Day: November 23, 2021

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44% businesses in Pakistan report experiencing load-shedding; nearly a quarter of these businesses report 2 hours of load-shedding every day: Gallup Business Confidence Survey Q4 2021 

Islamabad, November 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):According to a survey conducted by Gallup and Gilani Pakistan, 44% businesses in Pakistan report experiencing load-shedding; nearly a quarter of these businesses report 2 hours of load-shedding every day.

Complete report for the Business Confidence Survey Q4 2021 can be accessed here:

https://gallup.com.pk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/6th-Gallup-Business-Confidence-Survey-Quarter-4-2021-Report.pdf

A nationally representative sample of businesses across Pakistan was asked the following question, “Was there load shedding in your business today?” In response to this question, 44% said yes and 56% said no. Those who experienced load-shedding were asked, “If yes, for how many hours?” In response to this question, 19% said up to 1 hour, 20% said 2 hours, 16% said 3 hours, 12% said 4 hours, 15% said 5 – 6 hours, 11% said 7 – 8 hours and 7% said more than 8 hours.

Question: “Was there load shedding in your business today?” “If yes, for how many hours?”

For more information, contact:
Head Office,
Gallup Pakistan
Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-8445080
Email: isb@gallup.com.pk, caf@gallup.com.pk
Website: www.gallup.com.pk

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ApplyBoard Releases First Annual Trends Report on Top Trends and Future Opportunity in the International Education Industry

ApplyBoard’s data-driven trends report shows how international student preferences and trends in the international education space are shifting

KITCHENER, ONTARIO, CANADA, Nov. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ApplyBoard, the EdTech platform revolutionizing the international student journey, launched their first annual trends report on the future of international education.

To help shape recruitment plans and improve global access to education around the world, ApplyBoard gathered data to uncover the latest trends in sector recovery, key factors motivating student decision-making, emerging markets for student recruitment, and predictions for the next decade. The report is designed to inform and guide international students, recruitment partners and higher education institutions.

“As we head into 2022, we’re seeing lots of excitement and pent-up demand from international students eager to study abroad. The pandemic has led to shifting interests among international students who are paying closer attention to lower tuition prices, access to post-graduation work opportunities, and in-person learning opportunities,” says Meti Basiri, Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder of ApplyBoard. “Despite the challenges the industry faced during the pandemic, the data shows that international students are more interested in studying abroad now than ever before, and our team is doing everything we can to help them achieve their dreams.”

ApplyBoard has assisted more than 250,000 students with their educational journeys and was co-founded by three brothers who were all international students themselves: Martin, Meti, and Massi Basiri. During the pandemic, ApplyBoard helped transform the international education recruitment and application processes through its intuitive digital platform. Today, the platform is home to over 1,500 schools and is used by over 10,000 recruitment partners, which makes it simple for international students to discover and apply to the country, school, and program best suited to their needs.

“ApplyBoard is building an education revolution, and this report puts everything that has happened during the pandemic into perspective so that we can build in 2022 and the years to come,” says Jo Johnson, Chair of the ApplyBoard Advisory Board. “Grounded in in-depth research, the report identifies key trends unfolding in the higher education industry whilst demonstrating ApplyBoard’s deep industry expertise and knowledge.”

Read the full report online. Notable findings from the report include:

Application Data Shows Pent-Up Demand From International Students

  • According to data from the ApplyBoard Platform, student application volumes are booming across the world. From March to October 2021, UK student applications on the ApplyBoard Platform rose by more than 300%, Canadian applications grew by over 200%, and US applications spiked by 750% compared to the same period in 2020.

New Factors Influencing the Student Decision-Making Process 

  • As we move past the pandemic, international students are increasingly looking for lower tuition prices and access to post-graduation work opportunities. They are also considering alternative destination markets. Prior to the pandemic, most students browsing programs on the ApplyBoard Platform searched for programs with tuition fees up to C$100,000 per year. During the first 10 months of 2021, more than half of all students chose to view only programs with annual tuition fees of C$30,000 or less.

Prioritizing Student Diversity 

  • Major players India and China will remain large source markets for the future of recruitment. But economic and demographic shifts point to a number of smaller markets primed to capture growing shares of the international student market. ApplyBoard modelling and industry data has identified Nigeria, Kenya, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Indonesia as high-growth potential markets.

