PESHAWAR, June 12: The higher education department would soon establish digital simulation laboratories in different public sector colleges of the province to bring innovation in teaching of science subjects, sources said.

They said that the laboratories would have already been established in the colleges but they got delayed owing to red tape. “As usually the education department has shown little interest in this innovative plan,” sources said, adding it was approved in the budget for the fiscal year 2011-12.

Under the pilot project, digital simulation laboratories were to be set up in 10 public sector colleges. The provincial government was eager to establish those laborites as soon as possible but the slow work on the part of education department officials caused the delay, sources said.

“Though implementation of the project is a bit late, yet it will very beneficial for the students of public sector colleges where mostly poor students are enrolled,” an official, wishing not to be named, told Dawn.

Appreciating the provincial government, he said that it was the first ever plan in the country of introducing digital simulation laboratories in public sector colleges.

Prof Mohammad Tariq, the director of project management unit of the department, when approached, said that the proposed laboratories would include latest computers, multimedia and education software. For establishment of the laboratories an amount of Rs35 million was approved, he added.

He said that bidding of the contract was already carried out and establishment of the laboratories would start in the last week of June.

“A few private educational institutions have such laboratories while there is no example of such laboratories in public sector educational institutions across the country,” Prof Tariq said.

Till now students were being taught science subjects through books and blackboards in their classrooms but after establishment of the proposed laboratories every topic would be explained to them through visual presentation.

“For instance, teachers explain the formula of water to students that how it is formed after combination of two hydrogen and an oxygen atoms.

After the establishment of the laboratories, students will be able to see the ‘water making’ process through visuals. It will clear the concept of students and they will understand easily,” Prof Tariq said.

He said that the laboratories would be connected with Pakistan Educational Research Network project of the Higher Education Commission that connected educational institutions with global academic resources. “It would enable students to have access to information and academic resources across would,” he said.

He said that in the first phase digital simulation laboratories would be established in 10 government-run postgraduate colleges in Peshawar, Abbottabad, Haripur, Swat, Bannu and Charsadda.