P&DB, GCU to collaborate

LAHORE:The Punjab Planning and Development Board (P&DB) and Government College University (GCU) Lahore are going to set up the Social Policy Advisory Board (SPAB) and the Social Policy Advisory Council through Education (SPACE) for research, evidence generation and dissemination, reviews and assessment of public sector programmes on social sector development, public financial management and governance. In this regard, GCU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi and P&D Board Chairman Hamid Yaqub Sheikh held a meeting at the latter’s office and deliberated upon the structure and scope of SPAB and SPACE. P&D Board Member for Education Khalid Sultan was also present.

Prof Zaidi proposed that SPAB be a policy body to be facilitated by a knowledge hub SPACE. “The Council would promote regular provision of evidence and knowledge to the decision makers about development of policies, strategies and programmes aligned with upstream and downstream public policies,” Prof Zaidi said. In Pakistan, the GCU VC said, social sector had been devolved to provinces. “Hence, this alliance of provincial government, academia and international development partners would be a milestone for growth and social development agenda of the province of the Punjab,” he concluded.

According to the concept paper, the patron-in-chief of SPACE would be Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar. “Key stakeholders will include all public policy making bodies in Punjab; the higher education institutes, the international social development institutions such as the UNICEF; and the NGOs/charity sector.

P&DB Chairman Hamid Yaqub Sheikh said that the initiative would be launched during 2020 with the team of SPAB / SPACE based jointly at the P&D and GCU. He emphasised the importance of policy continuity based on rigorous research.