nd2 NBEAC Deans & Directors Conference

Chairman HEC Calls on CM KPK

Symposium on Curriculum Development in Higher Education

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AccreditationMatters !

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Higher Education Commission & Accreditation

Councils Agree to Enhance

Coordination

January/February 2015

Table of Contents

Graphic Designer

Raja Ahmad Nadeem

Reporter

Waseem Khaliqdad

Editor

Aayesha Ikram

Publisher:

Higher EducationCommission, Pakistan

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News & Views is published every month. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the publisher.

The views expressed by authors in the articles is their sole responsibility and not of HEC. The Commission would like to thank all the institutions and individuals who contributed information and photographs for this Magazine.

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Prize distribution for National Essay Competition

Symposium on Curriculum Development in Higher Education

HEC, British Council to Increase Investment in Research for Higher Education

Accreditation Councils and HEC Agree to

Enhance Coordination

Chairman HEC Calls on CM KPK

Turnitin Usage in Pakistan's Universities

Results in Phenomenal Decrease

HEC & IST Sign MoU for Promoting

Entrepreneurship among Youth

nd2 NBEAC Deans & Directors Conference

2015

ORICs Managers attend Training in Australia

and Thailand

Promotion of Social Sciences Research

among HEC's Top Priorities: Chairman HEC

Lecture on American Education System

HEC Scholar holds Solo Painting Exhibition

in France

NCRC Reviews Curricula of Agricultural

Chemistry & Plant Protection

th11 Graduation Ceremony at National

Defence University

UoK Symposium on Molecular Medicine and

Drug Research

DUHS Scientists Receive Training on

Biosafety

International Conference on Space

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As many as 458 essays were received from all over the country, which were evaluated by the experts/judges and 60 position holders in the category of Urdu and English were given certificates and cash prizes in the five regions at college and university level.

The Essays of position holders from all the regions were further evaluated in HEC at national level. After evaluation by the judges, six students were

st ndselected from all over the country for 1 , 2 and rd3 position in the Category of Urdu and English.

Their essays were evaluated keeping in view the, creativity, structure, grammar, length and expression. For recognition, appreciation and encouragement of the student they were given cash prizes of Rs. 100000, 75000, and 50000 at national level in both the categories.

Mr. Siddiqui underlined the need to root out the menace of extremism from the society, adding that education is the only tool that can eradicate extremist attitudes. Congratulating the winners and participants of the nationwide competition,

Prize distribution for National Essay Competition

Youth has an important role in eradicating extremism from society: Irfan Siddiqui

Mr. Irfan Siddiqui, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Affairs has advised the youth to become a productive member of the society and contribute in the development of their homeland. He stressed on the significance of education for eradicating extremist and negative attitudes prevalent in our society.

He was speaking as chief guest at the prize distribution ceremony for the National Essay Competition held in connection with the Independence Day Celebrations. Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman, Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Dr. Mansoor Akbar Kundi, Acting Executive Director HEC were also present at the ceremony held at HEC Secretariat, Islamabad.

On the directive of the Prime Minister, while thcelebrating 67 Independence Day, HEC organized

the National Essay Competition in five Regions i.e Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Federal Area. The programme was advertised with the theme “Celebrate the Freedom with Words”.

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he urged them to continue writing and use their pen to bring the much desired change in the Pakistani society.

He appreciated the role of Higher Education Commission for undertaking initiatives and providing excellent platform to youth for enhancing their skills and developing a strong human resource in the country. He reiterated the Government's resolve to develop the education sector and make quality education available across the country.

Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed said that such competitions are helpful not only for enhancing the writing skills, language proficiency and

Position holders of National Essay Competition 2014 along with Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, Provincial Minister for Education & Literacy, and Dr. Mansoor Akbar Kundi, Executive Director HEC.

Mrs. Farah Hamid, Secretary ST&IT, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa distributed prizes among winners at a ceremony held in Peshawar.

Prize Distribution Ceremonies held at Provincial Level

analytical ability of the students but it also inculcates deeper knowledge of the socio-economic and political issues of the country. “You also need to show to the world that our nation especially youth is full of potential and is united to face challenges faced by this country.”

He elaborated different initiatives of HEC for human resource development as well as strengthening physical and technological infrastructure of the higher learning institutions. He shared with the audience how successfully HEC, with the support of the Government, has been executing two important components of the Prime Minister Youth Scheme including Laptop Scheme and the Fee Reimbursement Scheme.

Mr. Ghulam Muhamamd Sabir, Secretary, Higher and Technical Education, Government of Balochsitan, was chief guest in the prize distribution ceremony held at Quetta.

Dr. Faizullah

Abbasi, Vice

Chancellor,

Dawood University

of Engineering and

Technology

(DUET), Karachi

was chief guest at

prize distribution ceremony held in Karachi. Dr. Jaffar

Ahmad, Director, Pakistan Study Centre, University of

Karachi was the guest of honor at the occasion.

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The fifth meeting of country's Accreditation Councils was held at Higher Education Commission (HEC) Islamabad to discuss how the process of accreditation could be revamped and strengthened keeping in view the expansion of higher education sector, and learning from international best practices in the accreditation process.

Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC chaired and inaugurated the meeting, organized by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) HEC.

Ensuring Quality of Higher Education

Accreditation Councils and HEC Agree to Enhance Coordination

The Councils whose Chairmen, Presidents and Registrars attended the meeting included Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), Pakistan Council for Architects and Town Planners (PCATP), Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), Pakistan Nursing Council (PNC), Pharmacy Council of Pakistan (PCP), Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council (PVMC), National Council for Homoeopathy (NCH), National Accreditation Council for Teachers Education (NACTE), National Agricultural Education

Accreditation Council (NAEAC), National Computing Education Accreditation Council (NCEAC), and National Business Education Accreditation Council (NBEAC).

Accreditation Councils are responsible for Programme Accreditation at undergraduate level across the country in the respective subjects with complete autonomy in terms of implementation under policy guidelines of HEC, whereas HEC is responsible for Institutional Accreditation as per its Act. The two-day activity was aimed

The two-day activity was aimed at gathering all the accreditation

councils of the country under one roof and discuss challenges faced by

HEC and these councils as well as formulate a joint strategy to ensure

accreditation process in a more effective manner, and align their

objectives with the Government's Vision 2025

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at gathering all the accreditation councils of the country under one roof and discuss challenges faced by HEC and these councils as well as formulate a joint strategy to ensure accreditation process in a more effective manner, and align their objectives with the Government's Vision 2025, which has put special emphasis on ensuring quality of higher education through Programme as well as Institutional accreditation.

Speaking to the participants, the

Chairman HEC appreciated role of

all the accreditation councils for their

efforts to streamline programmes in the

respective fields. He hoped that close

coordination among these councils and

HEC will ensure quality at all levels

of the higher education sector.

On first day of the meeting, each Council presented its functions and future plans and shared their good practices.

