LAHORE: “Pakistan is a country with 54 percent of its population under 30. Our youth is blessed with huge potential; we need to tap their creativity. Industry experts are needed to be included on the boards of studies of our universities to design our curriculum congruent with the needs of the local market. There is need to minimize the gap between industry and academia.”
This was said by the Chairperson Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) Prof Dr Shahid Munir while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the All Punjab Universities Innovation Expo 2022 here at Faletti’s Hotel Lahore. The expo was jointly organized by the PHEC and the universities in Punjab.
As many as 259 projects from 37 public and private sector universities across Punjab were put on display. The projects were placed in eight categories encompassing social sciences, business, economics, engineering, technology and emerging sciences, computer and information technology, agriculture, health, and medicine.
Addressing this occasion, Chairperson PHEC Prof Dr Shahid Munir said that the World Economic Forum had listed the future trends for socio-economic development, innovation, technology, and digitalisation were atop amongst those.
“It is high time to integrate these trends into our curriculum to produce a skilled human resource that enables us to match the pace of global economic development,” he stressed.
Dr Shahid Munir further said that the All Punjab Universities Innovation Expo 2022 provided an opportunity for universities to showcase the talent, innovations, and research productivity of their students and faculty and get their potential harnessed,” he contended.
He maintained that the one-page synopsis of the displayed projects in the expo would be shared with the local industry to boost the commercialization potential.
He further said that the PHEC was making the exhibitions of research projects a permanent feature of its activity calendar. He elaborated that initially, PHEC received more than 700 entries from universities; however, 259 quality projects were shortlisted for the expo. “This is a joint effort by PHEC and the universities, we want the industry to be a part of it. We are determined to increase the projects up to 500 for the next year,” he added.
Dr Shahid Munir maintained that the Punjab Higher Education Commission was focusing dedicatedly on the research and innovation output of the universities. “PHEC has organised a training programme for the Director Office of Research Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC); training for Directors QECs is on the cards,” he said.
He also said that PHEC is also planning a similar event to display the M Phil and Doctoral theses produced by the students.
Addressing this occasion, Secretary Higher Education Department Ahmad Raza Sarwar emphasised on improving the quality of higher education saying that universities were not meant for jobs, but rather for knowledge creation. “Universities need to ease the creation of knowledge through emphasizing attainment of core technical skills and cultivating opportunities for students to express their ideas.”
The Secretary appreciated the efforts of PHEC and stressed universities to multiply their budget through the commercialisation of their research output and solution-oriented consultancy services to the government in various projects.
President Lahore Chamber of Commerce Kashif Anwar, on this occasion, emphasised strengthening industry and agriculture for the country’s development.
He, however, stressed a proper mechanism for the transmission of the knowledge and research produced by the universities to the industry.
He further said that due to the ban on imports, we are in dire need of modern technology and machinery. Universities can fill this void by offering alternative technological solutions for industry. Kashif Anwar assured the support of the industry to the universities and their endeavors. He also emphasized to the participants on the filing of income tax returns for national development.
Chairman Chief Minister Task Force on Higher Education Mian Imran Masood, former chairperson Dr Nizamuddin, and Dr Fazal Ahmad Khalid also expressed their thoughts on higher education. Besides this, on the sidelines of the expo, seminars on higher education and innovation were also organised on the sidelines where the speakers emphasized the exigency of serious steps towards improving the standards of higher education and tendered their suggestions.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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