KARACHI, Jan 13: A symposium on science education on Thursday recommended promotion of the education infrastructure for teaching life sciences at colleges and schools, in addition to improving the related curriculum for undergraduates.
Speakers were of the view that despite the fact that life science subjects, including microbiology, genetics, biochemistry and others were full-fledged subjects, students preferred professional disciplines, which was largely due to the limited job market. Students of bio science remain in a state of uncertainty about the jobs, they mentioned.
The symposium on "Teaching and Research of Life Science Disciplines: Opportunities and Challenges" was jointly organized by the Department of Microbiology, University of Karachi, the Higher Education Commission and the Pakistan Society for Microbiology at the campus.
Speakers said there was a need to bring improvement of facilities in colleges for teaching microbiology, strengthen education and research in bio sciences, teach physiology and biochemistry in medical colleges, and meet the future manpower needs in biological sciences.
The symposium stressed training of teachers in life sciences and making them adhere to ethical aspects as well. "Teachers must adopt the modern day changes and utilize the latest gadgets besides CDs and multimedia," it was suggested.
It was further recommended that in addition to equipping teachers to meet present-day requirements, in and out of classrooms, efforts should also be made to hand them over handsome financial packages as rewards.
Revision of curricula and having good teachers was not enough, but an improved and updated curricula prepared in line with the needs of industries and other institutions was also imperative.
One of the speaker said that bio science research centres similar to the style and standard of the HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry should be developed in the country.
It was also agreed that awareness about life science disciplines should be created among college students so that they found no problem in pursuing the subjects at universities.
The symposium was addressed by Prof Dr Reza-ul-Karim of USA, Prof Nahid Mehmood, Dr Nuzhat Ahmad, Dr M.A.K. Malghani, Dr Tashmeem Razzaki, Prof Shahana Urooj Kazmi, Dr Nikhat Sardar, Dr Sarfaraz Niazi and Dr Shih-Tung Liu of Chang Gung University, Taiwan.
Dr C.I. Kado from the University of California, USA, shared the story of experiments and successes in his part of the world. He observed that education was nothing but an investment.
Dr James A. Hawk from the USA said that Pakistan should try to pool available expertise and form a model biotechnology institute instead of going for setting up a centre at every university. It was quality that counted, he said.
Dr Faisal Kirmani, who presided over the symposium, remarked that importance of life sciences was undeniable in the case of pharmaceutical and food industries and the agriculture sector. "We must promote life sciences as basic knowledge, and ensure maximum job opportunities in this sector," he added.