The second day focused on agenda items like standardization of accreditation process, implementation of effective communication strategy between HEC, Councils and universities/ Degree Awarding Institutions (DAIs), significance of MoU, training for evaluators of the Councils, organization of national and international

conferences, publishing programme accreditation reports on Councils' websites, publicity of QAA's and Councils' policies for parents/students alerts.

All the accreditation councils showed full confidence in the policies of HEC for ensuring quality at all levels in the higher education sector. It was decided that meeting of heads of all accreditation councils will be held at least once a year while the Sub-Committee will

meet twice a year to discuss progress on the agreed issues and further strengthen coordination between HEC and the accreditation councils.

Most of these accreditation councils have already signed MoUs with HEC for revamping and strengthening process of accreditation of programmes in the respective disciplines, while the remaining councils agreed to sign MoUs on priority.

Another important issue discussed in the meeting was

the impact of zero visits upon institutional and programme accreditation.

It was emphasized that zero visits should not be taken as a go-ahead signal for launching any Programme but will be considered as Gap Analysis visit.

Any University/Degree Awarding Institution will be allowed to launch a Programme only after meeting all the requirements. HEC will

extend full support to all Councils in developing their Programme Evaluators capacity by providing them relevant trainings and capacity building workshops on a regular basis.

It was also agreed that each accreditation council will hold national as well as international

conferences in their respective areas to bring stakeholders on one platform as well as learn from international practices.

Another important decision was holding of national conference by HEC to be attended by all the accreditation councils and Quality Enhancement Cells (QECs) of the country, bring all stakeholders, responsible for quality of higher education, on one platform so that they align their objectives and work in close coordination.

Accreditation Councils are

responsible for Programme

Accreditation at undergraduate level

across the country in the respective

subjects with complete autonomy in

terms of implementation under policy

guidelines of HEC, whereas HEC is

responsible for Institutional

Accreditation as per its Act.

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bought the Turnitin License in June 2009. HEC has been making effort to prevent plagiarism through Implementation of Plagiarism Policy and use of Turnitin at universities. Initially, 60 public sector universities were given access in 2009 while at present 112 higher education institutions are availing this facility.

In 2009-10, the level of unoriginal writing in Pakistani universities was 34.5 % among 42,000 documents including research papers, thesis, assignments at undergraduate, graduate as well as doctoral level while in 2013-14, the number of

Turnitin Usage in Pakistan's Universities Results in Phenomenal Decrease

Plagiarism Cases

documents checked for originality went up to over 6,00,000 while level of unoriginal writing has decreased to 18. 7 %, which is a phenomenal decline.

Using Turnitin for originality checking is a proven method for reducing unoriginal research work. A recent study shows that institutions worldwide, using Turnitin for originality, reduce unoriginal writing by 33 per cent with some institutions seeing reduction of up to 85 per cent. The more broadly the Turnitin is used, the greater the reduction.

A recent report issued by the iParadigms, a leading international provider of cloud-based educational technologies to prevent plagiarism, verify content, and evaluate written work, shows that increase in usage of Turnitin has considerably decreased the level of plagiarized research in Pakistan's higher education institutions.

Turnitin software was created and launched by iParadigms in 1997. It is an Internet-based plagiarism-prevention service to check the unoriginal work. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan

Chairman HEC Calls on CM KPK Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman Higher education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan recently called on Mr. Pervaiz Khattak, Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and apprised him of various HEC's initiatives for development of higher education sector of the country.

Dr. Mansoor Akbar Kundi, Executive Director, HEC, Secretary, Technical Education KPK, Additional Secretary, Higher Education KPK, Mr. Awais Ahmed, DG (A&C) HEC and Mr. Zaheer Ahmed Awan,

Director, HEC Regional Centre, Peshawar were also present.

The Chief Minister appreciated the achievements of HEC during the last decade and assured complete support

of his Government for retaining HEC as a Federal body. The Chairman HEC also shared HEC's plans to establish a university or its campus in every district of the country.

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symposium was aimed at placing higher education in its local milieu from the international context that is kept in view when transplanting educational practices, identifying and filling the gaps that currently exist in higher education curriculum planning, responding to needs of the society and related industries, fulfilling the curriculum development needs with regards to coordination and alignment, improving horizontal and vertical relationship in curriculum, and revising the curriculum on regular bases for continuous improvement.

Speaking at the occasion, the Minister said that curriculum is one of the most important components of the education system and appreciated the Higher Education Commission for taking well-timed initiative to review the process of curriculum development and revision. He said that timely revision of curriculum was imperative for assuring quality of education and setting high standards for the education sector. He shared with the audience the establishment of National Curriculum Council, which has representation of all regions of the country and is aimed at setting minimum criteria for curricula from KG to Grade-12. He also added that an Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference was held recently in Islamabad which was attended by education

Symposium on Curriculum Development in Higher Education

Two days long national symposium on “Curriculum Development in Higher Education” was held at Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Islamabad. The symposium, organized by the Academics Division of Higher Education Commission (HEC), was aimed at brainstorming the most suitable procedure to be adopted as a guideline for undertaking curriculum revision and development at undergraduate and graduate levels. Theme of the symposium was “Today's Curriculum Tomorrow's Nation”.

Engr. Mian Muhammad Baligh ur Rehman, Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training was the chief guest in the inauguration ceremony. Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC, Dr. Shahid Siddiqui, Vice Chancellor AIOU, Dr. Mansoor Akbar Kundi, Executive Director HEC, Dr. Mahmood-ul-Hassan Butt, former VC of AIOU as a keynote speaker as well as Vice Chancellors of different local universities were also present.

The experts, invited from relevant fields in academia as well as industry, reviewed current practices of curriculum development in higher education and had focus group discussions to recommend strategies for improving the current practices of curriculum development. The

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The Research and Development Division, HEC and Institute of Space Technology (IST) have signed an MoU for rolling out “Start and Improve Your Business” Module in Pakistan. Prof. Dr. Tariq Mahmood, Adviser (R&D) HEC and Dr. Zafar M. Khan, Director General (ORIC) IST signed the agreement at HEC Secretariat, Islamabad. Fostering entrepreneurship for men and women is vital not only for Pakistan's economic growth but also for reaping utmost benefits from our bulging youth population that is approximately 60 % of the total population.

As an effort to enable the universities to play their part not just as degree awarding institutions but for socio-economic growth, HEC, in

HEC & IST Sign MoU for Promoting Entrepreneurship

collaboration with ILO is conducting a series of capacity building programmes for Business Development Service Provider staff of 10 universities. As per the MoU, IST officers, after having been trained as Master Trainers, will cascade the training on “Generate Your business Idea”, “Start Your Business” and “Improve your Business” modules for graduates, potential entrepreneurs and nascent startups. It is expected that each training cycle will result in at least 10-12 doable business plans and

ministers and secretaries from all provinces, FATA, AJK and Gilgit Baltistan. "The response from all regions of the country was very positive and the participants discussed performance of the education sector and discussed future plan of action for the promotion of the education sector."

