Author: Rashid

Punjab Colleges are flagship educational institutions of the group which opened the doors to the first lot of students in 1985 with a single campus in Lahore and now are amongst the top colleges of Pakistan. Currently, Punjab Group of Colleges is operational in 111 cities of Pakistan. Punjab Colleges are composed of numerous purpose-built campuses throughout the country. And the locations of its premises boast some of the finest facilities available in the country with highly qualified faculty. They offer a broad range of programs which are comprehensive and challenging. Academic rigor is accompanied by a myriad of activities, training programs, seminars, and workshops to explore, develop and polish the hidden talents of the students and prepare them as active citizens of society to take on the challenges. Moreover, It is not only known for its best commerce, IT and F.Sc Colleges in Lahore but is also famous for its rapid growth as private colleges in Pakistan. Therefore, making Punjab Colleges to be best colleges in Pakistan and a place to be!

Punjab Group of Colleges cater distinctive academic choice ranging from F.A/F.Sc/I.Com/I.C.S at the Intermediate level to B.Com/B.Sc/B.A at the undergraduate level. It also provides a Master degree with a specialization in either Accounting and Finance or Banking, depending upon the choice of its students. Besides this, Punjab Group of Colleges offer both morning and evening programmes for all degrees to impart education to a large number of students who can get themselves registered according to their ease and requirement. For all Intermediate programmes, Punjab Group of Colleges is affiliated with Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education. Whereas, a Public University degree is awarded to students at Undergraduate level. Another initiative taken by Punjab Group of Colleges in the educational sector is its law College for all those individual who want to pursue their career in this field.

PGC provide best Intermediate education at all campuses to broaden its scope and elaborate the network of private colleges in Pakistan, it decided to initiate B.A and B.Sc programmes as well. However, Punjab Group of Colleges has already proved its dedication and sincerity in the field of Commerce as the first landmark project “Commerce College.” Since its inception, the Punjab College of Commerce has maintained its position in top ten colleges of Lahore. With its expansion to other cities, it is also listed among top ten colleges of Pakistan.

Punjab Group of Colleges has been achieving outstanding results since its establishment. These achievements are the combined effort of well-trained and experienced teachers and hardworking students. Over the period of the last 12 years, the number of position holders in Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education examination have increased from 43 in 2005 to 149 in 2017 across the country.

On top of that, the students of Punjab Group of Colleges have not only shown remarkable results at the intermediate level; they have also secured the first position in B.Com (Punjab University Examinations) for consecutive 11 years from 2005 to 2015. Punjab College of Commerce also holds a unique record of bagging 18 out 20 positions in B.com. In B.Com Bahauddin Zakaria University Examinations, Punjab College holds a record of the first position from 2005-2013, second and third position in 2015 and then first position in 2017.

Punjab Group of Colleges has maintained its stature in other undergraduate programs as well. In B.Sc Punjab University Examinations, students of PGC stood first from 2012 to 2017 along with the third position in 2015 & 2017. Moreover, PGC bagged the first position from 2011-2015 in the B.Sc Bahauddin Zakaria University Examinations. PGC secured the first place in 2017 and the second position in 2016 in the B.Sc Bahauddin Zakaria University Examinations. 3rd position was also notched by PGC in B.Sc Islamic University Bahawalpur Examinations. First and second position in the B.Sc University of Sargodha Examination 2015 was secured by PGC students along with the second and third position in 2016. Also, in the B.Sc University of Gujrat Examinations of 2015 & 2016 first positions were clinched by bright students of PGC.

Furthermore, Punjab Law College also got its hand on the first position in LLB Punjab University Examination in 2009 and 2011.

Scholarships and  Fee Concessions for all

Punjab Group of Colleges strives to achieve high literacy rate by supporting parents to educate their children so that no deserving person is deprived of education. The mission is to make education accessible and enabling students to pursue their goals without any hindrance.

Scholarships & Fee Concessions at PGC

1. Merit Scholarship

Punjab Group of Colleges promotes meritocracy and offers an exclusive scholarship to students showing excellent performance in academics. Bright Students can avail up to 100% Fee Waiver. Students with 75% or above marks are eligible to apply for free education at the time of admission. Whereas, students with 70% or above marks in can apply for a special fee concession of 50% percent.

