Dr Kirkland joins COMSATS

Islamabad: Dr Kirkland, former deputy secretary general at the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), UK has joined the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) as adviser.

According to a news release on Tuesday, Dr Kirkland will be providing assistance to COMSATS for its international programs and human resource management. Decorated with the Order of British Empire, Dr Kirkland has an experience of over 30 years in higher education management, both in the context of developing and developed countries, and provides consultancy to universities, international organizations and funding agencies.

At the ACU, UK, Dr Kirkland had been involved in overseeing programmes related to a number of universities including those from the 26 Member States of COMSATS. Dr Kirkland was received at COMSATS Secretariat, Islamabad, by the Executive Director COMSATS, Dr S. M. Junaid Zaidi, and his team.

Speaking to COMSATS’ officials, Dr Kirkland appreciated the role of COMSATS. He took keen interest in various new initiatives and showed his willingness to help in the expansion of the organisation. Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have agreed in principle and will announce their contributions after consultations with their bodies. Other member states would submit details of their contributions to COMSTECH, within three months of the initial call.

It was decided that monitoring of projects will be carried out by COMSTECH through various working groups and thematic advisory groups. The meeting agreed to constitute a separate cell at COMSTECH for effective and smooth implementation of the agenda. The decisions made in the meeting will be shared with all OIC member states for their input and finalisation within the next three months.