The Chairman HEC elaborated the role of erstwhile University Grants Commission and HEC, since its inception in 2002, for curriculum revision. He said that though HEC's Curriculum Revision Committees in different disciplines have been meeting regularly to review curricula of respective subjects but a need was felt to gather experts and evaluate the review process itself. “The basic concept of holding this symposium is to revamp the curriculum review process and seek guidance from experts on how current practices of curriculum review may be further improved and

ensure that curricula taught at higher learning institutions fulfills the requirement of our society, industry as well as government's policy making; and to make national curricula at par with international standards” Dr. Mukhtar said.

In concluding session of the symposium, after group presentations, Mr. Fida Hussain, Director General Academics, HEC briefed the audience about the group recommendations and said that a comprehensive report comprising solid recommendations of the groups, for revamping the present curriculum development and review process at HEC, will be finalized soon and implemented at the national level. He also appreciated the efforts made by group members, group mediators and the officers/officials of Curriculum/Academics Division in making the event successful.

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establishment/strengthening of 5-7 micro, small and medium size enterprises. Training of entrepreneurs will be conducted in universities' own training venues, with technical guidance from ILO and HEC.

Integrating business or entrepreneurship education with conventional discipline of teaching will result into cultivating a culture of entrepreneurship in youth and will enable the aspirant entrepreneurs to launch successful businesses.

The National Business Education Accreditation Council (NBEAC) and Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi organized the 2nd Deans and Directors Conference entitled “Building Bridges, Fostering Collaborations in Business Education”.

The conference was a venue for experience sharing, based on discussions and perspectives of business school heads, industry professionals and entrepreneurs. NBEAC, which was established by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan in 2007 to assure quality in business education degree programmes, is a national level accrediting authority to organize and carry out comprehensive programme of accreditation.

Building Bridges and Fostering Collaborations in Business Education

The strategic conference provided a platform for the participants to share their experiences in establishing linkages and fruitful contributions made to the development of business education, industry and economy.

Prominent speakers from around the globe and country shared stimulating ideas. Challenges faced by business institutions in establishing and promoting linkages with other universities, local and national businesses, family and public corporate and SMEs at both national as well as international level were also addressed.

Eminent participants included Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC, Dr. Ishrat Husain, Director IBA, Dr. Hasan Sohaib Murad, Chairman NBEAC, Dr. Sadia

nd2 NBEAC DEANS & DIRECTORS

CONFERENCE 2015

Nadeem, Fast School of Management, Dr. Syed Zahoor Hassan, LUMS, Dr. Muhammad Mohsin, Institute of Management Sciences Peshawar, Dr. Ehsan ul Haq, Suleman Dawood School of Business LUMS, Mr. Talib Karim, IoBM, and Dr. Shaukat Brah, Ex-Dean KSBL and many others.

Speaking at the inaugural session, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed appreciated the efforts of NBEAC and IBA in organizing the conference and bringing industry and academia on one platform and discussing challenges faced by the business education community in Pakistan. He also launched the first Business Education Magazine of NBEAC “BizInsight”.

Dr. Hasan Sohaib Murad said that NBEAC is functioning as an accrediting authority to

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facilitate and enhance quality of business education in the country. He informed the audience that this year 105 registered business schools are participating in the NBEAC Deans and Directors Conference as compared to 86 participants in the previous conference.

Dr. Ishrat Husain said that the alliance between NBEAC and IBA will play an important role in enhancing quality of business education in Pakistan.

“It is said that in Pakistan beautiful plans are made but they are never executed but IBA firmly believes in bringing those plans to life and this NBEAC incentive is a step to ensuring that quality education is being imparted to the students of Pakistan”, he said.

The session on “Academia and Corporate Linkages” was chaired by Dr. Sadia Nadeem. She emphasized that to form significant linkages between academia and the corporate world, more academics need to go and venture into the corporate world as just sending out students is not enough to ensure cooperation and linkages between the two diverse worlds.

Dr. Syed Zahoor Hassan stated that key initiatives had been taken by different institutions to engage with the corporate industry and it should be noticed that every institution had their own creative way to engage with the industry.

The session entitled “Experience of International Linkages” was chaired by Dr. Muhammad Mohsin. He said that international linkages with foreign institutions and bodies were of greatest importance.

Dr. Ehsan ul Haq said that one of the reasons LUMS has excelled is because it had foreign associations in form of its curriculum and in terms of it faculty. The speakers were unanimous that international linkages were crucial but Pakistani institutions faced problems getting foreign students as exchange students and foreign faculty to teach in Pakistan as people were fearful of the law and order situation.

Another session on “Developing Entrepreneurship” was chaired by Mr. Talib Karim, who addressed the importance of developing an entrepreneurial mindset in Pakistan. Speakers emphasized that the spirit of entrepreneurship was of utmost importance for the local scenario as it will help provide jobs, which are dire need for the country and the economy.

The day two of the conference focused on ways to promote research collaborations and commercialization.

Speaking on the topic of “Revamping Business Programmes in Collaboration with the Business Industry”, Dr. Shaukat Brah said, “We need visionary leaders, who will act as effective agents of change and are capable of taking ownership of organizations. We need to teach our students curricula that are attuned to local business environment and local economy.”

The conference also touched upon the Corporate Social Responsibility and how important it is for businesses to give back to the society so that the community benefits and the country flourishes.

Closing the ceremony, Dr. Mansoor Akbar Kundi, Executive Director, HEC congratulated NBEAC and IBA for holding the conference, adding it was so important to dilate on these issues as “the nations are built and destroyed in the classroom.”

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HEC, British Council to Increase Investment in Research for Higher Education

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Mr. Ciarán Devane, the new Chief Executive Officer of the British Council visited Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan recently to participate in the orientation event “The UK and Pakistan: Increasing Investment in Research for Higher Education.” The programme aimed to provide an opportunity to beneficiaries of the HEC-British Council collaborative education and research initiatives to meet the new CEO and benefit from his international experience and proficiency.

Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC, Mr. Peter Upton, Country Director, British Council Pakistan and Dr. Mansoor Akbar Kundi, Acting Executive Director were also present, besides senior and junior level researchers from Pakistan's higher education sector. British Council has been working with HEC Pakistan since 2004 with the launch of joint Higher Education Links programme and later on with Phase II of the same programme in 2006.

The programme has been funded by the HEC and managed by the British Council in Pakistan. To date, the British Council has built 50 research and capacity-building links between higher education instituions of Pakistani and UK. So far, over 160 partnerships under various schemes have been funded in Pakistani

universities. Some of the programmes in which HEC and British Council have cooperated include Research Partnerships, Leadership, Knowledge Exchange, Capacity Building of Senior Management of Higher Education Sector in Strategic Management, Transnational Education, Quality Assurance for Pakistani HEIs, Scholarships, Policy Dialogues, Talented Research Exchange, Split-site PhDs, and Transforming English Language Skills for Higher Education.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Devane said, “I am delighted to meet the academic and researcher community of Pakistan. I am grateful to HEC for inviting me to speak and to meet so many partners doing such good work together to strengthen research and higher education in Pakistan. Its really impressive to see the great work presented by senior researchers which shows how you are bringing together some most important sectors of the society, including academics, industry, students, media, and civil society.”