2. Need Based Scholarship

Understanding that students may face some affordability crisis, their needs are taken into account by PGC. The students who need financial support can apply for a scholarship so that they may study in comfort without any burden on their family.

3. Fee Concession on Kinship Basis

PGC takes care of the family of its students. The brothers and sisters of old & current students are offered a special discount for their education.

4. Sports Based Scholarship

Students having talent for sports can apply for admission in sports basis. Those having a past record of showing excellent performance in sports can apply for sports based scholarship.

5. Co-curricular Based Scholarship

Punjab Group of Colleges promotes talents and nurtures potentials of young students by offering them opportunities that support their pursuit of education. Students who participate in co-curricular activities and have the skills to perform well in activities and events can apply for a scholarship.

6. Fee Concession for Teacher’s Children

Punjab Group of Colleges facilitates the teachers and ensures that their children can avail high quality education. Children of Teachers at Public Sector and Known Private Institutes are eligible for this concession.

7. Financial Aid for Orphans

Orphans are entitled to a special scholarship at PGC. Those who lost their father can apply under this category.

8. Special Circumstance Financial Scholarship

Considering that a student may suffer a sudden tragedy at home, a specific scholarship opportunity has been ensured to be available for the students. The tragedy in this case may involve a student losing his or her father during the course of studies.

9. Fee Concession for Disable Students

Considering that a student may suffer disability, a specific fee concession opportunity has been ensured to be available for the students.

10. The Punjab Group Scholarship

Students completing their matriculation from an institution of Punjab Group are entitled to a scholarship for their education at Punjab Colleges. All students of Allied Schools, EFA Schools, and Resource Academia Schools are eligible for this scholarship.

Read about the Entrance Test at STEP by PGC.

11. PGC Scholarship

All old students of Punjab Colleges can avail scholarship on admission at Punjab Group of Colleges, University of Central Punjab Lahore, Mohammad Ali Jinnah University Karachi, and Capital University of Science & Technology.

Others Discounts

Evening Programmes

All Evening Programmes available at PGC are offered to students in evening hours at 50% discounted fee so that they can get quality education without any financial constraint. Furthermore, all the scholarship opportunities are equally applied on all evening programmes for the comfort of students studying in evening classes.

For a young mind with so many distractions around there can be times when it becomes hard to deal with the challenges in education.

• It is sometimes a challenge to keep concentrating on the studies.
• It can be challenging to resist peer pressure.
• It can bring the challenge of coping with stress.
• The challenge is to be the best.
• It’s a challenge to compete with your friends.
• Challenge is to find your voice and know what you need.
• It is challenging to manage your personal life and study schedule.
• The challenge to meet the expectations of your parents, teachers and your own self is tough.
• Dealing with challenges that make you want to give up is a challenge in itself.

Difficulties in Life:

While you are on your journey of acquiring education there are a number of factors that come into play which either support your pursuit or create hurdles in your path.

The need for overcoming obstacles in life remains crucial for a smooth educational journey. The difficulties in life may include:

• Financial Constraints
• Health Issues
• Family Problems
• Travel Distances
• Pick & Drop
• Mental Weaknesses
• Bullying
• Harassment
• Stress Disorders
• Availability of Educational Resources
• Electricity and other Resources

Dealing with personal challenges can be tough on a child while in pursuit of education. When it comes to financial constraints they make a very big hurdle in a student’s path. Paying for all the educational expenses starting from the tuition fee to the uniforms and other prerequisites can be tough on a child’s family. Sometimes students also have to get part time jobs to be able to pay for their education which brings about more difficulties in life.

Students having health have to deal with facing problems in life like sicknesses, disabilities and their psychological effects on them.  The pressure on these students is considerably more because they have to compete with their other healthier mates. A disability of any sort can lead to a major obstacle while learning process is ongoing.

Overcoming challenges becomes difficult for the students who are dealing with family problems. Problems lie finances and health issues are the difficulties that are very prominent and are also acknowledged but the problems that children may face with their families go unnoticed. Sometimes the students do not get enough support from their families even their own parents  fail to take care of their need and cannot provide them are very stimulating environment. Some families are neglectful when it comes to girls education. They put the responsibility of household chores on them in the age of studying.  Some girls are forced to leave school and drop their education.

