LAHORE, March 5: Pakistan has an ambitious plan to increase its education budget from 2.7 per cent of its GDP to four per cent within next three years and seven per cent by 2030.

State Minister and Planning Commission deputy chairman Dr M Akram Sheikh stated this at the opening session of the third international conference at the School of Mathematics of the Government College University here on Monday.

He said the government was giving priority to higher education by increasing its budgetary allocations and was taking necessary measures for developing higher education institutions.

He said mathematics was an important subject which had remained neglected in the past. There was no dearth of talent in Pakistan and the government had decided to develop it by pooling all its resources and providing necessary incentives.

He said mathematicians, scholars and the people of knowledge could play an important role to the world peace. They could interact with the people of other nations far better than the governments and their functionaries.

Dr Sheikh said the annual economic growth rate of Pakistan was about seven to eight per cent at present and it could be increased to double-figure with the help of experts in the fields of science and technology, particularly mathematical sciences. They could also help alleviate poverty.

“You should eliminate poverty, not the poor.”

He said credit should be given to the GCU and its School of Mathematical Sciences for getting together about 60 top mathematical scientists from 36 countries of the world which was a great honour for Pakistan.

Vice-chancellor Dr Khalid Aftab said the Government College had been a great institution and it had the honour of producing two Nobel laureates, Dr Abdus Salam and Dr Hargobind Khorana. The chief guest pointed that the college had also produced a third Nobel laureate, Dr Chander Shekhar.

Dr Aftab said this showed the high standard of education of the institution which had won recognition all over the world.

He said the GCU had set up its school of mathematical sciences to develop the education in mathematics to higher levels and it had proved a great success during three years of its existence.

It had engaged mathematicians of world repute from different countries of the world. It had already held two international conferences of world top mathematicians.

SMS director general Dr A D Raza Choudary and organising committee chairman Dr Faqir M Bhatti welcomed the delegates. Dr Choudary said the SMS was providing foreign standard education in the institution.

The students need not go abroad for higher education in mathematics as world’s top mathematicians were here, he added.

The conference will continue till March 7.