He said that the universities can play a very important role in stimulating and contributing to innovation and social and economic growth of any country.

This role is in addition to core missions of teaching and research, complimenting and enhancing these. “It is very promising to see that the Government of Pakistan has expanding access to higher education and has worked substantially at policy level to improve scientific research activities in Pakistan. It is not simply about commercialization of science through creation of spin offs, licenses etc. It is so encouraging to see how British Council Pakistan and HEC have worked together to make the Pakistani universities as 21st century universities.”

Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed said that the HEC and British Council relationship has helped to strengthen Pakistan and UK links, raise the profile of the Pakistan-UK partnerships as innovative and high-quality through demonstrating how

Strengthening ORICs in Universities

ORICs Managers attend Training in Australia and Thailand

A 12-day training cum exposure visit programme at Australia and Thailand was organized by the Higher Education Commission, under Tertiary Education Support Programme on “Managing and Facilitating Research in HEIs” for Managers of the Offices of Research Innovation and Commercialization (ORICs). The training was conducted by the AIT Extension Bangkok as facilitating body. Twenty one participants from different universities across the country participated.

The key objectives of the tour were to strengthen capacity of ORICs by enabling ORICs' Managers to successfully administer different activities covering a variety of areas of research promotion, administration and commercialization so as to effectively provide strategic and operational support to the research activities and programmes in their respective institutions.

The training provided an opportunity of international exposure to the participants who visited seven advanced universities of Australia including University of Queensland, University of New South Wales, Griffith University and University of Sydney in order to see their research culture and to understand latest practices to manage research and development activities.

The main focus of interests were understanding working of their research offices, to see their research policies, understanding procedure and requirements for funding research projects, transfer of IP rights and royalties, and

selection of innovation for IP and commercialization.

At the concluding event of certificate distribution, Pakistan's High Commissioner to Australia in Canberra, Ms. Naela Chohan appreciated the role and initiatives of HEC not only for establishing ORICs in universities but also for strengthening capacity of ORICs by extending international exposure of the advanced practices to participants and broadening their horizon. She emphasized the need to cascade learning in respective universities, and urged the participants to play an effective role in the progress and socio-economic development of the country.

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researchers and academicians can collaborate effectively, significantly contribute to the internationalisation of the institutions, contribute to capacity building in HEIs, facilitate and build effective and sustainable partnerships based on research and/or teaching agendas, and

encourage multi-disciplinary research, teaching collaboration and/or knowledge transfer. It is pertinent to mention here that 98% of all university vice-chancellors in Pakistan have attended leadership training programmes in the UK, 76% of all current vice-chancellors

contributed to policy dialogues/ global education dialogues that have been held across the South Asia region, 78550 researchers and 97767 students were involved in partnerships, in addition to 688 exchange visits from UK to Pakistan and vice-versa took place.

Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman, Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan along with Dr. Raza Bhatti, Member (HRD) HEC and Mr. Naveed Hussain Shah Tirmazi Director (Monitoring and Evaluation) HEC visited Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS), Jamshoro.

Prof. Dr. Noshad A. Shaikh, Vice Chancellor LUMHS, briefed the Chairman about various HEC funded and university owned projects which were highly acknowledged.

Prof. Dr. Aneela Atta Ur Rahman, Dean, Faculty of Community Medicine and Public Health Sciences, LUMHS presented a concept of establishing Institute of Community Health Sciences at LUMHS, the project was thoroughly discussed and it was agreed in principle that the PC-1 in this regard will be submitted to HEC.

The Chairman HEC granted five million rupees to the Faculty of Community Medicine and Public Health Sciences for establishing Health Management Information System (HMIS) Centre.

Chairman HEC Visits LUMHS

thThe 9 Meeting of the Technical Evaluation Committee of Institutional Strengthening Programme (ISP) was held at HEC Islamabad recently. Dr. Mansoor Akbar Khan Kundi, Executive Director HEC, chaired the meeting, which was attended by Ch. Muhammad Nazir, Director General, Department of Libraries, Dr. Aysha Khalique, Head, School of Physics, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Mr. Fida Hussain, Director General, Academics HEC, Mr. Ejaz Hussain, Director General, Finance & Planning HEC, Mr. Liaqat Hussain, Director Audit HEC and Dr. Muhammad Tahir Ali Shah, Deputy Director Academics HEC.

Mr. Fida Hussain apprised the members about the previous meetings of the Committee. He informed them that the basic function of TEC-ISP is

Evaluation Committee of ISP Meets at HEC evaluation/scrutiny of proposals for strengthening and up-gradation of laboratories and libraries received from public sector universities and degree awarding institutions for grant of funding up to Rs. 2 Million by the Higher Education Commission.A total of 43 proposals were received for funding from various public sector universities, campuses and degree awarding institutions. The Committee evaluated all proposals thoroughly and recommended 24 proposal for funding up to 40 million under the scheme.

Furthermore, it was decided that physical verification will be done by HEC from time to time, of those institutions to whom the grant has been released under the Institutional Strengthening Programme.

Later on, Dr. Mukhtar inaugurated LUMHS Community Health FM Radio established by the Faculty of Community Medicine and Public Health Sciences. He appreciated efforts for raising general health awareness. The HEC delegation also paid a visit to Minimal Invasive Surgery Unit and state-of-the-art Skill labs of LUMHS.

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MUET holds IMTIC 2015The Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET), Jamshoro recently

th organized 4 International Multi Topic Conference (IMTIC '15) with the support of Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan, Technical Collaboration of European Union Erasmus Mundus INTACT and LEADERS, Centre for Telecommunication Infrastructure (CTIF), Alborg University, Denmark, and University of Umm Al- Qura, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman, Higher Education Commission (HEC) was the chief guest on the occasion.

In his opening overview, Prof. B. S. Chowdhry, chief organizer of event and Dean FEECE, MUET mentioned that IMTIC provides a forum for technical exchange among researchers from academia and industries in various emerging fields of Computing, Wireless Communication, Signal Processing, Speech and Pattern Recognition, Computer Systems and Networks, Wireless Sensor Networks, Neural Networks and Control Systems, Power Electronics, Energy Management, Nanotechnology, spanning across seven tracks.”

Prof. Dr. M. A. Uqaili, Vice Chancellor MUET in his welcome address thanked Chairman HEC for his support and inaugurating the ICT Flagship event. He said that IMTIC'15 brings together a

wide spectrum of international experts to facilitate promotion of knowledge transfer. and collaboration.

Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed in his address said it is a golden era of the country that 163 universities are imparting higher education in the public and private sectors and the number is still increasing. He said that the conference will help in disseminating latest developments, research and market trends to students, professionals, practitioners and academicians. Earlier, the Chairman inaugurated the Mehran University Teachers and Students Centre. He was accompanied by Dr. Ghulam Raza Bhatti, Member (HRD) HEC.

