Governor says govt striving to bring education sector into line with global standards

LAHORE: Terming the improvement in global ranking of the Pakistani universities as a matter of pride, Punjab Governor Muhammad Balighur Rehman said the government is striving to bring the education sector in line with international standards so that our youth can compete with developed countries in every field.

“In the present era, when economies are shifting from traditional industry to knowledge-based economy, the universities and educational institutions that are playing their role in the promotion of quality education according to the requirements of the modern era deserve appreciation”, the governor said while speaking at the Academic Excellence Award ceremony organised by Association of Private Sector Universities of Pakistan (APSP) at a local hotel.

The ceremony was attended by Chairman APSP Prof Dr Chaudhry Abdul Rehman, Chairman Punjab Higher Education Commission Prof Dr Shahid Munir, Prof Dr Samira Rehman, Rector Superior University Lahore, Vice-Chancellor Lahore College for Women University Bushra Mirza, Vice-Chancellor Quaid-e-Azam University Dr Muhammad Ali and the VCs of other universities.

Addressing the ceremony, the governor said that by promoting research and development in the universities, the country will be on the path of development. In order to deal with the challenges of the modern world, there is a need for the universities to strengthen their links with the industry, he said.

He further said that as a chancellor he has also taken important decisions regarding the disposal of charter cases of universities in less time. If the concerned universities meet the stipulated criteria, the Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) will forward these cases within 90 days and the Higher Education Department within 30 days, he added.

A conference of the VCs of public sector universities will be held by the end of September in which important decisions will be taken regarding the formation of consortia in six sectors, including youth empowerment, environment, women empowerment, and IT. Later, the governor gave academic excellence awards to the VCs.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022