Quality education stressed for gender equality

LAHORE:University of Home Economics (UHE) Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Kanwal Ameen has said that without inclusive and equitable quality education for all, Pakistan will not succeed in achieving gender equality and upbringing the lives of millions across the country.

She was addressing a seminar “Policy Gaps in the Education System of Pakistan” with the collaboration of the Pakistan Youth Parliament. While addressing the audience, Prof Ameen said Pakistan was facing a serious challenge to ensure all children, particularly the most disadvantaged, attend, stay and learn in school, and currently, Pakistan has the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children. She said higher education institutes were facing various challenges including the weak industry-university linkages across Pakistan and therefore ‘we are lacking behind in innovations.’

Former Chairperson PHEC Dr Nizam ud Din said that 27 million children were out of school and numbers were increasing every year in Pakistan, although education was a constitutional right of each child and unfortunately it's not being implemented. He stated that universities are suffering from a leadership crisis, which has a direct impact on the performance of educational institutions.

Sajid Habib, Air Vice-Marshal (Retd), was of the view that inadequate teacher training and poor infrastructure of public academic institutions are not up to the mark to meet the requirements which are needed for national development. The seminar was attended by Shahid Lone, Chairman Allah Walay Trust, Shahzad Nawaz, former Special Assistant to Prime Minister, Prof Dr Wahid-uz-Zaman Tariq, Dr Naeem Mubarik, Registrar UHE, Shujaat Muneef Qureshi, Dr Iram Rubab, faculty members, and students.

PhD degrees: Punjab University (PU) has awarded PhD degrees to 10 of its scholars. According to details, Muhammad Ihsan was awarded PhD degree in the subject of Education, Usman Ahmad in the subject of Biotechnology, Afreen Komal in the subject of Applied Psychology, Muhammad Tajammal Khan in the subject of Botany, Naheed Akhter in the subject of Education, Hina Ashraf in the subject of Agriculture Sciences (Plant Pathology), Rabia Qudoos in the subject of Urdu, Sana Siddique in the subject of Agricultural Sciences (Plant Pathology), Madiha Khalid in the subject of Computer Science and Sehrish Bilal in the subject of Biochemistry.