KARACHI, June 9: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Dr Atta-ur-Rehman on Sunday dispelled the fears of teachers and students regarding recommendations made by the task force on higher education, saying that a final decision on the proposed reforms will be taken by the higher education commission which is headed by him.

“The task force will be dissolved in August, and implementation of the recommendations for uplift of public sector universities will be carried out by the higher education commission after getting approval of the cabinet,” he said, while talking to newsmen at an award-distribution ceremony of Montessori teachers’ training centre here on Sunday.

The minister asked academicians, educationists and students to present their own proposals for betterment of higher education in the country, and to help transform the universities into centres of excellence.

To a query, he conceded that the mushroom growth of IT institutes in the private sector was a major source for producing substandard IT experts. However, IT institutions, set up by the government, would start producing quality-oriented IT graduates after four years, he added.

The minister said that the government was considering to establish a national accreditation council to check the mushroom growth of IT institutions, which would grant affiliations after examining the standard and quality of training in the institutions.

Earlier, speaking at the certificate distribution ceremony, Dr Atta said centres of excellence would be set up in various Islamic countries for promotion of pharmacy, information technology, agriculture science, biotechnology, etc.

He was of the view that the establishment of these centres would lessen dependence of Islamic world on the West for acquiring knowledge.

The minister said he had already delivered the proposal to the government of Saudi Arabia last week and was going to other Islamic states with the proposal.

He advised teachers to develop creativity in learning so that they could encourage their students to take studies as a fun and not as an obligation.

The minister said that work was under way to bring changes in the syllabus of primary schools to lessen the burden of books and to help students concentrate on fewer subjects.

He said the purpose was to make learning easier and a fun for children at the primary level. This would make the foundation strong, he observed.—PPI/APP