Microbiology should be accorded full recognition as independent subject and be introduced in all the colleges in the country in general and Sindh in particular. This was recommended by the microbiologists and scholars at the concluding session of the two-day first national symposium on "Microbiology," organised by the Sindh University (SU) in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) at the university campus, Jamshoro.
Microbiologists, inviting attention of research organisations and the Federal and provincial governments towards the key role of microbiology in health, environment, industry, agriculture, pharmaceutics and biology, further recommended that microbiology should be included as an independent subject in the public service examinations and the Pakistan Academy of Sciences citation.
The scholars also recommended that a research should be conducted to fully exploit the biological control to eradicate crops and plant diseases, taking heavy toll of agriculture production.
The scholars were of the opinion that establishment of a modern scientific pathological laboratory would serve the community in the concerned areas on no-profit-no loss basis.
They further suggested that a mobile laboratory for collecting the samples from outskirts of Hyderabad and its adjoining areas should be established. Financial assistance for the mobile laboratory may be provided by the HEC to enable the microbiologist to reach remote areas to collect data, which would benefit the community, they opined.
The scholars also urged the government to open up avenues for young biology graduates to serve in clinical, pathological laboratories and public health engineering departments.
Presiding over the closing session, SU Dean Faculty of Natural Sciences Professor Asif Ali Kazi said the university would be taking initiative for introducing microbiology as independent subject in its affiliated colleges very soon and would also submit a proper request to the government to help in that regard.
Microbiology Department's head Professor Bashir Ahmed Channar, expressing thanks to all the scholars and participants, especially those who presented their deliberations, announced that their research papers would be published in book shape and distributed amongst the participants.
More than 100 scholars, microbiologists from the universities and research organisations from all over the country attended the symposium and also presented their research papers on various aspects of the microbiology.