KARACHI, Aug 10: Sindh Governor Mohammedmian Soomro has called upon every lover of education to come forward and help the Institute of Business Administration, a great academic institution, in realizing its full potential.

“It is time for all of them to come forward to help strengthen and improve an institution of which we can all make a mention with extreme satisfaction, a business school at par with the Harvards, Standfords and the Oxbridges of the world, an academic organization that will allow us to say with comfort and honour that we are Pakistanis”.

He was speaking as the chief guest at a “Fund-raising dinner” organized for the IBA in the Governor’s House on Friday night.

“I invite all “Friends of IBA”, to come forward and extend generous assistance. I am confident that they will not disappoint us,” the governor appealed while recounting the IBA’s achievements.

Pointing to the participants of the dinner, the governor said all of them had been a source of tremendous assistance to various philanthropic projects in the city and the country and he knew of so many projects that they had funded.

“But today I request your generous support to the cause of needed education,” he said, adding that the IBA would honour each of its supporters by publicly acknowledging and dedicating the contributions by donors.

Unrfortunately, the governor observed, some years ago, the IBA went through a difficult phase and its efforts to improve curricula, faculty, and physical facilities became stagnant. However it was encouraging to note that since May 2000 the tide had reversed. Under the dedicated and able guidance of the chairman, Justice Ahmad Sarwana, members of the board of governors and now the new director, Danishmand, the IBA was fast regaining its position of eminence.

Mr Soomro said as the patron of the IBA, he had the opportunity of discussing the IBA’s plans to turn it into not only a leading but the best business school in the entire region.

Their short-term and medium-term plans include:

* Faculty development, including the induction and training of competent PhD teachers, and chairs of excellence in various disciplines.

* Elaborate improvements and additions to its physical facilities at the main campus and the city campus.

* Installation of modern equipment and computers, including networking and communication equipment.

* Introduction of a business law faculty, ultimately leading to a GOT-MBA degree.

* Revamping of the IBA libraries, by providing new books, internet library facilities etc.

* And finally, one of the most important objectives the institution of a merit-based scholarship Qarz-i-Hasna scheme. The IBA has the most laudable objective — to attract the most-talented students from the country and if these students got admission and could not pay, the IBA and the government of Sindh would arrange financing for them. No meritorious students would be turned away from the IBA just because he or she could not pay the fee, he added

The governor said these lofty ambitious coudl only be achieved with the wholehearted support of each one of “Friends of IBA”.

He expressed his gratitude on being associated with this “Help-IBA Evening” and to formally inaugurate the Endowment Fund with a contribution from the government of Sindh of Rs1 billion.

However, he emphasised, the principal impetus must come from society at large, from the cream of the business community represented at the here this evening.

He gratefully announced that Mian Abdullah, General (Rtd), Khattak, Bashir Alimohanmmad, Latif Ibrahim Jamal and Tariq Rafi had already made substantial pledges and asked the other participating gentlemen to come forward and help build the IBA as a major contribution to building and strengthening Pakistan for today and tomorrow.—APP