PU VC to head Saarc body on education reforms

LAHORE : South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation (Saarc) Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an apex body in the region, has nominated Punjab University Vice-Chancellor Dr Zaffar Mueen Nasir to head its high-level education reforms committee for promotion of common education agenda in the South Asian region to improve quality in the higher education.

According to a press release issued here on Wednesday, the decision was taken by a committee of Saarc Chamber chaired by its President Suraj Vaidya recently at a meeting held in Nepal. The names of other candidates drawn from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Bhutan and Pakistan were also considered and finally the PU VC was selected on merit basis on his lifelong academic expertise and vast research experience in the field of education. Saarc Chamber VP Iftikhar Ali Malik had represented Pakistan.

The Saarc Chamber will seek administrative and educational expertise from the Punjab University. Saarc Chamber VP Iftikhar Ali Malik said shortage of qualified and trained teachers was hampering the efforts in most of the region to enhance the quality of education. Recruiting qualified, trained and committed teachers is a challenge the South Asian countries are facing, he said. After the approval of VC Dr Zaffar Mueen Nasir's name, Iftikhar Malik said that he held a detailed meeting with him about gender disparities in adult literacy in Pakistan. Iftikhar Malik appreciated the role of the PU for raising the female literacy level to give the best educational environment to female students. He said the VC apprised him of the adult literacy rate for male and female population, aged 15 years and over, being 74 percent and 52 percent respectively. A striking gender gap in adult literacy rate prevails in Afghanistan and Pakistan, he added. With adult Gender Parity Index (GPI) 0.46 and 0.63 for Afghanistan and Pakistan respectively, it is clear that major efforts are needed to raise the female literacy level for these countries, in particular, and the Saarc region in general. He said that it was also noted at the meeting that PU, a seat of learning in the subcontinent since 1882, had been vigorously implementing a tailored programme to achieve the target of quality education. He said the priority areas of action decided upon included enhancing the learning, ensuring education for all, expanding skill development, facilitating mutual recognition of qualifications, mobility of students and teachers and expanding alternative ways of learning like open and distance education.

Iftikhar said that Saarc Chamber proposed that the university attract students from all Saarc Chamber nations and its degrees were recognised by all eight Saarc countries.

workshop: A workshop on Advanced Mathematics Wednesday began at the Abdul-Salam School of Mathematical Sciences Government College University (GCU) under the auspices of the National Center for Mathematics (NCM), and Higher Education Commission (HEC).

According to a press release, some 80 scholars from varsities across Pakistan and abroad are participating in the four-day workshop. The workshop was aimed at providing an interactive platform to people interested in Commutative Algebra and Banach Space Theory. On first day, scholars delivered lectures on advanced mathematics.

Speakers on the workshop include Dr Imran Anwar of GCU, Dr Ayesha Asloob Quershi from Turkey, Dr Qaisar Latif from Jacobs University Bremen, Germany, Dr Shaheen Nazir from LUMS, Dr Muhammad Usman and Dr Irshaad Ahmed from GCU Faisalabad.

PhD synopses: A meeting of Punjab University Advanced Studies and Research Board (AS&RB) presided by Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Taqi Zahid Butt on Wednesday approved 19 PhD synopses, seven evaluation reports, 40 panel of examiners and 16 extension cases, according to a press release.