Pashmina Goat Farming in Cold Arid Desert of Changthang and Its Impact on Economy of Changpa Nomads of This Region

In Changthang, there is a trend towards increasing the livestock population, especially a breed of goat (Capra sibirica) that produces one of the finest natural fibres: pashmina, which is the mainstay of economy of Changpa nomads. The environmental condition of this region suits for the development of pashmina, therefore, these animals are reared in large numbers. Changthangi goats are reared under harsh climatic conditions (−40 to +40°C). Best quality pashmina is produced in this region and is economic mainstay of nomadic people of Changthang. Pashmina fibre is very expensive as it is being used for production of world’s finest shawls. The Changthang region alone produces around 35,000 kg of raw pashmina fibre every year from about 0.15 million of Changthangi goats, which form 80% of the total pashmina production of the country. 90% of the population in Changthang area survives on the income from goat and sheep, which is nearly $8.4 million, annually

Prevalence and Prevention Strategies of Violence in Special Schools: A Quantitative Survey

This study was carried out to identify the opinions of students with hearing impairment and their teachers about prevalence of violence in special schools. This research was quantitative in nature and descriptive research method was used to conduct the study. The population of the study comprised students with hearing impairment (SWHI) and their teachers working in public sector schools. Researchers selected 60 students with hearing impairment studying at elementary level (males= 23, females= 37). A sample of 100 teachers were also taken from schools working in Lahore. On the basis of literature review, two structured questionnaires with close ended options were developed. The estimated reliability of teachers’ questionnaire was Cronbach alpha 0.82 and of students’ questionnaire (Cronbach alpha 0.85). Researchers personally visited schools to collect data from students whereas data from teachers were collected through telephone and email. Frequency percentages, mean and standard deviation were used for data analysis. The results of the study indicated that most of students with hearing impairment used to experience non- verbal violence and feel scary before and after school time. Teachers reported that students used to threaten one another, damage school property or personal items. They used abusive language. Schools had taken many initiatives to create healthy and safe environment i.e, appointing security guards to control access to school buildings, increasing monitoring by applying rules and regulations and involving students in conflict resolving activities. However, training teachers, counselling, student tutoring and mentoring are required for healthy school environment

Violence experienced by the girls with hearing impairment in the schools and its impact on their education

 School based violence is a type of youth violence that occurs within school premises. A students can be a victim, perpetrator or a witness of school based violence. The incidence of violence prevails more among girls with hearing impairment due to their communication and language problems. The main objectives of conducting this research were to explore the nature and type of violence experienced by the girls with hearing impairment studying in the schools of Punjab, highlight the impact of violence on their academic outcomes and to see the role of school administration for the rehabilitation of victimized girls. A qualitative research design was used to conduct the study. The population of the study consisted of girls with hearing impairment studying at secondary level in the schools of Punjab province. A sample of 17 girls with hearing impairment was purposively selected from the 17 schools of Punjab. Researchers took only those girls who had been victim of violence once and more in their life during school hours. An interview protocol was developed to take interview in-depth interviews from the victimized girls.  Based on the interviews, violence experience by the girls characterized into four themes including physical, psychological, sexual and verbal abuse. The study concluded that all types of violence effects on the overall personality and in particular on the academic performance of victim. The study highlighted that schools have not any formal system to deal the violence related issues. Study recommended for the empowerment of girls with hearing impairment to raise their voices against violence.  &nbsp

The Status of Inclusive Education in Baluchistan: A Qualitative Investigation

The central purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the existing condition of the inclusive schools working in the province of Baluchistan, Pakistan. Out of six divisions of Baluchistan, Quetta division was selected purposively. After conducting a survey, eight inclusive schools were taken as sample from the regular schools. An observation sheet containing the components of school ecology, instructional practices of teachers, curriculum adaptations, classroom management, infra structure of schools, and use of teaching aids in the classrooms was prepared. In eight schools, 48 observations (three observations in grade three and four each) were conducted. The results reflected that most of the children were at the mild level of disability and teachers were paying attention to special children but due to lack of training in deaf education and unavailability of assistive devices, the anticipated outcomes were not being obtained. The conclusions were drawn and recommendations to the Department of Education, Government of the Baluchistan were given for the improvement of inclusive set up

Interaction and cognitive engagement in online discussions in professional development leadership and management course at a private nursing institution

In the Post RN BScN curriculum, one of the courses “Professional Development and Leadership (PDLM)” was offered as blended mode for the first time. In order to explore the students’ interactions and Cognitive Engagement (CE) in Online Discussion Forums (ODFs), the research team conducted a retrospective study for the first time at a private nursing institution of Karachi-Pakistan. The study was conducted by utilizing the retrospective qualitative paradigm of discourse analysis to understand student’s CE in ODFs. The study has addressed the following one main and three subsidiary research questions: How do threaded discussions (in the part of online forums) enable or hinder the student’s level of cognitive engagement in a blended learning course (PDLM course)? All the course enrollees were invited to participate in the study; 24 of 81 students provided the written consent to participate in the study. The participants of the research study were both males and females; of which males were (20.8%) whereas females were (79.2%). However, only (92.3%) of the participants’ completed the Online Monkey Survey tool for demographic details. The data was collected after the university’s ethical review committee’s clearance. The scripts of ODFs from two online modules (named as Module A & B) were used for this study, which were triangulated through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). The researcher used discourse analysis to explore the interrelations between words and the context in which the words are used. This assisted in establishing the links to determine the patterns of interaction and the levels of CE of the learners. Levels and categories of CE defined by Zhu (2006) were used as a guideline for discourse analysis of the discussion forums of two modules. Categories were assigned various levels to understand the specific kinds of interactions as explained within the selected analytical framework. The categories and levels include question type I and II, statements type I-VI, reflection type I and II, mentoring and scaffolding. It is observed from the results that majority of the participants used statements type I which is responding to the direct questions, whereas, seeking clarifications (either question type I or II) was not much observed. Mentoring and Scaffolding are higher levels of CE, however, only less number of responses observed in both the modules A and B. Moreover, study participants reported high level of engagement with the positive role of faculty facilitation and felt more comfortable in participating through a virtual learning environment. It was recommended to set netiquettes, to have sound training to those learners whose ICT skills need improvement and to consider in-depth key informant interviews with each research participant soon after they posted a comment on ODF, will bring more insight in understanding CE

