By NNN-APP,
Multan, Pakistan : Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that government is focusing on the uplift of education sector to enhance literacy so as to defeat terrorism and extremism in an effective manner.
Addressing the scholarship award ceremony at Bahauddin Zakariya University here on Saturday, he said illiteracy was one of the major causes of the two monsters.
State Minister for Education Mahr Ghulam Farid Kathia, the BZU VC Prof. Dr. Muhammad Zafar Ullah and HEC Chairman Dr. Javed Leghari were also present. Earlier, the Prime Minister also inaugurated various developmental projects of the varsity.
Gilani said the quality of education was being improved at all levels, which was evident from the fact that a hefty grant of Rs 31.75 billion had been allocated for this sector during the current fiscal year.
The education budget would be increased up to seven percent of the total budget till 2015, besides enhancing the higher education budget up to 20 percent.
He said that economic and cultural globalization had ushered in a new era in higher education, as global economy was based on knowledge as a key factor in production with emerging industries of bio-technology, new materials science, human genetics, advanced computing, artificial intelligence, and human/ computer interfaces.
The Prime Minister said that globalization and Information Revolution present increasing difficulties for the developing countries like Pakistan, as they attempt to make choices about how to respond and allocate their scarce resources to confront this challenge.
PPP-led government is cognizant of the fact that future of Pakistani nation hinges upon the establishment of knowledge-based economy that is why, “we accorded high priority to education and announced a National Education Policy after intensive consultations with all the stake-holders including the provincial governments.”
To maximize effectiveness in the global environment, on one hand it is essential to retain a strong sense of identity and purpose while on the other it is essential to be open and engaged with the international community.
The Prime Minister said that in today’s world high expectations and demands are placed on teachers, as the 21st century calls for new approaches to learning innovative thinking, the acquisition of specific knowledge not just about the discipline that they belong to but also about the environment, health, political rights, promotion of ethical values and attitudes.
“In our rapidly changing and inter-dependent world, teachers not only have to ensure that students acquire solid skills in basic subjects, but also that they become responsible local and global citizens, at ease with new technologies and able to make informed decisions about diverse challenges.” he maintained.
Gilani said that quality of learning depends, first and foremost, on the quality of teachers for which sustained investment is required to develop a well-trained and motivated teaching force.
He said, “Our government believes that in order to build the nation’s future we need to invest in teachers now. This is our strategic response to the crises that we are facing at different levels,” he added.
This was the sole motivation behind grant of Rs 870 million under Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani (SYRG) Foreign Scholarship Programme for BZU faculty development, he added. Under this programme, he said, a total of 110 teachers would go abroad for Ph.D. studies.
Gilani said, “I hope that these scholars (BZU faculty members) will earnestly bear the responsibility that this award confers upon them.”
The Prime Minister hailed the varsity performance, citing that it is gratifying to note that BZU is shaping up gradually to meet the high international standards.
At first stage, the Prime Minister awarded scholarship letters to the young BZU faculty members from departments of computer, textile, management sciences, civil engineering, commerce, law, economics, political science and international relations, pharmacy, botany and the English language.
The Prime Minister assured the VC, who submitted several demands in his welcome address, of his full support in provision of funds for the BZU uplift projects. He also thanked the BZU administration for naming Centre of Excellence in Management Science after his name, besides setting up Sheikh Syed Abul Hassan Musa Pak Shaheed Chair at the campus.