Prof. Hermann de Meer, Chair of Computer Networks and Computer Communications, University of Passau, Germany, gave his keynote on IT Challenges of an Intelligent Management of Energy Systems. Prof. Dr. Seshadri, Department of Systems Engineering, University of Arkansas, USA talked about how Social Networks Meet Mobile Multimedia Internet. Dr Ian Grout of the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering at the University of

Limerick, Ireland discussed the role of assistive technology (AT) to support students accessing and participating in education. A Perspective of the Networks of Future and Smart Cities were presented by the Prof. Dr. Luis Manuel Correia, of Department of Telecommunication Engineering, INOV-INESC Institute, Portugal. Dr. Florin Popentiu Vlãdicescu, Department of Software Engineering/ UNESCO Chair at University "Politehnica" of Bucharest, Romania, presented several aspects of software design methodologies in order to produce high quality software.

In the second day of conference, Poster session was inaugurated by the IEEEP President Engr Mohsin M Syed. He praised the efforts of students for creating excellent ideas in their poster session in the diversified areas of Energy Management, Internet of Things, Wireless Sensor Networks, smart cities, and so on. Also, he attended several Guest speakers presentations on “Characterization and Influence of Titanium Dioxide Via Ultrasonic Process for Dye Sensitized Photovoltaic Solar Cell”, “Global Trends in ROV'S Development and

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HEC is making continuous efforts to develop Financial Management and Accounting Systems across the higher education sector. To further this objective, Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC has directed to provide funds to all the public sector universities to impart trainings to its officers and staff.

Under this programme, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, (MUET) Jamshoro organized a training cum workshop for capacity building and enhancing the skills of the Treasurers and employees of Audit and Accounts Departments of the universities of Sindh particularly those universities located in interior Sindh not having such opportunities in the past.

In his inaugural speech, Dr. Mohammad Aslam Uqaili, Vice Chancellor MUET welcomed the participants and the resource persons. He thanked HEC for providing an opportunity to the universities to build capacity of their employees.

Public Sector Universities, Institutions and Centres of Interior Sindh

Training of Treasurers and Employees of Audit & Accounts Departments

As many as 37 participants from different Accounts, Audit and Finance departments attended the workshop which was arranged by Mr. Munir Ahmed Shaikh, Director Finance MUET in coordination with Khawaja Zahid Hussain, Financial Management Specialist, HEC.

Speakers and specialists shared their experiences and contributed thought provoking ideas on topics as Good Governance, Revenue Diversification, New Accounting Model (NAM), Automation, ERP, Taxation, Procurement Process Internal Control and Financial Management.

The participants termed the training valuable for the capacity building of the university employees. They recognized the efforts of HEC and MUET in conducting an important workshop on FM Reforms. The Pre- and Post-Training tests showed marked improvement in the understanding and skills of the participants.

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Applications”, “Internet of Things: From R&D to Startups”, “Operational Excellence in Clean Power Generation at Minimum Cost and Utmost Reliable Through Fuel Cell System at Small Foot Print of Installation” and so on. Dr. Faisal Karim Shaikh, Chair TPC informed that all the IMTIC

steering committee members are from Tech developed countries. Initially there were more than 400 submissions through EasyChair Conference system.

On the occasion of concluding ceremony on the third day of the conference, Chairman

SUPARCO Maj. Gen (R) Ahmed Bilal was the Chief Guest. In his address, he highlighted the significance of University- Industry interaction by fostering a problem-solving approach that encourages researchers to work together across departments, fields, and industries.

Tradition and Change; Balancing Global and Local Needs: Geo-political Economy; Education Policy, Leadership

stand Management for the 21 Century; and Governance and Development.

The Chairman further said that the Committee for Development of Social Sciences and Humanities in Pakistan (CDSSHP), established by HEC, has been tasked to deliberate upon and identify the problems, and recommend immediate, short-term as well as long-term measures to make Social Sciences education vibrant, dynamic and attuned to the present and future needs of Pakistan.

“The primary objective of this Committee is to develop existing level of faculty and to create an environment conducive to research and development activities in Social Sciences and Humanities.

Besides, the Committee also focuses on institutional and infrastructure development, and reviewing quality assurance standards. There are 14 Subcommittees in different disciplines falling under Social Sciences, Arts, Humanities and Business Education, and each is chaired by individual member of CDSSHP, ” he said.

Phase-III of Thematic Research Grants Programme Launched

Promotion of Social Sciences Research among HEC's Top Priorities: Chairman HEC

The Chairman revealed that Pakistan had gained membership of the Asian Social Sciences Association (ASSA) and Pakistan will host the Association's first meeting in October this year.

Moreover, he said that HEC, in collaboration with the University of Peshawar, is

rdholding the 3 Social Sciences Conference in May 2015.

He also highlighted HEC's plan to establish Social Sciences Research Council, Pakistan. “The aim of all these initiatives is to identify indigenous needs and priorities to address issues of national importance, enhance interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research and link Social Sciences for providing solutions to issues that face us. The ultimate aim would be to advice the Government on National Social Policy for more concerted work in the field.”

Dr. Mukhtar said that HEC is also promoting societal research through publications of research journals falling under the disciplines of Social Sciences, Arts, Humanities and Business Education. “Evaluation, recognition, categorization, funding and up gradation of journals of Social Sciences and Humanities is being special attention.”

Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman, Higher Education Commission, has said that HEC has been endeavoring to promote and intensify research in Social Sciences. “We have setup a dedicated social sciences section at HEC to identify realities of diverse social and human issues which Pakistan is facing. Thematic Research Grants Programme, whose third phase has been launched, is specifically designed to address contemporary issues of the country.”

Further, the Chairman said that the scholars and researchers of Social Sciences and Humanities, who have theoretical, conceptual, methodological and policy orientation background, have been invited for grants.

“Their research projects may belong to any Social Sciences and Humanities discipline or may be interdisciplinary as well as multidisciplinary in nature. Groups or individual researchers/scholars from public as well as private sector universities and degree awarding institutions can submit their proposals,” he said.

Research themes, on which proposals will be submitted, include Security Challenges in Pakistan; Pakistani Society:

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It was agreed that the Consortium would share resources, exchange students and scholars, conduct joint research projects and develop and enhance faculty strength through exchange as adjunct faculty.

It will also help develop linkages with national and international organizations and host joint seminars and conferences. There was consensus on the dire need to revitalize Social Sciences research and end duplication of work that was visible in working of various committees. A national conference on Social Sciences is planned for May by University of Peshawar in a link to revive waning interest in the sector.

Chairman HEC revealed that Pakistan had gained membership of the Asian Social Sciences Association (ASSA) in November 2014 and Pakistan would host the Association's first meeting in October this year. A Social Sciences conference will also be held at the same time. He further

HEC to Strengthen Inter-University Consortium for Social Sciences

shared with the participants the plan to establish Social Sciences Research Council, Pakistan and preparations were afoot to promote and achieve excellence by encouraging scholarly cooperation and collaboration in the Social Sciences sector.

