February 14, 2002	Thursday	Zilhaj 1, 1422

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SARGODHA, Feb 13: The establishment of a university in the district is the need of the hour to yield better results in education.

This was stated by Punjab University Vice-Chancellor Lt-Gen Arshad Mahmood (retired) at the 54th convocation of the Government College, Sargodha on Wednesday.

In the days of rapid change, the VC said modification of the college as a university was inevitable to meet the requirements in the field.

He said the recently established Information Technology centre in the PU would impart latest knowledge to around 5,000 students during the current year. The university had signed a MoU with the University of Japan to share knowledge and development, he added.

The results of latest research and database of 400,000 books and 35,000 manuscripts available at the main library were also being finalized to use at international level, he said.

Mr Mahmood said the regular PhD research programme had been launched with 150 students on rolls, adding due incentives had been earmarked for the researchers and supervisors. At least 14 new disciplines, including Environmental Science, Earth Studies, Earthquake Studies, Women Studies, Pakistan Studies, Management Studies, Archaeology, Physical Education and Sports Science, had been introduced to provide latest knowledge to the pupils, he said, adding the university was also conducting evening classes in 21 departments for the benefit of the employed people.

He said an encyclopaedia on the life and works of Allama Muhammad Iqbal was being compiled by the scholars in the university and a sum of Rs40,000 had initially been provided for the project.

He urged the academics to instil moral values in the students, insisting character building excels any thing else.