Governor Punjab Lieutenant General Khalid Maqbool (Retd) has said that as no country can claim real progress without educating its people, men and women alike, the present government is committed to developing its human resources through an effective education system.
Speaking at the 18th convocation of Queen Mary College here on Monday, he said: "Only those societies have progressed which realised the importance of knowledge and utilised its resources for the promotion of education."
Development without women's education and participation, however, would be lop-sided and unsustainable, he observed. The governor said: "A two-pronged policy is being pursued for the political and economic empowerment of women."
While women have been given due representation in political institutions right from union council level to provincial assemblies, National Assembly and the Senate, effective steps have also been taken for their economic empowerment, he said.
He said: "Women can more effectively avail and benefit from government schemes launched for their welfare if they are educated, and it is with this objective that special attention is being paid to their education."
In this connection, he referred to a number of schemes launched by the provincial government. The governor said while various steps have been taken to improve education standard at primary level and provide all possible facilities to schools, the Higher Education Commission is also playing its due role.
He said: "Similar attention must be paid at college level so that our graduates are equipped with knowledge and are proficient in their chosen subject, as well in communication skills." The governor also underlined the need for developing new courses in view of social and industrial sector requirement.
"Colleges the world over are not just institutions imparting knowledge, they have become centres where various courses are conducted for men and women," he said, and suggested "our colleges should also introduce courses to impart training to women in different trades, besides imparting education".