ISLAMABAD, April 28: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has constituted a national core group in chemistry to work out a strategy for strengthening of chemical science education in the country.
The group would also make recommendations for equipping state-of-the-art laboratories at the existing research and development organizations working on chemical sciences, said an official statement.
The core group will aim at improving the quality of chemistry teaching in schools, colleges and universities in the country and identifying frontier areas in the field of chemistry, and developing projects in these areas by competent persons. The group would also help in manpower development in key areas of chemistry and chemical engineering.
It will also arrange three to four weeks curriculum-based teachers training programmes at different centres of excellence. These programmes include application of Modern Spectroscopic Techniques in Chemical Sciences at H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, Chromatography, Separation Techniques and Statistics at Centre of Excellence in Analytical Chemistry, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry at Centre of Excellence in Physical Chemistry, University of Peshawar and Chemistry of D-Block Elements and Chemical Bonding at Lahore.
The core group would also conduct post-doctoral research programme through which ten post-doctorate scholarships for the duration of six months would be awarded each year to fresh Ph.D scholars permanently employed in universities or R&D organizations in Pakistan.
This core group would also manage Technician Training Programmes throughout the year in addition resource sharing programme would also be arranged. The main objective of this particular programme is to provide spectroscopic, analytical, chromatographic and other services to chemistry researchers working in different public sector universities on cost plus basis, which will be paid by the NCGC.
This programme would be open for all public sector universities, post-graduate colleges and R&D organizations. Keeping in view university-industry interaction a directory of Chemists of Pakistan with expertise relevant to industries would be published and distributed among various industries and R&D organizations.