The aim would include to identify indigenous needs and priorities to address issues of national importance, enhance interdisciplinary research and link social sciences for providing solutions to issues that face us. Its ultimate aim would be to advice the Government on National Social Policy for more concerted work in the field.

The member vice chancellors expressed their resolve to work for the renaissance of the Social Science discipline and agreed to apply involving students in community work for the uplift of the adjoining as suggest by Chairman HEC. The next meeting will be held at Allama Iqbal Open University at the end of the month.

The Higher Education Commission is stepping up efforts for advancement of Social Sciences research with special focus on impact on society. This was discussed in detail during a meeting of Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman, Higher Education Commission (HEC) with members of the Inter University Consortium on Social Sciences.

Heads of universities from members of the Consortium who attended the meeting include, Dr. Shahid Siddiqui, Vice Chancellor Allama Iqbal Open University, Dr. Mohammad Ali, Vice Chancellor Government College University Faisalabad, Dr. Qaiser Mushtaq, Vice Chancellor, Islamia University, Bahahwalpur, Dr. Javed Iqbal, Vice Chancellor, University of Balochistan, Dr. Zia Qayyum, Vice Chancellor, University of Gujrat, Dr. Mohsin Khan, Director, Institute of Management Sciences Peshawar and Dr. Aliya Khan, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University.

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The Higher Education Commission hosted a lecture to 43 university sites via its video conference facility which was also attended by vice chancellors and their representatives of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. HEC senior management also attended. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC presided over the session. He introduced the guest speaker Prof. Rodger A. Randel, who is two time Mayor, and former President of University of Oklahoma. He is Director, OU Centre for Studies in Democracy and Culture and a Professor at Department of Human Relations.

Prof. Randel presented a comprehensive overview of the American higher education system. Outlining the evolution of the higher education he

Lecture on American Education System

defined the development and later creations of community colleges, teaching colleges and research universities. He also shared in detail the most important component of a successful system, being quality and various check and balances that have been created to uphold the quality of teaching.

He highlighted the importance of the President/Rector of a university which in the US system is executive driven. He stressed that the head of the university is answerable to the Board of Governors and also responsible for guidance and being responsible for providing the leadership and the ability to guide through transitions.

Prof. Randel also mentioned the need to maintain academic freedom and ways that could

be protect and the importance of respecting the other's point of view and hence the need to be politically correct.

He praised the progress Pakistan has made in the last decade and encouraged the university leaders to have faith in themselves and experiment with new solutions. He said his observations were based on multiple visits to Pakistan and study of the system.

He said Pakistan possesses great skill and potential for new possibilities and innovations. He said he witnessed exceptional commitment and quality in Pakistan which can steer the country to success. He said if this skill was honed effectively, he foresaw Pakistan as a global leader in the field of higher education.

43 universities connected via video conferencing

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Dr. Sophiya Umar has completed her PhD degree in the field of Fine Arts from Universite Jean Monnet-Saint- Etienne, France under HEC scholarship programme entitled “Overseas scholarships for MS/MPhil leading to PhD in Selected Fields (Phase-II).”

She organized a solo painting exhibition in Saint-Etienne, France. She is an exceptional Pakistani woman who has done her PhD from France, where she learned a new language and even completed her PhD thesis in French language.

She organized her first solo painting exhibition in France. For the University Jean Monnet it was for the first time that a painting exhibition by any Pakistani artist was organized in the Hall named L'Atrium, which made the event even more special for everyone

Mr. Azeem Mehmood Butt, a research scholar at the National Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB), University of the Punjab Lahore, is working on Hepatitis C Viruses under the supervision of Dr. Muhammad Idrees Khan.

His research project is on genome-wide expression profiling of small non-coding RNAs in Hepatitis C patients. Mr. Butt has been selected for a six-month IRSIP fellowship and is currently at the Imperial College, London where he is performing next generation sequencing data analysis under the supervision of Dr. Leandro Castellano at the Hammersmith Hospital campus.

Dr. Sophiya Umar has completed PhD in Fine Arts

HEC Scholar holds Solo Painting Exhibition in Francearound. The topic of the exhibition “Vers Le Ciel” towards the sky speaks for itself. Paintings related to sky, galaxies and the world beyond imagination were the part of this event. At the same time mix cultural effects and impacts were clearly evident from Dr. Sophiya's work.

Paintings at the same time represented local indigenous elements like kites, topic of Basant, Balloons, etc. whereas there was depth and profound abstraction in the background with subtle and sober colours.

The opening speech was delivered by Mr. Serge Riffard the Vice President of University, followed by speeches of Madam Brigitte Renouf, delegate for International Relations and Director for Common Services of Documentation and Mr. Eric

Vandecasteele, Director and responsible for International Relations Fine-Arts department. They highly appreciated the efforts and welcomed future collaboration among the various universities of France and Pakistan.

Dr. Sophiya Umar informed the audience about Pakistani art, culture and food. The knowledge of Pakistani culture imparted by her paintings was highly appreciated by the audience and visitors who came from all over France.

Honour for CEMB's PhD Scholar He recently presented an abstract of his PhD research work entitled, "Identification and Expression Profiling of microRNAs in Hepatitis C Patients by Using Next Generation Sequencing" for poster presentation in the Viral Hepatitis Congress held in Frankfurt, Germany.

His abstract was selected for presentation and awarded a fellowship of free registration in the conference. It was published in the supplement issue of the Journal of Viral Hepatitis (impact factor 3.37) and he was awarded a Certificate of Excellence.

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NCRC Reviews Curricula of Agricultural Chemistry & Plant Protection A meeting of the National Committee for Curriculum Revision was recently held at HEC Regional Centre, Karachi to review and upgrade syllabus for BS and MS in Agricultural Chemistry.

Mr. Fida Hussain, Director General (Academics) HEC briefed the participants about objectives of the meeting through video link from HEC Islamabad. Ms. Ghayyur Fatima, Director (Academics) HEC coordinated the meeting. The Committee unanimously selected Dr. Anwar Ali Shad as Convener and Dr. Rashid Mahmood as Secretary.

The Committee thoroughly reviewed existing scheme of studies and course contents for BS Agricultural Chemistry. After in-depth deliberations the course contents were revised to make them in-line with modern trends and international standards so that graduates are more competitive in the global scenario.

The scheme of studies for MS in Agricultural Chemistry was also revised. Several new courses were included. The Committee recommended that laboratory facilities in Agricultural Chemistry should be upgraded and strengthened so that students get acquainted with modern analytical techniques and equipment.

Another meeting of National Curriculum Revision Committee of Plant Protection was organized at HEC Regional Centre, Lahore. Professors and scientists from various universities, degree awarding institutions and research organizations across the country attended the meeting.

The curriculum of Plant Protection subject was thoroughly reviewed and updated by including latest developments and innovations. Some new courses, as needed in future, were also coined and incorporated in undergraduate and graduate curricula. To implement practical knowledge, it was recommended that HEC should provide ample funds for establishment of state-of-the-art Plant Protection

laboratories and libraries in the universities.

