yah Education Network

has resigned and recently joined Dadabhoy Insti-

tute of Higher Education. We wish her all the best