FAISALABAD City News

‘Pak-UK cooperation to boost education’
From Our Correspondent
FAISALABAD: British Council Punjab Director Kevin McLaven has said that cooperation of the UK and the Pakistani education sectors will pave the way for development.
He was talking to University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan at the VC Chamber on Wednesday. He said that the British Council fosters dialogue and international partnerships between higher education institutions and organisations and help students who want to study abroad. He said that the British Council was working with a wide range of educational institutes in Pakistan through projects, events, courses and workshops. He congratulated the University of Agriculture Faisalabad for finding the place in the top 100 universities of the world. He also lauded the steps being taken on the part of the UAF in the areas of research, outreach and academia. He said that the British Council would open a library in Faisalabad that would provide a platform to study a wide range of books. Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that 26 faculty members of the UAF got education from the UK. He was of the view that the agriculture was the backbone of our economy. He said that the UAF had revamped academic, research and outreach programmes and had introduced as many as 42 new degree programmes in the recent years in order to produce demand-driven manpower. The research focus had been shifted to solving problems while maintaining international standards, he added. Meanwhile, a six-day spring festival was started at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad on Wednesday. The festival is bringing colourful events including tent-pegging, milk competition, agricultural exhibition, Kisan convention and cultural show. UAF Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan inaugurated the event. On Wednesday, milk competition was kicked off at the UAF dairy farms, which was meant for increasing the milk production countrywide. The competition will continue for three days. On March 20, different programmes including final round of milk competition will be held while prize distribution ceremony and inaugural session of agricultural exhibition will also be held. On March 21, agricultural exhibition will commence at 9am and flower show at 11am. On March 22, farmers convention will start at 10am and cultural show at 8pm. On March 23, prize distribution of agricultural exhibition will be held at 11am while prize distribution of tent-pegging will be held at 4pm and hostels competition in connection with the Pakistan Day will be organised at 8pm on the same day.