ISLAMABAD, Oct 19: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has approved a project worth Rs35 million to provide necessary equipment, furniture and books to the newly-established Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology, Islamabad.

According to an official statement of the HEC, this initial financial assistance would help the university scarry out its academic activities smoothly.

The university aims at enrolling about 200 students in the beginning at degree, masters, MPhil and PhD levels which would eventually be increased to 4,500 in the coming two years.

By providing academic facilities such as laboratories, library and physical facilities to the university it is hoped that the accessibility to the education in computer science and business administration at degree, master and research levels would be reasonably cheaper having no extra burden on the public exchequer.

The university is also planning to start evening-shift programmes for those who cannot afford time during working hours.

The university will enrol students from all over the country on the basis of merit and encourage research students who may like to undertake crash programmes designed to further enhance their capacity building in certain disciplines.

The commission has also decided to organize a six-day training course for in-service university/degree college teachers in the discipline of chemistry of D.I. Khan region.

In collaboration with Gomal University, D.I. Khan, the course is being organized at the department of chemistry, Gomal University, from October 20-25.

The vice-chancellor, Gomal University, D.I. Khan, will inaugurate the course while Dr Musa Kaleem Baloch, chairman, department of chemistry of the said university, will be the course coordinator. It is expected that 30 to 35 teachers from university/degree colleges of D.I. Khan will attend the course.

The main objective of the course is to acquaint the teachers of chemistry with the latest changes incorporated in the curriculum of chemistry revised by the National Curriculum Revision Committee (NCRC) of the HEC at graduate and postgraduate levels.