Higher Education Commission Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed has laid a stress on increasing the budget for higher education in Pakistan, saying that presently there is a shortage of 36,000 PhDs (doctor of philosophy) in the country. He was addressing a group of journalists from the federal capital during their visit to the Government College University Lahore.
The visit was arranged by the HEC for enlightening the journalists about the academic and research development at GCU. Speaking on the occasion along with Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Hassan Amir Shah, the Chairman HEC said that after the 18th amendment, provincial higher education commissions were reality, so there was no as such conflict between federal and provincial higher education commissions.
However, he said, the role of provincial higher education commissions was needed to be defined to end confusion and this issue would be amicably resolved in the Council of Common Interests (CCI). This stance of Chairman HEC was also seconded by GCU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Hassan Amir Shah, who said that it's good for the universities to be benefited from both federal and provincial higher education commissions. However, he said, major budget of universities came from federal HEC.
Talking about the brutal incident in Khan Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed said "this is something really serious and now the issue of extremism in educational institution is being given special attention and top priority by HEC as well." "We are producing good scientists, doctors and engineers but we also have to ask ourselves that whether we are also producing good human beings or not, and this is where the role of universities is very important," said Dr Mukhtar Ahmed.
He said that a special conference of vice chancellors was being arranged by HEC in second week of May to devise a modus operandi for promotion of peace and tolerance in educational institutions. The Chairman termed GCU a role model educational institution in terms peace and promotion of tolerance. Talking to the chairman HEC and journalists, Vice Chancellor Professor Hassan Shah said the Government College (now University) had always given a special focus to the character building and personality development of their students, and teaching them tolerance towards the beliefs, faith, race, religion and ideas of other people.
However, he said, schools in Pakistan also needed special attention, as this was the right age for the personality development and moral training of students. The Vice Chancellor told journalists that GCU could not expand itself over the last few decades due the space constraints. "Now, a new campus of the university was under construction at Kala Shah Campus with a grant from the government," he said. Earlier, GCU Director Academic Planning and External Links Ms Fauzia Shaheen briefed the visiting journalists about the history, traditions, infrastructure, research output and international linkages of the University. GCU Deans Professor Dr Islam Ullah Khan, Professor Dr Raiz Ahmad and Professor Dr Kamran Tahir also attended the meeting with journalists.
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