Educational Management Information System (EMIS) is a formal method of providing management with accurate and timely information so that decision making, planning, project development and other management functions and operations can be carried out effectively. It is imperative that the producers as well as the users of education data and information receive proper guidance in the rudiments of EMIS and become aware of its importance and application in response to their own needs to a rapidly increasing and expanding demand from both local and international data users. Planning and development needs sound feedback, which, in the case of education department, is provided by EMIS. For the last so many years planning has not contributed much to the expectations. Besides so many reasons one may be the poor feedback provided for such a purpose. During the study it was desired to understand the meaning, importance, procedure of both EMIS & Planning and to inquire whether their requisites are fully observed. Major focus of the study is based on two types of questionnaire. Both the questionnaire are developed for the experts of the field directly or indirectly involved in the planning and development. The second tool used for the data collection is interview which is a process of interaction. During the interview, subject gave the needed information verbally in a face-to face situation. In the study it was needed to interview the personnel involved in Provincial Management Information System and Planning and Development at Secretariat level while to know the operational activities a panel of officials of Provincial Directorate was also interviewed. In the subject case the existent population consists of Primary, Middle, Secondary and Higher Secondary Institutions, both male and female, of twenty-four districts of the province. The sampled population of the study was twenty-four districts of the province having 26866 Government institutions administered under the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education NWFP. The institutions of each District are further administered under the control of Executive District Officer Elementary and Secondary Education. The data for the study was collected from the same authority concerned. During the study it was found that there is no perfect correlation between the variables of physical facilities and the facilities needed. It was also found that the school mapping activities are not being undertaken. This situation is prevailing at the provincial and district levels of NWFP. The proformas used for collecting data basically capture enrolment of students, profile of teachers and very limited information about school facilities. Assuming that these data would be utilized for school mapping, these are very inadequate to characterize the schools and its environ since it does not contain non school based data such as socio-economic, demographic which are essential in school mapping activities. Apparently there are no conscious efforts at the school stage to undertake this activity more so ever at the district level. The absence of this exercise considering its importance could be attributed reasons: lack of knowledge of the concerned officials to carry out the activity, the absence of the clear-cut policy direction on what, how and when. There is a need to network the entire districts in a province in terms of internet linkage so that the flow and sharing of data information would be more expeditious and timely. EMIS centers at district level may be linked through internet to the National Education Information System. This will establish well defined common data elements; synchronize data collection and processing system using common computer language; faster sharing of information; clearer and meaningful analysis of the performance of the country’s educational system. There must be permanent officials at district level whose job may be to collect the data related to indicators necessary for EMIS data of the event as and when it occurs. In this way they will be able to up-to-date the website of the department. Besides covering all four components (especially input, process & output) of the education system, indicators should also be developed for reference to factors outside the system. These could include additional indicators for accountability to the society at large.
Student learning within the Operating Room (OR) is complex and challenging, especially for medical students who heavily rely upon structured learning plans. Medical students’ OR-based surgical learning experience is heterogenous, unstandardized, and inadequate for many reasons. There is a growing need to evaluate the learning modalities and models that we currently use for medical graduates’ OR-based learning process, create a balance between structured and opportunistic learning encounters and incorporate previously identified factors that have been known to influence the quality of OR-based learning positively. In continuation with our previous work on OR-based learning, here we argue for a structured OR-based learning plan that embodies appropriate learning models and teaching methodologies and focuses on a comprehensive plan that justifies a local needs analysis and addresses factors influencing the quality of OR-based student learning to produce enhanced learning outcomes.
Malnutrition has been a serious problem in developing countries since long and appropriate steps are required to take care of this issue. According to Planning Commission of Pakistan (Vision 2030), about half of the population in the country suffers from absolute to moderate malnutrition, with the most vulnerable being children, women and elderly among the lowest income group. However, a decent society cannot be built on the ruins of hunger, malnutrition and ill health. One important policy question which needs careful consideration is how to improve the nutrient consumption? To highlight this issue, this dissertation provides an in depth analysis of nutrient demand in Pakistan by using micro-level data of 2005-06 and 2010-11 from Pakistan Bureau of Statistics Islamabad. The study tries to probe linkages between nutrient demand with two of its major aspects - income and prices - by employing various modern statistical approaches. Both aspects are studied at country level. The calorie-income relationship has been extensively studied in literature but exploration of macro and micro-nutrient relationship with income is for the most part an undiscovered territory. The present study made an effort to provide background knowledge of this subject in general and with reference to Pakistan in specific. A large heterogeneity exists about the size and significance of nutrientincome relationship in literature. To capture and analyze the heterogeneity in estimates across studies we have used Meta Regression Analysis. The study concludes that overall effect of income is positive and significant on nutrient consumption. In the light of these results, we further quantify empirical relationship between nutrient consumption and income for Pakistan by using parametric (linear and nonlinear specifications), nonparametric and semi-parametric estimation techniques. The parametric linear specification shows the calorie-income elasticity 0.38 and range of 0.28 to 0.65 for rest of macro and micronutrients. Instrumental variable approach provides lower estimates than those of OLS but significant. Similarly the flexible nonlinear parametric approach gives sizeable and significant estimates. Overall, the results of these estimation techniques indicates that, with few exceptions, there is not much difference in the qualitative nature of results that is size and significance of parameter estimates across these models. Our results for Pakistan are in line with World Bank view that increases in income can improve the nutrient consumption. We further examined the impact of food price crises on nutrient demand. For this we used Time Varying Regression model and Quantile Regression method. The results of food price crisis on nutrient demand reveal that rise in food prices have very heterogeneous impact on nutrient demand. Besides the main variable of interest in all estimation techniques, we also used the household level characteristics across estimation techniques. After controlling for household and district level characteristics, we find that main variable of interest remains significant. On the basis of these results, we suggest that efforts should be made for high economic growth in the long run. However, in the short run, income assistance and price mitigating policies for low income groups can improve their nutritional status.