SWABI, April 13: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has said that alleviation of poverty is on top of the agenda of the present government, and if academic institutions , research organizations and techno-industrial sector put their heads together, they are capable of doing a lot in this regard.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the "Open House and Career Fair" at the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology here on Tuesday, he said the contemporary world was witnessing phenomenal changes and enormous increase in the volume of knowledge in every field of science and technology, and it was imperative that "we should pool our knowledge and experience to cope with the emerging challenges."

He said: "With the rapid technological advancement it is very important to realize that if we want to keep pace with the developments around us, we must make optimum use of indigenous resources, both human and material, to achieve our national goals".

The governor said modern industry and business require professionals who are capable of assessing society's technological needs and are conscious of the impact of their policies on the socio-economic development of society.

He said the institutes and universities must contribute their own share by producing world class professionals. "We need development of indigenous technologies for materialising our dreams", he said.

The Open House fair he said was an event of great importance as it provides a forum to the representatives of industries, and the students to meet and interact with each other and it provided a good opportunity to the representatives of distinguished industrial and commercial houses and reputed research organizations to see for themselves the research activities in the institute and their potential utility for the industries.

He said: "It also provided an opportunity to the institute to learn about the requirements of the industries and to share the knowledge, experience and expertise of the people engaged in industries and scientists and engineers working in research organizations.

It is a rare occasion which brings together the students, the faculty, the administrators, engineers and scientists. If properly planned and utilized, the open house can serve a very useful purpose.

He said it is a matter of satisfaction that the Open House fair also facilitates the placement of the graduates of this institute and the employers find good human material from here.

He said it should be a matter of great pride for the Institute that the employment rate of Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology graduates is very high and its alumni are selected for employment by major national and multinational companies.

He said geographical proximity has made WAPDA a close neighbour of the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology as the largest project (Ghazi Barotha) of hydro electricity in Pakistan is situated here.

I will be very happy if we can find some areas of collaboration with the GIK Institute." If any student of the institute desires to join Wapda he would be welcome and anything needs by institute from Wapda it would be extended without any hesitation".

The rector of the institute Professor Dr Muhammad Naseer Khan said the Open House and Career Fair form an essential part of our programme and it was one of the institute's aims to serve as research and development center for national industry.