National University of Technology (NUTEC) is facing financial woes like other public sector universities due to which its research programme and other initiatives are affected badly.
This was conveyed by the NUTECs' Rector to the Senate Standing Committee on Sciences and Technology who visited different sections on Thursday. The Rector sought committee's help to get funds of at least Rs 500 million to run its affairs.
The Committee was headed by Senator Mushtaq Ahmed and was attended by Senators Hidayatullah and Sabir Shah.
The committee was told that the budget allocated to NUTECH in 2018-19 was Rs 1.2 billion and Rs 481.52 million was surrendered to the government. This year Rs 731.30 million have been allocated to the university. The committee urged the university to try to utilise the budget in best possible ways and also observed that such universities should get further support in terms of technical and financial support. Having technical institutions in every industrial zone was also recommended.
The committee assured the Rector NUTECH that it will fully support the university to ease the process of signing MoUs with foreign institutes and encourage sound and dedicated legislation regarding technology and skill development.
The committee was briefed about the university which was established in October 2018 as a university for industry. The idea was conceived in 2015 and made an act of Parliament in February 2018.
The committee was informed that Pakistani skilled labour is very scarce and most of the diaspora is unskilled labour. "Pakistan does not create technology and just buys technology which paved the way for a dedicated skill and technology developing university like NUTECH."
Committee's Chairman Senator Mushtaq Ahmed observed that Pakistani institutions were producing students that do wondered abroad but they had rarely been able to bring about noticeable change in Pakistani society. He expressed hope that the institute would help in achieving that objective. The university is not just producing higher education but has a national qualification framework with four tiers of education structure.
The committee was told that the university puts emphasis on practical experience of how industries work and engagement with industry is a regular feature in all tiers of education. Half way through the semester students give two days every week to industry visits and gaining experience from working in their field of study. The Committee observed that this field requires thorough technology related legislation as well as adequate financial resources as commercializing technology is the need of the hour.
While discussing the importance of integrated efforts it was observed that the technology university boards should have representation of industry and chambers of industry should have representation of universities so that better liaison is in place to ensure that both are aware of the requirements of other sectors and better individuals with the requisite skill are prepared.
The briefing gave details about NUTECH's initiatives about curriculum's alignment with industry needs, becoming an entrepreneurial university, mandatory conditions of industry representatives, application of technology in society, competence index scores, joint working groups, joint technology platform for experts.
The institution has arranged Memorandums of Understanding with Heavy Industries Taxila, Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra and Inspection and Technical Development Directorate (ITD) and Collaboration with University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy and University of Utah, USA. It was revealed that the university aims at producing 150 PhDs experts by 2022 and 5000 PhDs in 800 technology fields by 2033. The Committee appreciated the idea of establishing a campus of the university in Quetta in near future and of creating a productive workforce for upcoming ML-1, ML-2, ML-3 and futuristic approach based joint research projects on modern technologies of magnetic levitation, evaluated tube rail transport, solar, wind energy rail systems.
Chairman committee observed that only one percent of Pakistani students are enrolled in technical and vocational training institutes, and institutions like NUTECH will help in addressing this dilemma. The briefing was followed by a visit of the campus whereby the Committee was shown how students are studying in high tech labs and research facilities.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2019
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