Research-based education needed to promote tolerance and competence: governor

Quality higher education was the basis for prosperity in life as it accelerates progress for any country, said Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair, while addressing the National Research Programme for Universities award distribution ceremony at the Governor House on Friday.

Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed and vice chancellors of various universities also attended the event.

The governor said that education not only gives individuals confidence to face the world, but also virtues such as tolerance, patience and co-existence.

“It is unfortunate that intolerance has reached such an extent in our society that we are prepared to forcibly impose our thoughts and ideology on others,” he added and said that promoting higher education can help address such behaviours.

Emphasising the need for research, the governor said that both higher education and research contribute to building resources and talent.

Research is the most vital ingredient of any development recipe as it provides solutions to existing problems and opens new avenues of knowledge and learning, he added.

Highlighting the importance of facilities for increased research productivity, Zubair said the availability of modern labs, high-tech testing equipment and regularly upgraded IT networks were essential.

He urged the universities to prioritise research-oriented education to make Pakistani youth competitive at an international level.

The governor lamented that many young people prefer going to the United States for higher education simply because they encourage research. After being attracted by American universities, most researchers never leave the US which contributes to the progress of their society, he added.

Zubair lauded the HEC for its efforts in promoting research at universities, raising the number of published research papers authored by Pakistani researchers from 800 in 2002 to 12,000 in the past year.

He said that the future of a nation relies heavily on the quality and competence of its human resource and that curriculums should be designed based on new advances in the sciences and arts to produce a capable human resource.

He said that showcasing positive activities in the country would depict a soft image of Pakistan.

To that end, the media is pivotal, as it can motivate and inspire the people by reporting those events, he added. 

HEC Chairman Mukhtar Ahmed highlighted the milestones the commission had reached and the goals set to promote research-based education.

Afterwards, the governor distributed awards to faculty members of various public and private sector universities for their research projects.

The University of Karachi won 20 awards, while Sindh University and Aga Khan University were awarded 12 and 10 grants, respectively.