ISLAMABAD, June 23: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has approved a scheme for establishing an instrumentation centre at NED University of Engineering & Technology Karachi.

An announcement by the HEC said that the instrumentation centre would be established at a cost of about Rs35 million. The project was approved in a meeting of Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) held recently at HEC campus in Islamabad.

The project aims at strengthening the department of electronic engineering, NED university through provision of modern laboratory equipments and instruments. The centre would be equipped with latest sophisticated equipments which would be used for training and routine practical work at all levels.

The proposed centre would also be capable of providing R&D, test and calibration and training facilities to the local industry.

Through the scheme two faculty members would be sent abroad for higher studies in addition to six scholars who would be sent for short training courses.

The scheme is a part of the comprehensive programme of HEC to produce highly qualified manpower in different fields of learning.

HEC revises mining engineering curriculum: The HEC has revised the curriculum of mining engineering taught at all the public sector engineering universities and institutions of higher learning of Pakistan.

In this regard, a meeting of National Curriculum Revision Committee (NCRO) of the HEC was convened at its regional centre, Peshawar. The committee recommended that the major courses proposed by the committee should be made compulsory to all universities. However, the elective subjects may be included in the curriculum depending upon the availability of expertise and the local needs of the industry.

The committee further recommended that 4-6 weeks internship field training for the students should be made compulsory as part of completing their B.E./B.Sc. degree programmes.

The committee was of the view that the books for mining engineering were not available in the local market and hence a sufficient amount should be provided by the HEC to the mining engineering departments of all the universities.

Professor Dr M Mansoor Khan, NWFP University of Engineering & Technology convened the meeting while Syed Tahir Ali Shah, Assistant Director HEC acted as coordinator.