September 3, 2003	Wednesday	Rajab 5, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 2: All the public sector universities of the country would soon be linked through fibre optics network whereby students and teachers could be able to interact on subjects of mutual interests in the field of research, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) chairman, Prof (Dr) Attaur Rehman said here on Tuesday.

He was speaking as chief guest at the inauguration of a training workshop on ‘wireless technologies’ organized by two private communication firms at a local hotel.

Dr Rehman who is also in charge of the ministry of science and technology said the HEC had formulated a strategy according to which by the end of this year, public sector universities throughout the country would be able to communicate with each other through fibre.

“It will help both the students and teachers especially doing research in their respective universities to share their research work,” Dr Rehman said.

He said the HEC was working on another project under which 5,000 research journals of international standards would be available online. At present, even the best libraries in the country don’t buy research journals of international repute which are a must for research students.

Besides this every government-run university in the country will be helped develop a technology park, a centre for interaction of academia and students within the university.

He also told the participants of the workshop that in the next couple of years, the country would have four TV channels exclusively for education. Two of these channels are ready to be launched, he added.

The HEC would soon introduce tenure-track appointment system in all the public sector universities to reward the outstanding scholars.

Dr Rehman said he was writing letters to all the vice chancellors of the universities to implement the scheme which would help in improving the quality of education and research in the country.

He said, under the plan, a professor would be appointed for three years in different universities of the country on contractual basis with a salary package ranging between Rs50,000 to Rs120,000 per month.