LAHORE: The three-day festival, under the theme “A World of Tomorrow: Seeking Inspiration and Equilibrium in a New Age” began at a local club here on Friday.

Governor Rafique Rajwana opened the festival being organised by the Beaconhouse Group. It consists of a series of ‘A School of Tomorrow (SOT)’ conferences, according to organisers.

The festival brought together members of the public with leaders and experts from Pakistan and around the globe to discuss emerging issues and to share a vision for a brighter future

Speaking on the occasion, the governor stressed the importance of taking a proactive role in the improvement of education.

The festival included display of students’ innovations.

“We have made a hurdle detector that can be used in a car that can be driven without a driver,” Nauman, a student told Dawn.

He said the detector had censors that could detect hurdles and stop the movement. He said he and his friends had also prepared a cane for the visually impaired persons.

“The stick helps visually impaired persons detect hurdles on the way,” he explained.

A panel discussion held in the morning was aimed at setting directions for the event. The panelists included legal activist Kimberley Motley, Punjab Information Technology Board chairman Umar Saif, artist Rashid Rana and Beaconhouse director education Dr Lawrence Burke.

The session was moderated by Beaconhouse School System chief executive Kasim Kasuri.

The sessions in the afternoon were specific to educators and practitioners in the field of education.

Dr Lawrence Burke moderated a panel discussion with students on ‘The Future of Learning’ while Andleeb Abbas moderated another panel discussion on ‘Rethinking Educational Leadership in a New Age’.

Ayesha Kasuri led a presentation on ‘The Power of Project-based Learning’ while robotics expert Sibel Ahmad Mufti led a workshop on how to build a robot. The festival will continue for the next two days and it is open to the public.

UVAS: The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences organised an orientation programme for new students of various undergraduate degree classes at the City Campus.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Talat Naseer Pasha presided over the orientation programme while students and faculty members attended the orientation.

Meanwhile, a delegation from Malaysia visited the UVAS and called on its VC.

Published in Dawn November 5th, 2016