May 9, 2003	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 6, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, May 8: A three-day meeting of National Curriculum Revision Committee (NCRC) of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for the discipline of biotechnology concluded at the HEC campus here.

The committee finalised the biotechnology curriculum being taught at the universities at BSc and MSc levels after considering the suggestions and comments received from different institutes of higher learning.

Prof Dr Mohammad Waheed Akhtar of the University of Punjab, Lahore was convener of the meeting, while Prof Dr Azra Khanum of University of Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindi, worked as secretary.

Realising the importance of the discipline, the committee recommended that formal exposure to this subject should be started at an earlier level in the high schools. The committee felt that due to lack of infrastructure of biotechnology in the country, the discipline should also be included as one of the elective subjects at B.Sc. level in colleges where adequate facilities are available.

The committee was of the view that higher degrees in biotechnology should be started only in those universities which had potential and expertise available. Further, the HEC/National Commission of Biotechnology (NCB) should provide funds for strengthening academic and laboratory facilities for promotion of the discipline. The committee further recommended that refresher courses/workshops/symposia should be held regularly to train manpower for effective teaching.

It was also suggested that biotechnology should be added as an optional subject in the federal and provincial competitive examinations for civil services. The committee recommended that a separate monitoring and evaluation committee be formed to monitor the standard of teaching and research in biotechnology in the universities.

The committee also suggested that HEC should sponsor preparation of videos/CDs/lectures of national/international scientific/academic personnel on different topics and techniques of biotechnology. These should be readily available to all institutions involved in teaching/research in the field of biotechnology.

The other experts who participated in the meeting from colleges, universities and research organizations were: Dr Anwar Nasim, COMSTECH, Islamabad, Prof Dr Furrukh Hussain; University of Peshawar, Dr A.M. Khalid, National Institute of Biotechnology & Genetic Engg, Faisalabad, Dr Aleem Ahmed Khan, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Dr Iftikhar Ahmad Khan, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad; Dr. Zahoor Ahmad Swati, NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar, Dr. Mrs. Tahira Shafiq, PCSIR, Lahore; Dr. Zubeda Chaudhary, Dr. Hamid Rashid, National Agriculture Research Centre, Islamabad, Prof Dr Ihsan Illahi, University of Peshawar, and Ghulam Hussain, NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar.