Pakistan faces multiple challenges in education, which include poor infrastructure, availability of basic facilities, high drop-outs, low enrollment, teachers' absenteeism, ghost schools, ghost teachers, lack of community participation in school activities, lack of teacher professional development opportunities etc. Though the government is responsible for providing free quality education to every citizen, but in the presence of such challenges, the government alone cannot have a significant impact. Therefore, the government requires support from private sector actors to overcome these challenges. The Government of Pakistan has been placing high value on Public Private Partnership (PPP) in education to address to educational challenges and various programmes of PPP are in practice with various claims of success. This study aimed to explore the kinds of changes and improvements (infrastructure, community participation, teaching and learning and coordination among the partners that have been brought about in an adopted public school in Karachi. Looking at the aim of the study, qualitative research methodology under interpretivists research paradigm was used in which exploratory case study design was employed. Individual interviews, focus group discussions, overall school observations and document analysis were used as sources of data collection. Data was analyzed using Creswell (2009) model of qualitative data analysis. The study has found that adopt-a-school program of PPP has improved school infrastructure by providing all the basic facilities, such as clean drinking water, toilets furniture, desks, library, laboratory, maid and peon. Secondly, teacher's punctuality has been improved and students' enrollment has been increased. However, less attention has been paid to teaching and learning, coordination among the partners and community mobilization. Study explored that various professional development opportunities are provided by the adopter but government teachers, due to one or multiple reasons, do not avail them. Therefore, overall role and contribution of adopt-a-school program in bringing about change in adopted public school has become debatable. The findings of this study suggest that there should be some amendments in the charter of partnership, whereby adopters may have more say in making decisions about teachers so that proper teaching and learning environment can be ensured.
شب برات اور آتش بازی کی قبیح رسم انسان کی ہمیشہ سے خواہش رہی ہے کہ کام تھوڑ ا کر نا پڑے اور اس کی مزدوری اور اُجرت زیادہ مل جائے۔ اللہ تعالیٰ نے بھی کچھ اوقات ایسے مقرر کیے ہیں کہ اس میں دین اسلام پر کار بند شخص تھوڑی سی عبادت کر کے ڈھیروں ثواب کما سکتے ہیں۔ ان اوقات میں لیلۃ القدر یعنی شب برات بھی ہے جو پندرہ شعبان المعظم کی رات ہے اور کروڑوں مسلمان اس رات میں شبِ بیدار ی کر کے اپنے پروردگار کے سامنے سر بسجدہ ہوتے ہیں اور اپنے گناہوں کی معافی کے طلبگار ہوتے ہیں۔ چنانچہ قرآن مجید میں ہے کہ:۔ ’’حم قسم ہے کتاب مبین کی بیشک ہم نے اتارا ہے اسے ایک برکت والی رات میں بے شک ہم ڈر سنانے والے ہیں، اس رات ہرحکمت والا کا م بانٹ دیا جا تا ہے۔‘‘ تشریح! یہاں کتاب مبین سے مراد کلام اللہ یعنی قرآنِ مجید فرقانِ حمید ہے اگر چہ بعض مقامات پر اس سے مرادلوح محفوظ بھی ہے۔ نزولِ قرآن کی رات کی عظمت و فضیلت کو ظاہر کرنے لیے اللہ تعالیٰ نے قرآنِ مجید کی قسم ارشاد فرمائی۔ لیلۃ القدر برکتوں والی رات اس رات کے تعین میں مختلف اقوال ہیں لیکن عام طور پرد وقول زیادہ مشہور ہیں ایک تو یہ کہ اس سے مراد لیلۃ القدر ہے جو ماہ ِرمضان شریف میں آتی ہے۔ دوسرا قول یہ ہے کہ اس سے مراد شب ِبرات ہے جو شعبان المعظم کی پندرھویں رات ہے جیسا کہ تفسیر مظہری میں ہے۔ حضرت عکرمہصنے کہا کہ یہ پندرھویں شعبان کی رات ہے جس میں سال بھر کے امور لکھ دیئے جاتے ہیں جنہیں مرنا ہوتا ہے انہیں زندوں کی فہرست سے نکال دیا جاتا ہے پھر ان میں نہ زیادتی کی جاتی ہے نہ کمی۔
After the Prophets of Allah Almighty, the most sacred class of mankind is the class of Prophet Muhammad's Companions. Those are the people who had seen the prophet of Islam with their naked eyes, remained in his companionship and got the heights of knowledge and actions and proved to be a great example of character by attaining the image of Prophet Muhammad's model of excellence. Another class which, like the companions of Prophet (pbuh), deserves such honor is the class of Tabe’en (The followers of the Companions). Tabe'en had contributed a matchless role in the history of Islam regarding religious knowledge and literature. They had also examplary performed in social, economical, political and military services. Due to these great services they are considered the most sacred class of the Ummah after the prophet’companions. There is a list of academic and literary services ahead of the name of each person in this class. And these services are the great testimony to the greatness of these people. The prophet's companions received the religious knowledge directly from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), while Tabe'en got it from the companions and then published it in the whole world. The sincere efforts performed by Tabe'en regarding Quran, Hadith, Tafseer and Islamic litrature are of so high level that no one had reached such level of sincerity in the entire history of Islam. The steps that occur after that period, regarding the development of Islamic culture are only the effects of their services. Actually ‘‘Tabe’en’’ is the only class that has spread the social, moral and spritual blessings of Islam throughout the world. That is why, it is not only the Quran that witnesses their greatness but the Prophet (peace be upon him) also praises them.
