LAHORE, Dec 14: Governor Khalid Maqbool says change in the academic year will create no problem for anyone rather it will bring in uniformity. Speaking at the fourth convocation of the Government College University and newsmen here on Wednesday, the governor said the change in curriculum was a must to improve the standard and quality of education.

Answering a question on the proposed exclusion of Islamiat and social studies from the primary syllabus, he said it was federal government’s subject. He said Rs150 million were being given to every district to improve the school infrastructure.

He said our universities could not get international recognition because of the previous governments’s negligence.

He said the government was developing research-based varsities leading to scientific inventions and innovations. The varsities should promote market-demanded knowledge.

The governor asked the GCU to relate its different departments with the relevant industries.

He said two centres of excellence in nano technology were being established in Islamabad for technological self-reliance.

To equip varsities with highly qualified staff, 7,000 PhD students would be provided scholarship through the Higher Education Commission.

He later gave away degrees and medals to the students.

Vice-chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Aftab said the varsity would secure a place among the top South Asian universities by achieving research excellence and establishing up to 10 leading research groups in mathematics, physics, telecommunication, atomic physics, bio-technology, sustainable development entrepreneurship, urban studies, clinical and school psychology.