PESHAWAR, June 28: Governor Masood Kausar has said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has paid special attention to education sector as higher education institutions have been established in all the seven divisions unlike past when there used to be universities in Peshawar division only.
“Promotion of education is the main focus of the government as it has diverted considerable funds to this sector in an effort to promote higher education,” a handout quoted the governor as saying.
Addressing Malakand University’s annual convocation on its premises at Chakdara on Thursday, Mr Kausar said that promotion of higher education would translate into economic growth in years to come, creating jobs and strengthening private sector.
A total of 467 graduates who completed their bachelor and masters programmes were conferred degrees, while 28 graduates received gold medals for achieving distinctive positions in their respective disciplines.
The governor inaugurated the newly-constructed academic block at the campus. Provincial livestock minister Hidayatullah Khan, provincial secretary higher education Mrs Farah Hamid, commissioner Malakand division, other senior government officials and notables of the area attended the ceremony. The university’s vice chancellor Prof. Rasool Jan presented the institution’s annual report and highlighted its achievements and future programmes.
The governor said that Malakand division was blessed with rich natural and human resources and tremendous prospects for economic development. “This university along with its other sister institutions has a tremendous potential to contribute a lot in making this possible,” he said.
He said that the world had undergone a paradigm shift in this age of knowledge driven economy. “Nations are no longer considered powerful just because of their military might, rather their attitudinal response towards others, their level of capabilities in various fields of life, the living environment and facilities being offered to their coming generations for future development are also accounted equally,” he said.
The government, he said, was making efforts to equip youth with the knowledge of desired standards. Mr Kausar praised theUniversity of Malakand for its progress, new addition in disciplines and increased number of PhD faculty members.
Prof. Rasool Jan said that 18 new departments had been added during past three years, taking the total to 28, while four more disciplines were being added.