ISLAMABAD, Jan 9: The government has approved a project, costing Rs972 million to modernise and upgrade teaching and research facilities at the University of Balochistan.

The project aimes at strengthening of all existing departments and introduction of new subjects, departments and a four-year BS programme.

The new subjects to be introduced in the first phase are: renewable energy, seismology/earthquake studies, banking and finance studies, business administration and public administration, Arabic, population studies.

The new departments to be added are: Department of Medical Technology in the Institute of Bio-Chemistry, Institute of Fine Arts, Department of Women’s Studies, Department of Linguistics and Department of Economics.

The university has also established a linkage programme with the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, which will provide it with capacity-building programmes. This linkage will improve the standard of higher education in the province.

Members of the faculty will be offered training in M.Phil and PhD to fill the void of specialised teachers in many fields.

Furthermore, trainings on the conduct of class procedures and management methods will also be provided to the faculty.

The collaboration will also include a faculty exchange programme, an interactive research programme between the two universities, a collaborative research programme as well as short term research programmes.

The project includes allocations for new equipment, books for the libraries, a 20-room faculty hostel, furniture, transport and other civil works.—APP