KARACHI, Pakistan: Jan 11 (PNS) - The Minister Incharge of the Science and Technology, Prof. Dr Atta-ur-Rehman, has stressed that for the development of the country our priority must be education as well as science and technology.
He was speaking as chief guest at the inaugural session of the 9th International Symposium on Natural Product Chemistry at a local hotel on Saturday.
Apart from local participants, some 200 delegates from 42 countries are attending the four-day moot being organized by the HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry,University of Karachi, and the Pakistan Academy of Sciences.
Prof. Atta, who is also the Chairman of the Higher Education Commission, said that of the country’s population there are 100 million youngmen who are our real resource.
“ If we want to develop Pakistan, our priority must be education as well as Science and Technology”, he remarked. He said that President General Pervez Musharraf had increased the Science and Technology budget some 6,000 percent from a mere 120 million to Rs. seven billion which was something really unprecedented. :eek::k:
Prof. Atta said that a large number of programmes have been initiated for bringing about improvement. He stated that the quality of the faculty is the number one priority. Some 400 people would be sent abroad mainly Europeand other countries for the Ph.D. level programmes.
Indigenous Ph.D. programme has also been started so that the number of production of Ph.D. degree holders be enhanced from 200 per year to 1,500 per year. Prof. Atta said that this will help create a culturefor scientific research in the country.
He said that the process of brain drain would be reversed with the hiring of the foreign faculty. Some 150 applications have been received from the Ph.D. holders in this respect and of these 51 have been selected.
As many as 1,500 highly qualified people would be hired during the next five years. Prof. Atta said that efforts are being made for a reasonable salary structure for the capable faculty members and for this a tenure track system is being introduced.
Speaking on the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor of Karachi University, Prof. Dr. Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, said that the achievements of Pakistan in the field of science and technology which have been a pace setter for the developing world are synonymous with Prof. Atta-ur-Rehman and Prof. Abdus Salam. They have rightly been addressed as ambassadors of Pakistan in the world of science.
He also mentioned the recent developments at the International Centre for Chemical Sciences under the leadership of Prof. Atta and Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhry. Prof. Pirzada said that the establishment of this Centre initially as HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, is an example of the dedication, abilitiesand efforts of Prof. Atta and his team.
Sindh CM bans meat transportation through open trucks Sindh Chief Minister, Sardar Ali Mohammed Mahar has banned the transportation of meat in various cities, particularly Karachi, through open trucks. In a directive, the Chief Minister said that meat should be transported from slaughter houses to the market properly coveredas per hygienic principles. He directed the police to fully implementthese instructionsso that people are supplied contamination-free meat.
Great going. HEC has undertaken some excellent steps under Dr. Atta. One of them being the ranking system for Universities. Let’s hope our Higher Education system takes a better shape under his leadership. :k: