This study aims to explore the implementation of accelerated learning program (ALP) curriculum in the context of a primary school in Kabul, Afghanistan. The ALP has come to be seen as one of the possible solutions to catch-up with the lost time/opportunities for the Afghan youth who missed out on education due to wars and related force migrations. For the purpose of the said inquiry, qualitative research paradigm was selected within which case-study research strategy was the main methodology. In this regard, the data was collected through document analysis, semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. Findings of the study reveal that the ALP curriculum was rationalized and designed to provide appropriate education to the disadvantaged children of the country. Implementation of the ALP curriculum was reported to have contributed towards providing educational opportunities to disadvantaged children. The ALP curriculum basically was found to be extracted from the national curriculum (which was designed for the regular schooling), and hence was made-up of some selected portions of the regular curriculum. These curricular selections were arranged in a manner to complete the primary level in 2 and half years, instead of six years (normal). The pedagogies used in the classrooms were mainly: activity-based teaching, role play, and writing skills development. The ALP implementation also faced certain challenges. One of the main challenges toward implementation of the ALP was the selection of its content from the national curriculum which was originally designed for regular schooling. Given the ALP timelines (shorter relatively), the content selected seemed difficult to 'fit' within the ALP schedule. Similarly, the pedagogies used in classroom settings, had their origins in the national curriculum, and therefore there was some misfit with the overall ALP learning goals. The study recommends that there is a need to design an alternative/separate (tailor-made) curriculum for the ALP classes that could effectively meet the needs of the ALP curriculum. The study further suggests that the Ministry of Education could consider the ALPs as alternative programs to achieve the missed educational opportunities of the nation's youth. The study also encourages the Aga Khan Education Service, Afghanistan, to include awareness of the challenges and possibilities regarding the ALP, as reported in the study, to inform the development of the ALP for their settings.
یار میرا منہ زور دتا مینوں کھور زلف سیاہ جئی ناگن موراں ورگی ٹور گئی جوانی لُٹی لے گئے کئی چور جھوریاں ماریا آ دکھ نہیں کوئی ہور سولی عاشق لئی نین سیاہ بلور کھورے ہڈی ِمکھ نکی جئی ہِک جھور ڈنگے ہِک محبت گل نہیں کوئی ہور
Muslim scholars have produced various writings in which the process of conversion to Islam has been presented in the form of narratives. However, less consideration has been given to the understanding of nature of this process. Furthermore, the elements which originate and shape this process have also been ignored in the previous studies. After analyzing the sources concerning the study of conversion to Islam, the current article argues that the previous studies, especially by the Muslim scholars, were mostly written for Daʻwah purposes. They did not encourage the analytical dimension of the conversion studies. For a grasp of the complex elements and the strategies underlying this process, the Western scholars divide religious conversion into its diverse types while providing different motifs. However, a critical analysis of their works points out that some of these types and motifs are not applicable to Islam. The current article points out the elements helpful in explaining the process of conversion to Islam keeping in line with the Holy Qur’ān and Sunnah. Moreover, this paper also purports that the study of Ḥadīth, spiritual experiences of converts, and the opinions of the scholars supports the concept of fiṭrah to be used as a framework for a thorough understanding of this process.
This thesis presents studies on magnetic and magnetoelectric behavior of composite multiferroics, materials that are strong candidates for next generation multifunctional devices. These investigations have been carried out on matrix based composite magnetoelectric multiferroics consisting of magnetostrictive cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) and piezoelectric barium titanate (BaTiO3) or bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3), with the magnetostrictive phase embedded in a three dimensional matrix of the piezoelectric phase. The direct magnetoelectric (ME) effect has been investigated in 0-3 composites of BaTiO3 (BTO) and CoFe2O4 (CFO). The ME response has been found to depend non- linearly on the ratio of the magnetostrictive (CFO) content and it is proportional to the strength of the applied magnetic field. The non-linear behavior is explained in terms of the compound effect of the increasing CFO content and the number density of CFO-BTO interfaces. Epitaxial self-assembled nanocomposite thin films were grown by laser ablating targets of magnetostrictive (CoFe2O4) and piezoelectric (BiFeO3 or BaTiO3) phases, on (001) oriented substrates using a combinatorial approach. The surface morphology of the nanocomposite films reveal CFO nanopillars protruding out of a flat piezoelectric matrix. Structural properties were investigated by a four-circle diffractometer, which revealed the presence of the epitaxially grown phases and was used to find the in-plane and out-of-plane lattice parameters of the constituent phases. The magnetization hysteresis loops were measured by a SQUID magnetometer at room temperature. The highly magnetostrictive CFO phase under epitaxial strain from the piezoelectric matrix, exhibits a strong perpendicular anisotropy in the magnetic properties. Changes in the magnetic anisotropy were investigated under different strain conditions induced by (i) post growth annealing, (ii) exploiting phase transitions in the BaTiO3 substrate, and (iii) applying an electric field to the electromechanical substrates. It has been shown that by exploiting the hysteretic properties of a suitable electromechanical substrate, one can control volatile or non-volatile magnetic states by means of an electric field. These results make an important contribution towards the understanding and potential applications of magnetoelectric multiferroics.