The problems like depression and anxiety are common with emotional stress. Students with mental weakness are more prone to such disorders that are associated with pressure of studies.

Challenges in education get magnified when the students do not have their mental peace. The problems like bullying, harassment, peer pressure etc can be some real difficulties and may require good stress management skills.

We never know what kind of challenges a student might be faced with. The children who live in far off areas have to walk miles just to get to school. Students who do not live too far may still require a means for their pick and drop.

Travel distances interfere a lot with the student’s potential to perform in studying because he or she might have to go through a lot more hassle and may suffer from tiredness more than usual which interrupts with their ability to study.

The unavailability of resources such as healthy food, pick and drop services, electricity, clean water, air conditioner, internet, and other things that may facilitate a student always play a major role in decline of any student’s performance in school.

When it comes to education psychology teaches that students must be provided with a good nurturing environment to make the teaching and learning effective. The educational technology must promote inculcation of concepts and boosting analytical skills. Students who are faced with challenges that are too complicated must be provided with the emotional and intellectual support they may need.

Assigning students with a life coach or a teacher that understands educational psychology might be one of the best things can be done. Some good words of encouragement and the right support can help the struggling students to fight off the hurdles in their path.

There are some institutes that take the needs of the students into consideration. They make sure that the students can be facilitated to the maximum level. Punjab Group of Colleges is one of such institutions that have taken care of many challenges faced by students to make Pakistan a literate country.

Above mentioned challenges in education have all been tackled very effectively by PGC. The issues of accessibility to education, girls education, disable students, are all being handled at PGC institutions with great care. Students with financial constraints and lack of resources are also provided with necessary support. Educational psychologists, motivational speakers, trainers and career counselors are also present at the campuses to facilitate students.

Every year starts with new resolutions and opportunities, may it be personal, professional or student life. In all parts of world there is great enthusiasm for the prospects and trends that await the eager students. The advancements in technology is changing the way students study. It is facilitating the teachers to teach effectively.

The education criteria is changing and is subject to technological variation in 2018. This is resulting due the advancements in the IT industry. Listed below are some trends in the education occurring in 2018.

Video Conferencing

In the current year as the educational trends are advancing the inclination towards video conferencing is also being considered a good and effective idea. For busy experts who have a lot to teach to the newer generation, they can easily communicate through online video conference. This helps to reduce the time and cost of mere travelling and brings an expert to a classroom where he can be communicated with by the students. Students who are in other cities or cannot physically attend lectures can join in through video conferences and have nothing more to miss. This may include even those students who live in rural areas and may not be able to travel for every class.

Parent/teacher conferences are also manageable and effective on video conferences. With constricted schedules of parents it sometimes becomes impossible for the parents to regularly visit the school to gain knowledge about their children’s progress. To facilitate both parents and teachers video conferencing is an effective method to teach a child in mutual collaboration.

Online Lectures

The raising trend of online lectures is gaining popularity among students as well as teachers. This provides the students with a very cost effective and comfortable environment to understand their subject in. Students can easily plan their time table for study during the day, it is also good for those students who easily get distracted by the company other fellow students or are too shy to participate in class discussions. Online lectures are also good for those students who are either working part time or studying part time. Such students can easily manage their lesson time without disrupting their important tasks. Apart from all these there are students who are morning birds or night owls, online lectures are extremely beneficial for such, so they can study at their best time and produce the most.

Online Books/Researches

The trend of online books is increasing due to the advancements in the technology, since with the fast pace many people do not possess the time to sit and read. For students this is most beneficial because books online are cost effective and easy to possess. There was a time when students used to carry loads of books in their bag, but with the trend of advancement in education, students can download books and study materials and easily access them to read anywhere and anytime they like. If a students need s to search for a specific topic, the scanning through related pages can be tiring as well as time consuming, on a downloaded ebook the search option serves the best, students can just enter the topic for search and the whole topic would be just a click away.

