‘Hi-tech engineering vital for progress’

SWABI: Prof Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC), has said that progress in hi-tech engineering is key to achieving economic prosperity.
He was addressing the induction ceremony of the fresh students in Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology here on Saturday. Academia, students and their parents attended the gathering.
“Pakistan is a developing county and if we really want to address the problems of poverty, ignorance and underdevelopment, we need competent and motivated manpower,” he added.
Institutions like the GIK Institute must play their pivotal role in the development and progress of Pakistan by producing first-rate engineers, who are capable of accepting the formidable challenges facing the country, he said.
“We live in a highly competitive world and we have to deliver in various fields for the progress of our country,” he said.
Engineer Shamsul Mulk, president Society for the Promotion of Engineering Sciences and Technology in Pakistan (SPOREST), said that the 21st century is the century of innovation.
“We have to prepare our younger generation to face the challenges of the new era,” he said.
Jehangir Bashar, rector GIK Institute, said: “We will try our best to provide you conditions conducive to your optimal growth, both in professional and personal terms.”
Prof Dr Habibullah Jamal, pro-rector (academic), said that about 5,000 applications were received for different engineering disciplines this year and only 10 percent of them have been selected. In the next four years, they would be fully equipped to meet any professional challenge, he said.
Later, Prof Mukhtar also inaugurated the four research laboratories in the Faculty of Engineering Sciences, established with the funds provided by the HEC under the Pak-US project.