CM stresses modern research promotion in varsities

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur on Tuesday stressed the need for financial discipline, self-sufficiency, improvement in academic standards, and promotion of modern research in public sector universities.

He said this while chairing the 5th meeting of the senate of the Agriculture University Dera Ismail Khan. This was the first time that the chief minister chaired a university senate meeting in his capacity as chancellor of the university.

Provincial Minister Muhammad Sajjad, secretary Higher Education Department, the vice chancellor, and other Senate members attended the meeting.The minutes of the previous Senate meeting and various statutes of the university were approved in the meeting.

The meeting was briefed on the university’s academic activities, development projects, administrative affairs, issues, and other matters.It was stated that Agriculture University Dera Ismail Khan was established in 2018 and currently had 1,308 students enrolled in various programs. The university is offering five MS/MPhil programs, 18 degree programs, and 21 diploma courses.

He directed that university degrees and courses should be aligned with the demands of the modern job market to improve the employment rate of graduates.The chief minister called for setting priorities for the construction of the university’s building and that work should begin without any delay, assuring the necessary financial resources would be provided on a priority basis.Furthermore, he directed for steps to resolve the issue of asset distribution between Gomal University and Agriculture University Dera Ismail Khan.