Chairperson Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) Professor Dr Mohammad Nizamuddin and Secretary Higher Education Department Punjab (HED) Irfan Ali jointly chaired the inauguration ceremony of the short-term principals' training program at the University of Health Sciences (UHS) on Tuesday. The keynote speakers included Vice Chancellor UHS Major General Professor Muhammad Aslam (retd), Vice Chancellor University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Professor Dr Talat Naseer Pasha and Vice Chancellor University of Education Professor Dr Rauf-i-Azam.
Chairperson PHEC Professor Dr M. Nizamuddin said, "Good governance is about making the best possible decisions through due process." He said, "We can only solve problems once we identify them correctly."This training program focuses on inculcating managerial capabilities in principals so that they may be able to efficiently manage financial resources and execute good governance within their individual capacity.
He said, "Pakistan is obsessed with university rankings but the quality of degrees is more crucial. Modern-day education is all about research, quality assurance and publications. The college system needs restructuring with a new syllabus, good governance and an improved infrastructure. The market-oriented curriculum should be relevant according to society and industry. Research-oriented publications are important to make a meaningfully relevant impact in society. We need to systematize training by establishing a residential training program for educationists. PHEC intends to launch state of the art teachers training academies in Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi"
Secretary Higher Education Department Punjab (HED) Irfan Ali said, "Educationists should be treated as a separate cadre as are civil servants." He said, "The college is as good as its principal. It is the first time that such extensive training is being given to educationists.If the principal is committed and dedicated then every issue can be solved with locally generated resources." He further said, "The need is for principals to be well-equipped with all possible technical and professional knowledge so that they may become role-models."