To avoid brain-drain, the young scientists should be encouraged to stay in Pakistan. It was also recommended that full semester hands on training or internship of undergraduate students at research institutes or agro based industrial organizations should be introduced. For this purpose, appropriate financial support to universities was also recommended. The startup research grant for MSc/PhD student was also emphasized.

Prof. Dr. Ghulam Jilani, Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Lasbela University convened the meeting and Prof. Dr. Ahmad-Ur-Rahman Saljoqi was Secretary of the meeting.

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nd2 Steering Committee Meeting held at HEC

Workshop on Environmental and Social Management Plan

The second steering committee meeting of Tertiary Education Support Programme (TESP) was held at Higher Education Commission (HEC) Islamabad. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Mansoor Akbar Kundi, Executive Director HEC.

In his welcome note he commended the role of TESP in supporting the implementation of the MTDF HE-II. He briefed the participants on the role played by HEC in serving the cause of higher education in Pakistan, and the role of the TESP secretariat in supporting HEC in attaining its goals and objectives. The Programme Coordinator TESP presented the progress on DLIs, legal covenants, trainings and procurement. The Committee expressed its satisfaction from the implementation progress and appreciated the role of the incumbent TESP team in improving the status of TESP from moderately unsatisfactory to moderately satisfactory, as rated by the Review Mission of the World Bank.

TESP Steering Committee strongly proposed that the case for reallocation of the cancelled amount of US$77.82 million may be taken up with the World Bank and the HEC, for extension of the Project beyond December 31, 2015.

HEC has conducted environmental assessment and prepared an Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) for the purpose of monitoring and reporting on the issues faced during construction work in the universities. Under TESP, HEC organized a training workshop for the stakeholders of public sector universities on December 11, 2014.

In the opening session Mr. Asad Khan, Programme Coordinator TESP, presented the progress on DLIs, legal covenants, trainings and procurement. Mr. Irfan Ullah, Deputy Director (M&E) briefed about the Environmental and Social Management Plan. He said that ESMP defines the role and responsibilities of stakeholders and presents a set of environmental mitigation measures, which focus at avoiding and preventing the adverse environmental and social impacts of the projects. He said that ESMP also suggests institutional setup for ensuring smooth implementation, compliance and monitoring and reporting of the stakeholders. Mr. Saadat Ali consultant ESMP briefed the participants about role and responsibilities regarding ESMP. He also sensitized the participants on the environmental and social impacts associated with the ESMP.

TESP Activities

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thThe 11 graduation ceremony was recently held at National Defence University, Islamabad. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman, Higher Education Commission (HEC) graced the occasion as chief guest.

The ceremony was attended by graduates, faculty, dignitaries and senior military and government officials.

In total, 228 students of PhD, MPhil and MSc were awarded degrees from the Faculty of Contemporary Studies. Eight students were honored gold medals for their outstanding achievements in their academic career. Two minutes

th11 Graduation Ceremony at National Defence University

silence was also observed to display solidarity with the Shuhada of APS Peshawar.

Lt. Gen. Javaid Iqbal, President NDU, congratulated the graduating batch and stated that a nation's character is shaped by its educational institutions.

He added that our leadership is groomed in centres of excellence that train the leaders in interpreting pragmatically the events that unfold at national and international level.

Thus, civilian scholars and graduates have been trained

along these lines during their studies here at NDU.

Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed conferred degrees to the graduating students of PhD, MPhil, and MSc programmes. He said that NDU presents a fine blend of military and civilian students, besides a sizeable number of foreign military officers.

The alumni of NDU feels proud to be part of NDU as they find ample opportunities and extensive exposure through interaction with intellectuals, think tanks and national and international institutions. He further congratulated NDU for its pivotal role in promoting research while creating a single platform for all politicians, military and civil society.

Dr. Mukhtar stressed the importance of education and training which would further lead to nation building. He said it is the hour of need for Pakistan to unite under the banner of education and promote the sentiments of nationalism while leaving our cocoons by joining hands and resolving our internal issues.

Symposium on WW1 and its Impact on South Asia

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The year 2014 marks the centenary of the First World War, which is such a devastating period in the history that it needs remembering. To observe the centenary commemorations of World War – I, National

Defence University (NDU) Islamabad in collaboration with the High Commission of United Kingdom organized an international symposium on “World War I and its Impact on South Asia” at NDU Islamabad.

Sahibzada Yaqoob Khan, former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, graced the occasion as the chief guest. British High Commissioner to Pakistan Mr. Philip Barton delivered a keynote speech in the opening session. The event was largely

A seven-member team of Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIKI) of Engineering, Sciences and Technology has left for Manila, Philippines to participate in Shell Eco-Marathon Asia 2015, scheduled to be held from February 26 to March 1 and a total of 14 teams of different universities from Pakistan would participate in the contest.

The prototype car made by GIK Institute team after rigorous efforts has cost one million rupees. The car made by them could play both with fuel and electricity but its cost is nominal as compared to consumption of other vehicles. Dr. Javed A. Chattha, Pro-Rector Academic is Adviser of the team.

thThe GIK Institute team stood 6 in the previous competition but now they had improved their car. “Last year, our car covered 205 kilometers

GIK Institute team leaves for Manila

distance per kilowatt per hour but for the upcoming marathon our car speed is enhanced to 300 kilometers distance per kilowatt per hours,” said Kazi Sher Ahmad, who leads the seven-member team.

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attended by the services officers, academicians, historians,students and policy makers.

Extending warm welcome to the guests, President NDU, Lieutenant General Javed Iqbal, HI (M) highlighted that First World War had an indelible extensive bearing on the then evolving environment ofSouth Asia. The Symposium featured discussions and presentations from leading academics, international speakers and First World War experts from Australia, the UK and Pakistan.

The event highlighted awareness of the contribution made by the Commonwealth and in particular South Asia in the First World War, especially the role played by a very

sizable Muslim contingent within the then British Indian Army. The topics discussed at the Symposium ranged from the overall context of South Asia before and during the War, the impact of the War on the region and the personal experiences of soldiers and 'sepoys'.

Experts and analysts including Dr. Hassan Askari, Mr. Jehangir Ashraf Qazi and Dr. Razia Sultana said that the largest portion of the Indian budget in 1914 went to defence and a vast

majority of troops was enlisted from Punjab which included today's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Prof. Daniel Marston of Australian National University said that one of the reasons was that the military was the only organised and intact institution at the time of independence in 1947. The Symposium also highlighted political and geographical scenario of the region, as the World War ensued.

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because of concentration of wealth while around 1.5 billion Muslims of the world had almost no share in creation of new knowledge. He advised the faculty members to perform their duties in a responsible manner and give maximum time to the students.

Dr. Zakria Zakir said that the training provided an opportunity to the teachers to interact with teachers of the other disciplines. He said that teachers had not only obtained knowledge of various rules and regulations but their administrative skills had also improved.

He said that teachers must make all-out efforts to promote culture of research on campus and respond to intellectual needs of the society.

Newly-appointed Vice Chancellor, University of Sindh Prof. Dr. Abida Taherani has took over the charge of her new office.

