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Tuesday March 19, 2024

‘Management, power devolution key to progress’

By Our Correspondent
March 21, 2018

LAHORE: Punjab Higher Education Commission Chairman Prof Dr M Nizamuddin said that Lahore was fast becoming a city of conferences, with increasing number of conferences taking place which is an encouraging sign.

He was addressing the inaugural session of a two-day international conference on ‘Governance, Management and HR: Strategic Directions’, jointly organised by the Institute of Administrative Sciences (IAS), Punjab University (PU) and Punjab Economic Research Institute (PERI), Planning & Development Department (P&DD), Punjab.

The conference is bringing together academicians from local and international universities, policymakers, researchers, and management from the corporate and public sector for a dialogue on Governance, Management and HR best practices. International guests from USA, UK, Belgium, Norway, New Zealand among other countries are participating in this conference. In particular, Prof Tom Christensen (Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Oslo, Norway) and Prof Evan Berman (Professor of Public Management, School of Government, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand) are part of the international conference. They were a part of inaugural session as keynote speakers.

Dr Nizamuddin appreciated the fact that a perspective of CPEC has been made part of the conference theme, as according to him, Pakistan needs to be more actively discussing and debating on CPEC related activities. Sharing his views on HR, PHEC chairman stressed on the strengthening of management and delegating powers as the key to progress and cited Gujranwala and Sialkot examples of how proper planning can lead to betterment at district and provincial levels.

Speaking on the occasion, Director PERI, Dr Mumtaz Anwar highlighted the importance of the moot for a developing economy like Pakistan by explaining how the development of strong human resource has contributed significantly to the economic growth of economically advanced nations. He was of the view that reforms in the organisational structure were the need of the hour and the Punjab government was committed to enhancing the public service delivery.

Dr Mumtaz was hopeful that the two-day programme will offer insights into the HR and management best practices that will greatly benefit the stakeholders, particularly those belonging to the public sector.

Punjab University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Zakaria Zakar remarked that our youths need cross cultural exposure and international activity. Hence, this conference is a good initiative for a dynamic academic exchange. He also highlighted the role of HR in improving the overall productivity of organisations.

Earlier, the moot opened with Dr Nasira Jabeen, Dean Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences/Director, IAS, University of the Punjab, and Dr Mumtaz Anwar Director (PERI), P&D welcoming the chief guests, the international delegates and the participants.

Dr Nasira Director IAS, in her welcome address, described the conference as a great opportunity that will be looking beyond the conventional norms of HR and public service delivery. With increasing intellectual contribution from IAS, the conference is an ideal platform for research and dialogue. For this conference, international bodies have been engaged, which include Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU). She thanked federal and provincial HEC for their support, and gave a special mention to Prof Dr Zafar Iqbal Jadoon (currently associated with University of Houston) for his contribution to Punjab University.

The keynote addresses by Prof Tom Christensen and Prof Evan Berman revolved around management in academic institutions and governance and innovation in Asia respectively. Prof Tom spoke about academic freedom and how universities differ in terms of main traditions and identities. Moreover, he explained as to how universities understand contribution to economic growth in the US and worldwide. He concluded that administrative tasks are becoming more important in academic institutions are catering much more to students and focusing on their needs.

Prof Evan Berman observed that leadership matters both in the East and West and it is crucial for the efficient running of any organisation. Apart from this, he discussed public sector reforms and the need for them to be inclusive and sustainable. He gave examples of different countries, including Seoul, Vietnam and New Zealand and how innovative reforms have transformed the workings of the public sector. The two-day moot will include panel discussions, keynote addresses, workshops, and research sessions.