November 15, 2006	Wednesday	Shawwal 22, 1427

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MULTAN, Nov 14: The government is planning to establish science varsities and science cities in the country to promote education.

Hamid Yar Hiraj, state minister for commerce, said while addressing the concluding session of a two-day conference on life science on Tuesday.

The Bahauddin Zakariya University, the National Core Group and the Higher Education Commission had organized the conference.

He said that the government had launched several programs to secure the “enlightened Pakistan” that included the National Education Policy 1998 to 2010, Education Sector Reforms 2002 to 2006, Quality Assurance Program, Education for All, National Plan of Action 2001 to 2015, Perspective Plan 2001 to 2011, Public Private Partnership in the Education Sector and Millennium Development Goals.

Mr Hiraj said the government had improved the standard of higher education by establishing the Higher Education Commission (HEC) which had provided scholars with the latest research facilities by setting up a digital library, arranging doctorial studies for local students in foreign universities and providing indigenous scholarships to a large number of students.

He said the government was committed to improving the quality of education because the government considered education vital for a developed, moderate, democratic and progressive nation.

Mr Hiraj praised the Bahauddin Zakariya University, saying that it had been ranked among the leading varsities of the country within a short span of time.

He said that the university had developed a culture of good quality research and its graduates were contributing significantly to the country by serving in several private and public organizations.

He said the establishment of new faculties and departments, such as the Seraiki Department and Veterinary Sciences Faculty revealed the continuous development of the university.

Speaking on the occasion, Professor Dr Hayat Muhammad Awan, BZU acting vice chancellor, said that university had emphasized the need to improve research facilities for science students.

He said the recent measures for the promotion of education by the university included the establishment of Institute of Biotechnology; establishment of the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences; upgrading laboratories; sharing lab facilities with other universities and institutions; hiring foreign faculty for research supervision, adopting the HEC criterion for quality assurance and organizing national and international conferences.

Justifying the measures, he said that science education was high in demand in national and international job markets. He added that according to an HEC report, the university stood fifth in the country in context of quality of education and stood first among the universities established since 1970.