Attachment


Alessandra Manieri
ApplyBoard
2262209826
alessandra.manieri@applyboard.com
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Sindh Regional Dawah Centre arranges workshop on Research at University of Karachi 

Karachi, November 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):Sindh Regional Dawah Centre of International Islamic University organized a two-day workshop for the MS and PhD scholars in collaboration with the Department of Islamic Studies of University of Karachi on the topic of modern Islamic research.

Dr. Syed Aziz ur Rehman, Incharge, Sindh Regional Dawah Centre was the master trainer of the workshop. He highlighted the importance of research and its practical implementation in life. He also discussed synopsis, abstract, subjects, research tools and various other important topics related to the research. As many as 53 research scholars participated in the workshop.

On the occasion, Chairman of the Islamic Studies Department Dr. Arif Khan Saqi thanked Sindh Regional Dawah Centre and Dr. Syed Aziz ur Rehman and hoped that such activities would continue in future.

For more information, contact:
Public Relations,
International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI)
Room No.118, Admin Block, New Campus,
H-10 Sector, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-9019249
Fax: +92-51-9257909
Email: iiuipublicrelations@iiu.edu.pk
Website: www.iiu.edu.pk

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GCU holds Seminar on ‘Funding Opportunities for Scientists under Pakistan Science Foundation’ 

Lahore, November 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):A seminar on “Funding Opportunities for Scientists under Pakistan Sciences Foundation” was held here at the Government College University Lahore under the auspices of the Office of Research Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC). Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Asghar Zaidi chaired the seminar. Mr. Irfan Ahmed, Deputy Manager Technology, Innovation and Commercialization and Incharge of Research Support Section, Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) Islamabad was the resource person of the seminar.

In her welcome address, GCU ORIC Director Prof. Dr. Faiza Sharif informed the participants that they at ORIC office are monitoring the application and success rate of winning project grants. Dr. Sharif said that this seminar is the first of the series to provide awareness and educate the faculty members about pursuing more research projects and learn about the criteria that can enhance the chances of winning these grants. Moreover, she also emphasized on need of commercialization for research at GCU.

As many as 32 faculty members from different science departments of GC University and Superior University Lahore attended the seminar. In his talk, the guest speaker Mr. Irfan Ahmed presented an overview of the PSF, highlighted its main objectives, functions of PSF, organization structure of PSF, different research and development programs, R and D industry programs, National Science Linkage Program, priority areas of PSF research grants and different technical cooperation with international agencies.

Furthermore, Mr. Irfan Ahmed provided guidelines, procedures and orientation to faculty members for preparation and submission of concept papers and detailed research proposals to PSF for funding. He guided the faculty members about all aspects of research projects submissions, evaluation parameters by the technical committee and subject expert response.

Vice Chancellor Prof. Zaidi emphasized that linkage between Pakistan Science Foundation and other funding agencies and GCU should be strengthened for making the faculty more practical, insightful and research-oriented. He also stressed that research culture must be improved in GCU for the better University ranking and for conducting research with great societal impact.

For more information, contact:
Public Relations Department,
Government College University (GCU)
Squash Complex, GC University, Lahore, Pakistan
UAN: +92-42-111-000-010 Ext: 296
Tel: +92-42-99213343
Cell: +92-321-8440769
Email: registrar@gcu.edu.pk
Website: http://www.gcu.edu.pk

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LUMS and the University of East Anglia to Offer a Joint PhD in Economics 

Lahore, November 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):The Department of Economics at the Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences, LUMS and the School of Economics at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have entered into a partnership to offer a fully funded, joint PhD programme in Economics.

Admitted PhD students will undertake their studies at the University of East Anglia, under the supervision of scholars at both Departments of Economics. Students enrolled in the programme will have two supervisors, one from each institution. This unique scholarship is open to students of Pakistani origin. Students are expected to undertake research on Pakistan, in the areas of expertise at the School of Economics, UEA.

This joint PhD will be a four-year programme; three years will be based on a standard UEA PhD programme format and the last year will comprise writing. The first year of study includes required coursework that must be undertaken at UEA, after which the student may travel between the two universities to undertake fieldwork. Students will be expected to complete all the required PhD modules, which will take one year and one semester.

Application Process

To apply, the first step is to contact Economics faculty member, Dr. Turab Hussain (ueaeconphd@lums.edu.pk), who is administering the programme at LUMS. Dr. Hussain will match the PhD students’ research interests with faculty at LUMS. After this step, students will be expected to apply through the UEA PhD application process, but will clarify that they are applying through this track, and the name of their proposed supervisor at LUMS.

