QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti has announced that a department of Government Girls Postgraduate College in Quetta, will be named after the professor who was gunned down by militants in 2010.

Prof Nazima Talib, an assistant professor of Balochistan University, was shot dead by two masked men on Sariab Road in Quetta on April 27.

The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army had claimed responsibility for the killing of the female professor.

Announces naming a college department after Prof Nazima Talib

Speaking at the first convocation of the Government Girls Postgraduate College on Monday, the CM paid tribute to the deceased professor.

He said martyrs who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of education and peace in Balochistan are the pride of the nation, and their sacrifices will always be remembered.

Mr Bugti said that no society can progress without educating its women. He said Islam has also stressed the importance of education without gender discrimination.

He noted that at present five women serve as deputy commissioners and one as assistant commissioner in Balochistan.

He said an educated mother lays the foundation of an enlightened family and mentioned the launch of the Benazir Bhutto Scholarship Programme for the first time in Balochistan.

Under the programme, the provincial government will cover the 16-year education expenses of the top 10 students of the province, both male and female, from each district who secure top positions in the matric exams under the Balochistan Board.

“Students pursuing PhDs in any science subject from Balochistan will be provided fully-funded scholarships in 200 top universities of the world,” the chief minister said.

He also announced that the provincial government would provide 500 laptops to teaching staff and students of the college.

The chief minister also lauded the services rendered by Prof Raheela Ramzan, the Principal of the college, who is going to retire.

He said Prof Ramzan’s efforts to eradicate illiteracy and promote education in Balochistan will always be remembered.

Speaking on the occasion, Education Minister Raheela Hameed Khan Durrani said the provincial government is giving special attention to the education and health sectors.She said for the first time in the history of Balochistan, an amount of Rs26 billion has been allocated for the province’s education sector.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2024