LAHORE: The vice-chancellors' (VCs') committee set up by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has finalised a 10-year road map to improve higher education in Punjab.

Under the plan, besides the establishment of an international standard information technology and technical university at Knowledge Park in Lahore, the upgrade of sub-campuses of public universities, granting the status of universities to some government colleges, improvement of the infrastructure of the universities and development projects worth Rs34.6 billion would be completed from 2014 to 2018. Another action plan has also been evolved to spend another Rs30 billion in next five years.

This was announced in a briefing regarding the future of higher education at a meeting presided over by Education Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmed n on Monday.

VCs' committee head retired Lt-Gen Muhammad Akram said the infrastructure of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Engineering and Technology in Multan would be completed at a cost of Rs3.8 billion and Rs1 billion would be spent on the project in the first phase.

He said 850 acres at Dera Rakh Chal on Bedian Road has been allocated for the Knowledge Park. He said the sub-campuses of world renowned universities would be set up over 400 acres of the park.

Also the IT and Technical University would be set up over 100 acres. He said the remaining 400 acres would be utilised for providing housing to foreign universities, setting up of ICT companies and provision of recreational facilities.