Punjab: All-out efforts to promote higher education in province: CM

[Naveed Yaseen]

Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif has underscored the need of strengthening the education system on solid foundations to achieve the targets of the Higher Education Commission.

Presiding over a high-level meeting of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) regarding higher education and the setting up of new universities, at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, here Monday, Mian Shahbaz Sharif said that the Punjab government was giving top priority to the promotion of education and all-out assistance would be extended to the Higher Education Commission in its efforts in that regard. The chief minister stressed upon the vice-chancellors to create such an educational atmosphere in universities as talented PhD scholars preferred teaching there instead of serving in the private sector. He also directed the HEC to make proper arrangements so that Pakistanis doing PhDs abroad could associate themselves with the educational sector in Pakistan imparting their knowledge and abilities to the Pakistani youth. He said the Punjab government would provide all possible help for the construction of roads and the supply of electricity, water, telephone, sewerage and internet service to Engineering University, Kala Shah Kaku Campus. He said the seats of the higher educational institutions would have to produce scholars and researchers rather than clerks for putting the country on the road to progress and prosperity. He said there was a need to improve the standard of PhD in the social sciences on the pattern of science and engineering.

The chief minister further said the Punjab government was ready to extend patronage to such talented and hardworking male and female students in the local and the foreign universities as remain deprived of higher education due to their financial problems despite meeting the merit. He asked Chairman Higher Education Commission, Dr. Ata ur Rehman to formulate practicable proposals in that regard.

Earlier, Chairman HEC Dr. Ata ur Rehman informed that the HEC was spending 55 per cent of its budget on providing scholarships to the talented male and female students while under-graduate programme was also being started in all universities which would be of four years term instead of two years. He said the Virtual University was providing educational facilities to the students of far flung areas and more than 25000 students were benefiting from the academic programmes of the varsity.

The chief minister said new law colleges were being established in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi where academic activities would start within the next three months.

The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Punjab, Tanvir Ashraf Kaira, Chief Secretary Punjab, Chairman P&D, the vice-chancellor Punjab University, the Vice-chancellor University of Engineering & Technology Lahore, Vice-chancellor UET Texila, Mehr Jeewan Khan and the Secretary Higher Education.

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