Save Data Online

Students nowadays depend more on digital devices for most of their tasks and learning processes, all the study material is stored on one device which can be stored online. Online data is good for easily accessibility and a securer environment. Although most of the students save their assignments and research work on the hard drive or external disks, but at times this may either be and unreliable way to save or may not be accessible everywhere. When data saved online, it can be accessed from anywhere the student may be. In the trending ways of education it is good for the students to save their assignments and data online so that they can retrieve it from anywhere when required. There are several online services that provide quite an amount of free data storage from which the students can benefit.

Online Assignments

In recent years, many schools have shifted over to online assignment system. Computers and computerized systems will never come to an end, they will only advance, so it is very important for the students to become tech savvy. Online assignment system is very beneficial for the students since they do not have to fear a ‘left at home’ or a ‘got wet in rain’ assignment. Assignments online are easy to do since students can get help also right away from the available search engines. Teachers can also conveniently assign work to students, which can in return be submitted from anywhere. The sooner the submission the quicker the checking and grading can be done. The students can find out their errors and strengths which can enable to quickly grasp the subject and reinforce the correct methodology to their study pattern.

Mobile Education

For every age nowadays mobile apps are being used to educate children. While using the mobile apps the student can take lectures and tests at the same time and at all times. There was a time when a student needed textbook and a notepad every time an effective study was needed, but with the advancing trends in education 2021 and with the faster pace of the world the students are being facilitated with a faster method of the education system. The mobile apps are also downloadable, so even if internet connection is not available, the student can conduct his study without worrying about quick and fast connections.

Moreover, mobile education also enable students to stay connected to the school related activities, pay the fee and keep a check on their attendance.

Gaming Technology

With the increasing requirement of mobile phones and tabs, there is a trend of games on phone as well, usually these games are used for the recreational purposes but the educational industry has utilized the gaming apps for learning objectives. Games not only keep the mind stress free but also increases the memory by remembering the features to solve the sequences. Games also require quick and strategic thinking to win which broadens the spectrum of planning. Quizzes, mathematical problems, human anatomy and many other are the subjects on which games are based which are being utilized by students to happily give time to their studies and learn apart from the conventional methods.

Collaborative Study

Team work in any system is beneficial, even in education system, group works are opportunities for slow learners to acquire understanding by following the others. Students can stay in touch using the chat or social media apps all the time. They can easily share views and data and also conveniently collect public opinions for their write-ups.

In short, the newer trends of education in 2018 are beneficial for the students in learning and assistant for the teachers in in assigning tasks and grading.

What is education and why is it important? The mere thought about education excites me, because according to my personal approach education is not only books and grades but something way beyond that. Education is an experience through which you learn something new, something that you had never known, it could be the color of the sky or the formula of formaldehyde, it could be the first step of a child or the speed at which an aircraft flies.

Education is often misinterpreted, by the load of books or the courses taken.

Near me, anything that brings about a positive change is education. Sometimes people learn many theories but do not practically change, they may undertake lessons on science and mathematics and geography but stay unaffected about their liabilities.

Reading books, hearing lectures and attending courses doesn’t necessarily mean that you have been educated, until and unless you do not incorporate your knowledge to your attitude.

Education is embedding your knowledge in the mind. It is the application of information or skills. It is the knowledge of the world and the drive to improve it into something better. It helps us think optimistically.

Unfortunately, today as the world is progressing on a fast rate, everything is shortened; education is also selling in the name of short courses. It is very difficult for the human brain to learn a subject spread over 4 years in merely 4 months.  In the name of technology and advancements people are misled towards fast track studies which is ineffective.

Below I would highlight just a few of the many issues that are faced by us in the field of education.

Depression due to technology

Depression is one of the issues in education that is faced by today’s teens, it may have been unknown to past generations or if existent could be on a lighter level. Today technology and social media has contributed much towards depression and lack of self-esteem. Use of mobile phones and tabs have become an educational requirement, where students are expected to spend time over the internet for research or assignments. Having its positive aspects, technology does hold its negativities which includes the social media where children of young age spend most of their time connecting with friends, which tolls their study time and they often lag in academics leading to despair. This also results in academic pressure where there is a great competition for grades and degree, if left behind the growing brain of youth does not understand how to control his/her reactions and emotions. Children in their adolescence are complicated and their activities need to be supervised by both parents and teachers.