Violence Inflicted on Students with Disabilities in Special Education Institutions at Public Sector: A Remedial Inquiry

The central theme of this investigation was to explore types of violence being inflicted on students with disabilities (deaf, blind, mentally retarded and physically handicapped) enrolled at primary grade level in private and public sector Special Education Institutions in Punjab-Pakistan. A sample of randomly selected 5 districts (Lahore, Gujranwala, Okara, Pakpatan, Rawalpindi) out of 36 districts of Punjab was taken. A conveniently available sample of 68 special education teachers (male: 22, female: 46) including 20 Senior Special Education Teachers (SSET) and 48 Junior Special Education Teachers (JSET) was taken to collect data on a self-developed and validated questionnaire with statistically significant reliability index (Cronbach Alpha: 0.85) containing 30 statements on violence on five point Likert type scale (from strongly disagree to strongly agree). The data were collected personally and with the help of research assistants. Data were analyzed on SPSS version 21. Descriptive analysis was run to find frequency distribution of responses, percentages and mean score. Independent sample t-test was employed to find difference in responses of special education teachers on the basis of gender. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was run to find difference in the opinions of special education teachers on the basis of their age, qualifications, and teaching experience. There was statistically substantial variation in the responses of special education teachers based on their qualifications. There was not statistically significant difference among the responses of special education teachers on the basis of their gender, age and teaching experience. Conclusions were drawn and recommendations to Punjab Special Education Department were made

Financial Autonomy for Unemployed and Disadvantaged Adolescents with Disabilities through Punjab Vocational Training Institutions

The central focus of this quantitative exploration was to know the awareness level of poor and disadvantaged students with disabilities (hearing impaired, visually impaired, physically handicapped and mild mentally challenged) about demand driven skill training provided by Punjab Vocational Training Institutions. A sample of 105 students with disabilities (male and female) enrolled in elementary and secondary level special education schools and centres located in Lahore division were selected through simple random sampling technique. A self developed and validated questionnaire (Cronbach Alpha 0.92) on five point Likert scale was used to elicit their responses. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. ANOVA was employed to find difference in awareness level among the students of four disabilities, t-test was used to find difference on the basis of gender, type of schools (public & private), and locale (urban & rural). No significant mean difference was found on the basis of gender. There was a significant difference on the basis of type of schools and disabilities. Recommendations were made to Government of the Punjab, Punjab Special Education Department, and private sector to increase employability through the enrolment of students with disabilities in Punjab Vocational Training Institutions

Novel research methods on the net-zero economy of climate finance in the energy sector

This is a perspective, about the future climate policy of Pakistan, to improve the harvest of Green Climate Funds (GCF). This paper takes upon the calculation of climate financing potential in the context of the energy sector of Pakistan by estimating the potential of becoming a net-zero sector in Pakistan’s Economy. The study has identified several options for the government to reallocate the energy mix and tie the energy demand targets with climate targets for a green future of Pakistan. The study has used basic excel tools to calculate facts from the available data sets in Pakistan. The study found that, if Pakistan chooses to shift from dirty sources of energy production to the use of cleaner inputs for energy production, Pakistan can generate a significant amount of climate finance by reducing the emissions from energy production, which are recordable, traceable, and can be evaluated by any of the third-party evaluating organization. The initial cost for Pakistan will cause some discrepancies in some of the macroeconomic indicators and may also cause budget imbalances it will surely help the economy to achieve the targets of becoming a net-zero economy and be able to harvest Green Climate Funds in long term with much faster rate, which can overpass the investments made or being made in this sector and will create a significant amount jobs in the economy, which will be green jobs, promoting environmental friendly output and sustainable growth

Impact of Cognitive and Decision Making Style on Resilience: An Exploratory Study

Resilience refers to successful adaptation of an individual despite risk, acute stressors, and chronic adversities. Resilient students are more determined and they can enhance their efforts especially under difficult situations. Students need to be more resilient so that they can bounce back from the loads of pressures and adversities they encounter in studies. In this context there is a need to understand the resilient quality of students against his/her cognitive styles and thinking pattern. With this assumption, a research is designed to examine the relationship of cognitive and decision making styles with resilience of students of different departments. A sample of 152 students was selected randomly between the age group of 20 - 25 years from different departments of university of Gujrat, Pakistan. Correlation and Regression analysis were conducted to examine the relationship and impact of cognitive and decision making styles on Resilience. Results showed that resilience has a positive association with cognitive style whereas; there exists no relationship with decision making style. Furthermore, the systematic and intuitive cognitive styles have shown positive correlation with resilience. Finally, the cognitive styles have shown significant influence on resilience. The study concludes with the implication of resilience in the academics and approaches to enhance resilience in students. Keywords: Cognitive Styles, Decision Making, Resilience and Student