LAHORE, Nov 18: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Saturday performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the University of Engineering, Science and Technology (UEST), being set up here under a larger programme which envisages establishment of nine such varsities in the country with the cooperation of various developed states. The varsity in Lahore will be set up with the assistance of University of Technology, Graz, Austria.

In his speech on the occasion, the president called for developing knowledge-based economy through the promotion of quality science and technology education in the country.

“Only natural resources are not enough to make progress; we have to develop our human resource base to make country economically stronger,” he said. Some 100 acres of land worth Rs6 billion has been provided by Pakistan Army’s Lahore Corps at the Defence Housing Authority free of cost.

The ceremony was attended among others by Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool, Lahore Corps Commander Lt-Gen Shafaat Ullah Shah, Austrian Minister for Education, Science and Culture Dr Elizbeth Gehrer, Austrian ambassador in Pakistan, Federal Population Welfare Minister Chaudhary Shahbaz Hussain

Non-Formal Education Minister Hussain Jehanian Gardezi, HEC Chairman Dr Attaur Rehman and a number of Austrian and Pakistani educationists were also present.

The president regretted that education sector had been ignored in the past, adding that the present government had evolved a comprehensive strategy to develop education system at all levels.

He said the budget of the HEC had been raised from Rs500-600 million to Rs22 billion to help promote higher education in the country.

He said, after matriculation, the students should have a choice to join the technical education stream or general education.

He said the promotion of technical education would produce the much-needed skilled manpower for different sectors of the economy.

Talking about the plan for setting up nine engineering, science and technology varsities in the country, Gen Musharraf said the establishment of these institutions with the help of Austria, Sweden, France, Germany, Italy, China and South Korea would cost Rs250 billion over a period of 10 years.

About UEST, Lahore, he suggested the varsity be named as Pakistan-Austria University (PAU).

He said the work on a similar varsity in Karachi with the assistance of France had begun while on another in Sialkot would be soon initiated with the help of Sweden.

The president said with the UESTs the Pakistani youth would have access to world-class engineering and technology education while the Austrian companies investing in Pakistan would have efficient human resources.

He said low-quality education and lack of skilled manpower was responsible for backwardness in the Muslim world.

He said the Muslim Ummah had 70 per cent of world oil reserves and 40 to 50 per cent of natural resources. However, he regretted the total GDP of all the 57 Muslim countries was just US$2 trillion against over US$5 trillion GDP of Japan alone.

He said that Tokyo, the Japanese capital, was a home to 120 world-class varsities while the total number of such institutions in Japan stood at 1,000.

He said that it was the time to acquire knowledge from any where in the world.

“The establishment of universities with the assistance of developed countries is an effort to promote quality education in Pakistan,” he added.

He appreciated Lahore Corps Commander Lt-Gen Shafaat Ullah Shah for providing free-of-cost DHA land for the varsity and added that another 30 acres would also be provided to the varsity for the establishment of a technology park. —APP