Minister Health Punjab, Dr Tahir Ali Javed has said that promotion of engineering and scientific education is the guarantee of economic stability of any country, and there is a dire need to promote higher engineering and scientific education in the country to meet the challenges.
He said the government is taking solid measures to enhance the capacity of universities especially in the scientific/engineering fields and has increased the budgetary allocations for higher education at federal and provincial levels whereas six new world class engineering universities would be set up in the country.
While talking to a delegation of medical/engineering students here today, Tahir said that present government, under reform agenda, is providing opportunities to the doctors for inland and outland training in various disciplines of medical profession to update their knowledge and to aware them about the advancement of medical technology in the world. He said that research facilities are being provided to the young doctors and for the first time in the history of the province the government has established a medical research fund and Rs 10 million each has been provided to medical colleges for carrying out research activities.
He said that constant increase in budget of education and health sectors was a proof of foresightedness of Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi. He said that a number of measures have been taken with the co-operation of private sector for ensuring easy access of common man to scientific and technological education in the province and sub-campuses of various universities have been launched in the small cities of the province.
He further said that various developing countries have achieved rapid progress by equipping their youth with the engineering education and there is need to fully benefit from the latest technology in engineering. He said that despite being a developing country Pakistan is making substantial progress in the region and new avenues of development in engineering sector is being explored and skilled manpower would be required to the country as a result of technological/ industrial revolutions coming soon in the country.
The Muslims were pioneers in medicines, oceanography, chemistry, astrology, culture & heritage etc and we could regain the expertise in these subjects with the cross-fertilisation of mutual skills by the Islamic countries, he concluded.