AIOU to set up updated chemistry lab

Islamabad: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) will set-up the most up-to-date Chemistry lab at its campus to involve and encourage youth in research activities for promotion of science and technology in the country.
This would be one of the country’s most-modern labs where all state-of-the-art science equipments and instruments would be available to students for their practical and research activities in the field of science, this announcement was made by the Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Shahid Siddiqui while speaking at the concluding ceremony of the two-day training workshop for college teachers at BS level under the title ‘Special Topics in Physical Chemistry’.
The conference was organised by the Chemistry Department, AIOU in collaboration with Higher Education Commission. It was aimed at providing latest and fresh knowledge on special topics of Physical Chemistry (both theoretical and practical components) taught at BS level in which college teachers feel problems to teach and to demonstrate the practical component.
Altogether 24-teachers of different colleges across the country including AJK, Gujranwala, Abbottabad, Chakwal, Sialkot, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Taxila, Toba Tek Singh, Wah Cantt, Karak, South Waziristan and Mansehra attended the conference.
Vice-Chancellor, AIOU Prof. Dr. Shahid Siddiqui instructed Dr. Naghmana Rashid, Chairperson, Department of Chemistry to start immediate work on preparing PC-1 for setting up the most modern Chemistry lab.
He said that steps are being initiated to promote the culture of research and development by creating an enabling environment in the university where faculty and students will be engaged in research activities. The dissemination of research can be made possible in multiple ways e.g. through non-formal teaching, research publications and national and international conferences.
He said that the University got approved research incentives from its apex body, the Executive Council to the full time faculty members. The authors will be paid cash prizes for writing books and research articles. The University will also bear travelling and lodging expenses of its teaching staff for attending national seminars/conferences.
Dean, Faculty of Science/Chairperson, Department of Chemistry, AIOU Prof. Dr. Naghmana Rashid said that from the last several years, AIOU has successfully been organizing such training workshops at different chemistry topics and on recent advances in Chemistry under the sponsorship of the HEC. She said that this workshop is one among the series of ‘Teacher Training Workshops’ organized by the University.
The conference was addressed by eminent educationists from various parts of the country includes: Dr. Athar Yasin Khan-Lahore, Dr. Khursheed Ali-Peshawar, Dr. Muhammad Sharif Butt-AJK, Fiyaz Aziz Minhas-AJK, Yasin Arshad-Abbottabad, Raja Saleem Anwar-Wah Cantt., Kashif Younas Butt-Sialkot, Fareeda Ghazala-Gujranwala, Dr. Romana Qureshi-Islamabad, Dr. Nasima Arshad, Dr. Naheed Kaukab Butt-Rawalpindi, Safdar Hussain-Lahore, Shazia Bano-TT Singh, Shaher Yar-Karak and Muhammad Awais from Mansehra.