Interested students are encouraged to contact Dr. Sheheryar Banuri (s.banuri@uea.ac.uk) at UEA to learn more about the opportunity.

Person Specification

The PhD Economics aims to enrol high-calibre candidates with an MSc in Economics (2.1 and above or equivalent) or in a related discipline from a reputed institution.

Application deadline: March 15, 2022

Start date: October 2022

Mode of study: Full-time

Studentship length: 3 years

Minimum entry requirement: UK 2:1

Applications are to be submitted electronically, click here:

https://www.uea.ac.uk/economics/phd-program/apply

Applications must be supported by

Official transcripts (in English) of higher education qualifications

A personal statement of 500 to 1,000 words

A CV detailing the candidate’s work experience to date

Two academic references

Evidence of English proficiency if English is not the first language

A Research Proposal – Applications must normally be accompanied by a research proposal of 2000 words. In some cases, students who are funded or who expect funding from government agencies apply for a ‘1 + 3′: MSc followed by a MPhil/PhD; in these cases, at the time of applying for a ‘1 + 3′, a short research proposal will suffice.

UEA attaches great importance to providing a speedy response to applicants. To help UEA do this, please follow the procedure described in the application form and guidance notes and enclose all the material that it requests. No application will be considered until all the supporting documentation is received.

All applications are considered on their own merit by the UEA Economics Postgraduate Selection Committee.

For more information, contact:
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)
D.H.A. Lahore Cantt. 54792
Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-35608000
Fax: +92-42-35725048
Website: www.lums.edu.pk

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Aga Khan University begins mix-and-match COVID-19 vaccine study 

Karachi, November 23, 2021 (PPI-OT):​The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the Aga Khan University (AKU) today announced a new collaboration to conduct a clinical trial of heterologous – or ‘mix-and-match’ – combinations of COVID-19 vaccines in Pakistan. CEPI will provide up to US$ 11.7 million of funding for the project to an international consortium led by AKU, comprising the National Institute of Health in Pakistan (NIH), University of Oxford, the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and Harvard Medical School.

The clinical trial will assess the safety and immunogenicity of mix-and-match combinations of three vaccines that are currently being deployed in Pakistan, developed by AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and CanSinoBIO. Data on mix-and-match combinations of these vaccines, which are commonly used in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), are urgently needed to contribute to the design of more flexible vaccination strategies and mitigate against shortages of vaccine at times of uncertain or fluctuating supplies. The trial will also generate valuable data on the immune response after vaccination to the different variants circulating in Pakistan. All of the data will be made available open source to inform policy makers and regulatory authorities’ recommendations on the use of COVID-19 vaccines.

The Phase 2 clinical trial will be conducted at established trial sites in the cities of Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, Pakistan. Over 1,600 participants aged 18 years and over will be enrolled into the trial and randomised to receive either a homologous vaccine regimen (two doses of the same vaccine) or a mix-and-match combination of vaccines. All of the possible combinations of the three vaccines will be evaluated in the study. Trial participants will be followed up for two years to gather important data about the durability of immune responses and the impact of possible booster doses. The first interim results are expected to be available in the first quarter of 2022.

Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, said: “While multiple safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines are now in use around the world, additional R and D will help deliver the maximum public health benefit from every dose. The data generated by this clinical trial will contribute to our mission to enable equitable access by supporting the design of vaccination strategies which optimize the use of vaccines in LMICs. We are delighted to begin working with Dr. Qamar of the Aga Khan University, and the National Institute of Health in CEPI’s first partnership in Pakistan, in conjunction with our established partners at IVI and the University of Oxford.”

AKU’s Dr Farah Naz Qamar, principal investigator of the clinical trial and associate professor in the University’s department of paediatrics and child health, said: “Data generated from trials on mix-and-match COVID-19 vaccine combinations is important in informing effective COVID-19 vaccination policy in LMICs.”

Professor Aamer Ikram, executive director, National Institute of Health, Islamabad, Pakistan, said: “In the light of evolving requirements for COVID-19 vaccination by various countries, this study will bridge gaps in data and provide guidance about combinations of vaccines that are effective and safe.”

For more information, contact:
Media Executive
Department of Public Affairs
Aga Khan University (AKU)
Stadium Road, Karachi
Tel: +92-21-34930051
Fax: +92-21-34934294, +92-21-34932095
Cell: +92-301-8258028
Email: rasool.sarang@aku.edu, public.affairs@aku.edu​
Website: www.aku.edu