Universities play crucial role in national development, says scholar

A Professor of Psychology, University of Punjab and former Vice Chancellor, Fatima Jinnah Women University Rawalpindi, Dr Najma Najam has said that Universities work crucially in the national development process, to enlighten the society with socio-political and economic reforms.
She was delivering a lecture on Gender Mainstreaming: Socio-economic Empowerment with special reference to women in Higher Education" organised by the Institute of Women Development Studies, University of Sindh (SU).
The Vice Chancellor, SU, Mazharul Haq Siddiqui presided over the session while Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr Rafia Ahmed Shaikh, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences Dr Iqbal Ahmed Panhwar, senior faculty members, students of various institutes and departments attended it
The visiting scholar said that Universities across the world have been considered as the key institutions in social development process.
Highlighting the role of Universities in National Development and transformation, she said higher educational institutes provide skilled human resources and research output to meet economic and social needs.
She also said the Universities create opportunities for equitable employment and advancement in higher education system, and women join the higher education in larger numbers but cannot attain the senior power positions, thereby they cannot influence changes that are women friendly. The first Women University, Fatima Jinnah, she said, was established in 1998 and regretted that women are missing in higher education system and there is a need to remove the barriers created by institutions to get the benefit of women' expertise by providing a woman friendly academic culture.
"There is a need of radical and centrifugal change to ensure a just equitable higher education system where each can contribute to the national development without gender barriers", said Najam.
The VC SU said in his speech that facility of education to women would help overcome the discrimination created by a male dominated society. He said that the SU has been providing equal opportunities to boys and girls in education as well as employment.
The Director, Institute of Women Development Studies (IWDS) University of
Sindh Dr Parveen Shah, said that data from many countries has made it apparent that the administrative leadership in higher education remains the domain of men.
She said however, though women, representing 50% of the nation, could become an integral human resource, but visibility of women in administration and policy- making levels in public sector Universities and the private sector is dismally low.