Costly Education

A primary issue in education in current educational system is the cost of education. Higher education is costly and is unaffordable by many. There are brilliant students who possess the ability to excel in studies but drop their college due to the higher fee structures. In our country most of the families are living below poverty line and are unable to afford college for their children. At the time when a child is to study he/she is compelled to earn and help feed the family. Only if there were colleges that would provide education that was economical, the rate of literacy would rise in our country. Our talented youth would have a chance to outshine in the fields of science and technology.

College Dropouts

Although the rate of admission in schools and colleges is quite considerable in our country, but there’s a great number of dropouts also. This could be due to financial constraint on parents or the stress of environment itself. It has been observed that parents desire to educate their children but in the later years as the family requirements grow, the finances for education seem to burden families and often the older siblings leave education to earn and help the parents. Whereas, if there is less financial constraint the desire to be socially active in youth or not to be able to cope up with the burden of studies, children never complete their academics. For such children, it is important that the teachers and parents keep counselling the students and help maintain their interest in studies and completing education.

Privatization of Educational Institutes

It is being observed that many institutes that were being run by government are now shifted in private sector. This has effected the source of income of such institutes. Where they were previously funded, now have to earn on their own. To meet the demands and payments the burden is automatically shifted on tuition and business. This effects the interests of the public and to some extent the quality of education.

Issues in Education

The privatization and public institutes differ greatly in education standards, since there is not a set curriculum, most of the institutes have different curriculum. Moreover there are many private institutes whose degrees are not even recognized by the government, in which case the students are paying heavily for education but resultantly their efforts are not recognized and they are not able to apply in jobs where a proper government recognized degree is required.

Method of teaching / teaching staff

Most of the private institutes have their own pattern of studies which may differ from the criteria followed by most of the colleges and schools. The whole education system in our country in not working on the same pace. There are students of the same class with differing level of understanding of the same subjects. There are schools that have over filled their classrooms due to which proper attention is not paid to all the students. The world is advancing in technology and in many schools run at a lower level the teaching staff or old teachers are not tech friendly due to which they are unable to cope with the current systems of teaching. Science subjects that can be taught with the help of latest researches through internet and multimedia are taught only from the textbooks which may be ineffective with the current progressions.

School developed in small buildings

Most importantly, in our country there are many small level institutes working in very small buildings, or people have opened small schools/colleges within their houses, such schools and colleges are ignored by the government. They are not recognized and are there for the personal earnings and not for educating. When personal goals start to seep in the education system the future of students go at stake.

Such issues if left ignored can affect the future of students who are relying over the education provided to them. A balance must be created over specially something as important and sensitive as education, which not only holds the future of a child but also the future of our country.

Communication plays an integral role in the life of every student and it is important to master this skill. Advancing in the conventional world asks for good communication. Having a firm grip on the style of speaking clears many paths that lead to a successful career and avoids obstacles that a person with weak communication might experience.

After settling on campus and adopting the daily routine of attending classes, it is high time to start communicating in an effective manner.

Get Involved

Campus life has a lot to offer. One must have the confidence to join clubs and societies so that the activities hook two individuals together. Being a part of on-campus activities enables one to get involved and make friends.

Be an extrovert

While the new life at college embraces your presence, be open to every person with varying nature. Be a pleasant host so that other people get a welcoming vibe from you and they get enough room to start a conversation with you.

Keep yourself up to date

People who are always indulged in the realm of technology tend to make less interaction with others. So never make a choice of plugging yourself to just one intriguing activity. Fill yourself with different news whenever you are free and share it with others. This way, a chain of conversation will begin and confidence won’t leave you ever.

Participate in classroom discussions

Don’t hesitate ever in wording your thoughts. Other students are likely to have the same level of intellect as you do. So, be smart and open while a discussion is going on in the class. Conversations in the class have a long-lasting impact and it always extends your school of thoughts. Hold a polite attitude that is likable and has your opinion that is worth hearing.

An individual, who is well versed, carries a staunch attitude and displays positive vibes effortlessly stands out. Interaction with other fellows on campus can be a little tricky as there is differing point of views. But then, communication makes you flexible, confident and bold. These qualities are fruitful especially when you can get the opportunity to work in a well-renowned organization or company. Even your social life becomes charmingly active as you realize that freedom of words is a compulsion.