QUETTA, Aug 30: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Dr Attaur Rehman has said Pakistan’s prosperity, economic stability, industrial growth and defence capability in the rapid global technological changing depend on quality education.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a new building of the institute of management sciences here on Saturday at the University of Balochistan, he said President Musharraf was serious to improve the standard of education in the country.

Dr Atta, who is also chairman of the Higher Education Commission, stated that Germany, France, Japan, even small states like Finland, were going far ahead in all fields as compared to any Islamic country.

He said it was a good omen that Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali had held out assurance to continue the education policy determined by President Musharraf. The policy had given a clear vision of direction to teachers, scholars and students to acquire modern knowledge, he stated.

The minister said mathematics, biology, physics and chemistry were four pillars of science while the information technology had brought a revolutionary change in all disciplines.

Dr Atta assured that the Balochistan university would be given special attention to bring it at par with the developed universities of the country.

University vice-chancellor M.A. Rashid and Prof Barkat Ali, director of the institute of management sciences, also spoken on the occasion.