TAXILA: Provincial parliamentary secretary for education Engr Qammarul Islam on Saturday said six new universities including three in public sector would start functioning during this academic session.

He was talking to newsmen after inaugurating the combined academic block at University of Engineering and Technology, Taxila.

UET Taxila vice-chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmed and the UET Peshawar vice-chancellor, Iftikhar Gillani, were also present on the occasion.

He said Punjab had its own Higher Education Commission (HEC) as after the 18th Amendment, promotion of higher education had become a shared responsibility of the federal and provincial governments.

The provincial commission will play a key role in improving higher education in the province.

He said the Punjab Education Foundation had also launched a six-year-long free education programme for dropouts and children who could not go to schools due to socio-economic compulsions.

The parliamentary secretary said a special cell has been set up by the Punjab government to revamp the centuries-old civil engineering methods. He said boundary walls of most of the schools had been raised.

The Taxila UET vice-chancellor, Prof Niaz Ahmed, while talking to newsmen, said Rs200 million had been allocated for the construction of the block.

The block will have five faculties: industrial engineering, industrial management, environmental engineering, electronic engineering and science and humanities department.

Project director, combined academic block, Prof Saeed Ahmed, said the aim of the five faculties under one roof was to improve coordination and interaction between them.

Published in Dawn February 16th , 2015

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