LAHORE: Punjab Higher Education Minister Raja Yasir Humayun has said the government would promote industry-academia linkages and provide all resources to the researchers for improving ranking of universities. He said no nation could make progress without excellence in higher education and therefore the government was focusing on improving academic standards of higher education institutions in Punjab.
The minister was addressing the 352nd meeting of Punjab University’s Senate at Senate Hall, Old Campus here on Thursday.PU Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad Akhtar, members of Syndicate, deans, professors, heads of departments and elected members of Senate were present.
Addressing the meeting, Raja Yasir Humayun said: “There was abundance of potential in our youths but they needed direction. The results of education policies of Punjab government would bring fruit soon. The courses of all universities were being made relevant to the demands of industry. Pakistan had made rapid progress in impact factor research which reflected our research potential. The government would extend full support to PU for improving its international ranking.”
Presenting report of past 8-month of the administration, PU VC Prof Niaz Ahmad said the administration was implementing its vision and merit, transparency and good governance have been ensured. He said that the meetings of all statutory bodies were being organised for appropriate functioning of the university.
He said incentives were being given to the teachers and students for the first time to encourage research productivity of the university. He said the teachers who would get admission to top 50 universities of the world would be provided with scholarships. He said the administration has announced that the bachelor-level students who will publish one research paper in impact factor journal will be given waiver in tuition fee while the students having two impact factor research papers will be given admission in MS and PhD programmes without any fee.
He said scholarships would also be provided to the students with impact factor research while a cash prize would be awarded to the student having highest impact factor research.He said that PU had set up Cancer Research Group and Baba Guru Nanak Research Chair which had got positive response worldwide. He said Software Technology Park and Stem Cell lab had been launched.
He said that PU administration would launch medical school and hospital on 250 acres of land very soon. He said that for the first time in the history of Punjab University, a central meeting of PU alumni was organised at Faisal Auditorium.
He said PU administration also launched online admission system for the first team and received 150,000 applications out of which 10,000 students were admitted. He said 36 meetings of Selection Board had been held in which 144 appointments of teachers and officers had been made purely on merit.
He said that four meetings of Syndicate and nine meetings of Advanced Studies and Research Board had also been organised. He said PU had signed 16 MoUs with international and national organizations and many international and national conferences, workshops, symposiums had been organised.
He said for internationalisation of the university, foreign faculty member from USA, UK, Sweden, Denmark, Italy and other countries were teaching in various departments of the university. He said that the curriculum of all the departments had been revised as per modern requirements of the industry in 2018. He said that the university had also prepared economic, trade and education policy of the country which would be presented to the government. He said that scholarships worth 242 million rupees were also being awarded to disabled students.
The Senate, chaired by Higher Education Minister Raja Yasir Humayun, approved regulations and quota of meritorious professor as per HEC criteria, HEC notifications regarding statutes of teachers on tenure track system, establishment of Punjab University Medical and Dental College, year-wise examinations of BA/BSc Part 1 and Part 2, self-supporting budget of 9 departments and accorded approval to several other recommendations.