August 19, 2006	Saturday	Rajab 23, 1427

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OKARA, Aug 18: Federal Science and Technology Minister Prof Dr Ataur Rehman has said the scientific and technological advancement is the passport to a country’s upward mobility. Without it a country is seriously handicapped in today’s competitive world.

He was speaking to a big gathering on the eve of laying of the foundation stone of the student-teacher service centre at the proposed site of University of Education, some 10km from the city on the GT Road.

Defence minister Rao Sikander Iqbal, the university pioneer, and MNAs Rao Muhammad Ajmal Khan, Syed Gulzar Sibtain, TMOs Rao Jamil Akhtar, Malik Muhammad Akram Bhatti, vice-chancellor Prof Dr Ghulam Mustafa Habibullah and other educationists were present.

Dr Ata said Muslims all over the world were very weak and poor as their whole GDP of 57 countries was hardly $16 to 17 billion.

“We can compete with the world by equipping ourselves with the latest scientific knowledge.”

He said to encourage the scholars, the government had raised the salary of a PhD researcher and that was now higher than that of a federal minister. He said the government had decided to shift the university’s main campus from Lahore to Okara and so its name had also been changed as University

of Education Okara. Its sub-campus would be constructed in Lahore.

Prof Ata, who is also the Higher Education Commission chairman, said the university would change the economic complexion of the district. He said the Pakistani students would be able to benefit from the lectures delivered at foreign universities with the help of digital system from November.

He said the varsity should launch 50 faculties as Rs1 billion fund had been released for it.