Nephrolithiasis has severe ramifications with respect to health and management cost. Current modalities of treatment though very effective in getting provisional relief from stones are not devoid of side effects and also fail to avert the recurrence, which is in fact the main concern of patients with kidney stones. Hajrul yahood, Phyllanthus niruri and Cystone have been used in folk medicine since ages and are well known for their lithotriptic and anti- urolithic properties. The present study was carried out at the animal house of Sindh Agriculture University Tando Jam to evaluate the litholytic and anti -urolithic effects of Hajrul yahood, Sang sarmahi, Phyllanthus niruri and cystone on glyoxylate induced nephrolithiatic rats. For this purpose, seventy eight male wistar rats were equally divided into thirteen groups of six rats each. Hajrul yahood, Sang sarmahi and Phyllanthus niruri were administered either alone or in combination of equal quantity of each by weight. Cystone given alone was also utilized as a standard drug to compare the effects of Hajrul Yahood, Sang Sarmahi and Phyllanthus Niruri on calcium oxalate kidney stones. Calcium oxalate crystallization was induced by intraperitoneal injections of Glyoxalate prior to start of the treatment in the litholytic groups and was administered along with the test drugs in the groups. At the completion of treatment period, serum samples from 42 rats in groups; and both the kidneys from all the experimental rats were recovered. Serum was analyzed for the activity of anti-oxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), catalase (CAT); and levels of calcium, magnesium, oxalate and creatinine. Right kidney was homogenized with phosphate buffer saline (PBS), and centrifuged. Supernatant thus obtained was analyzed for the levels of SOD, GPX, CAT, reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA). The left kidney was fixed in Bouin liquid, embedded in paraffin, sectioned and stained with hematoxylin and eosin H&E for histological examination under polarized light microscope. Serum analysis results showed that the activity of antioxidant enzymes and magnesiumlevel in rat groups treated with cystone, combination, HY and PN were lower in the order given as against the negative controls, but were significantly higher than that of the positive controls (p<0.05). Serum calcium level was found to be in normal range in cystone, combination, HY and PN treated groups of rats, but it was lower than normal in positive controls. Both serum oxalate and creatinine levels were detected to be significantly lower in cystone, combination, HY and PN treated groups of rats as compared with positive controls. A similar comparison of the parameters measured in tissue samples revealed that antioxidant enzyme activities and reduced glutathione level were significantly enhanced in cystone, combination, HY, and PN treated groups of rats as against the positive controls. In contrast, tissue MDA levels were seen to be significantly lower in cystone, combination, HY and PN treated groups of rats than the positive controls. Histological findings of renal tissue sections were also consistent with the serum and tissue chemistries showing lesser damage to the kidney tissue and calcification in cystone, combination and HY treated groups of rats as against the positive controls. Cystone in comparison to combined treatment exhibited better nephro-protection against hyperoxaluria induced oxidative stress because of its increased antioxidant enzyme activities and increased glutathione and magnesium levels. In conclusion, present study has demonstrated the litholytic,and nephroprotective effects of cystone, HY and PN due to their high antioxidant capacity to inhibit lipid peroxidation in glyoxylate induced hyperoxaluric rats and also due to their ability to reduce oxalate synthesis. Sang sarmahi however, in contrast to the general notion has failed to exhibit any significant litholytic and anti urolithic effects at the dose used in present study.