LAHORE: Speakers at the inauguration of a workshop on ‘Project Formulation’ at the Government College University (GCU) said designing a science project is an art, which scientists have to learn especially for winning funding.

“Around 70pc of the projects submitted to the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) for funding are technically weak, and most of the scientists even failed to justify the prime objectives of their research,” they said.

According to a press release, the two-day workshop was organised by the university’s Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation in collaboration with the PSF for training and capacity building of young faculty members.

PSF Chairman Prof Dr Muhammad Ashraf called upon faculty members to focus on applied research, saying “only 36pc of their funding was available for the basic research while remaining is dedicated to the applied research”.

He said they were writing to vice chancellors of all universities to motivate their faculty towards research.

Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Hasan Amir Shah called upon the PSF to also consider funding social sciences project, saying “they may not require as much funding as needed for the experimental sciences”.

Quality Enhancement Director Iram Sohail said about 30 faculty members of GCU were participating in the workshop, which was designed to train them about the techniques of project formulation.

UMCs: Some 243 unfair means cases (UMCs) and 20 of impersonation have been registered during the Secondary School Part-I (annual) Examination, 2016.

According to a Lahore board official, 13 UMCs and two of impersonation were registered in Bahawalpur board, one UMC and five impersonation in DG Khan, 20 UMCs in Faisalabad, 77 UMCs and one of impersonation in Gujranwala, 83 UMCs in Lahore, 16 UMCs and four of impersonation in Multan, 14 UMCs in Rawalpindi, 15 UMCs and two of impersonation in Sargodha and four UMC and six cases of impersonation Sahiwal board.

Published in Dawn, March 31th, 2016