Dr. Taherani was welcomed by deans of faculties, office-bearers of Sindh University Officers Welfare Association (SUOWA), as well as employees.

The acting Vice Chancellor Dr. Imdad Ali Ismaili handed over the charge to Dr. Taheran. Speaking at the occasion, the new Vice Chancellor said she wanted to develop Sindh University so as to make it a model university in the country. She said that her priority was to provide quality education to students in the varsity.

On-campus Training of Faculty at Punjab University

Dr. Mujahid Kamran, Vice Chancellor, University of the Punjab, Lahore has said that teachers must study unbiased and original history besides mastering their subjects so that they have proper understanding of national and international affairs.

He was addressing a session of Assistant Professors of Punjab University who completed indigenous on-campus training programme jointly organized by HEC and University of the Punjab. The Programme's Convener and Dean, Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Dr. Zakria Zakir, Registrar Dr. Liaqat Ali, and a large number of Assistant Professors were present on the occasion.

The Vice Chancellor said that the great nations were under the control of world's financial elite

Dr. Abida Taherani Assumes Charge of VC University of Sindh

She said she had plans to train newly appointed teaching and non-teaching staff in order to get required goals, adding that opportunities will be created for students to learn in a modern way with fully equipped classrooms.

The US Consul General in Karachi, Mr. Brian Heath, along with Sindh Education Minister Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, Dr. Parveen Shah, Vice Chancellor, Shah Abdul Latif University (SALU), Dr. Fazlullah Pechuho, Secretary for Education and Literacy, Government of Sindh and Dr. Ghulam Raza Bhatti, Member (HRD) HEC inaugurated the USAID funded (US$1.9 million) Faculty of Education building at SALU Khairpur.

“We are committed to help Pakistan develop strong educational institutions, and inauguration of this new building is a symbol of our resolve to promote education in Pakistan,” said Mr. Heath, addressing a gathering of students, faculty and members of the SALU community.

Mr. Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said that Shah Abdul Latif University is imparting higher education to the upper Sindh. He said

Faculty of Education building at SALU

that Sindh Chief Minister is committed to provide education to people at their doorstep.

Dr. Parveen Shah appreciated USAID for selecting SALU as its partner to promote teacher's quality education in the Upper Sindh region. Dr. Shah said provision of such excellent infrastructure in the shape of Faculty of Education Building offers world-class facility to nurture teachers into great teachers. Dr. Fazlullah Pechuho and Dr. Ghulam Raza Bhatti also spoke at the occasion.

Earlier, Dr. Ghulam Ali Mallah briefed the Consul General

about the salient features and available facilities at the building. He said the SALU Faculty of Education has a covered area of 15,679 square feet and comprises six classrooms, three seminar halls, a library and a laboratory, one learning resource centre, one multi-purpose hall and a faculty lounge, and an elevator for the handicapped. “This is a state-of-the-art, wifi-enabled and environmental-friendly building. It is one of the six Faculties of Education buildings constructed across Pakistan, three of which are at Universities in Sindh, including Sindh University, Hyderabad and University of Karachi."

Prof. Anwar-ul-Hassan Gilani, HEC Distinguished National Professor and Director, Natural Products Research Programme at the Aga Khan University has been awarded “Dr. Z. A. Hashmi R&D Gold Medal” by the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) for being the most outstanding and productive Principal Investigator of Pakistan Science Foundation funded projects in 10 years (2001-2011).

Prof. Anwar-ul-Hassan Awarded Dr. Z. A. Hashmi

R&D Gold Medal

The Medal was awarded in a ceremony held at PSF Islamabad on the occasion of World Science Day for Peace and Development.

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thThe four-day 5 International Symposium-Cum-Training Course on Molecular Medicine and Drug Research (MMDR-5) was recently held at the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi (UoK). Over 350 scientists, including 60 scientists from 28 countries attended the event, organised by Dr. Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research (PCMD), UoK.

Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC was the chief guest in the inaugural ceremony. Dr. Muhammad Qaiser, Vice Chancellor UoK, Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, former Chairman HEC, Dr. Syed Abid Azhar, Dean Faculty of Science and Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, Director ICCBS were also present.

Speaking at the occasion, the Chairman said that Pakistani universities have made their mark at international level and some of our universities are among top 300 Asian universities. He said that HEC is trying to improve quality of higher education in the country and help institutions improve their rankings.

“Although Pakistan was passing through a crucial time, scientific activities were continuing in the country,” adding that many international delegates come to Pakistan with negative image of the country but when they go back their perspective is totally changed. He said that

UoK Symposium on Molecular Medicine and Drug Research

increasing number of research papers annually, quality of education and international ranking of institutions reveal that the country owns essentially positive activities.

Dr. Muhammad Qaiser said that PCMD was playing a pivotal role in the field of molecular medicine and drug research. “This is highly encouraging that a galaxy of scientists has come to the University from abroad despite country's bad law and order situation. This was an extraordinary opportunity for young scientists to learn from vast experience of these scientists,” he maintained.

Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman said that progress of any country depended on positive polices and priorities of the government. He reminded the audience about the initiatives in the field of higher education taken by HEC, adding that Pakistan had only 57 universities in 2001, and now this figure is 163. He said that about 0.25 million students were enrolled in the varsities when HEC had started its journey but now that numbers has crossed 1.3 million.

Senator Abul Haseeb Khan, Chancellor Hamdard University, Ms. Sadia Rashid, Managing Trustee Muhammad Hussain Panjwani Memorial Trust, Ms. Nadira Punjwani, Dr. Asmat Saleem and other dignitaries also attended the event.

Prof. Gilani, who holds multiple honours and awards including two civil awards (Pride of Performance and Sitara-i-Imtiaz), Salam Prize in Biology by TWAS, Boehringer International Research Award and Life-Time Academic

Achievements Award by the HEC, has also been conferred the prestigious Fellowship of TWAS-The World Academy of Sciences for the Advancement of Science in Developing Countries.

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The Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) in collaboration, under Higher Education Commission's Modern University Governance Programme, recently organized a series of training programmes on “Effective Management Skills”. As many as 90 non-teaching staff members of QAU, affiliated ICT colleges and surrounding universities attended three training programmes, which were aimed to equip the university management with latest governance tools and to bridge the gap between management and academia.

The participants attended sessions on personal effectiveness, developing team work, attitude management, stress management, procedure

A five-day Indigenous On-Campus Training (IOT) workshop was recently held at Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering, Science and Technology (QUEST) Nawabshah. The capacity building workshop was designed for non-teaching staff of BPS-16 and above cadre from QUEST as well as from the surrounding universities/colleges to promote good governance on campus and to bridge distance between all universities stakeholders. The comprehensive workshop, comprising 15 sessions, covered diverse topics as good governance, leadership and administration skills, quality assurance, career development, ethical behaviour, team work, finance, auditing, reporting, IT/computer skills, technical writing, management, intra-departmental communication, etc. Dr. Abdul Karim Baloch, Vice Chancellor, QUEST Nawabshah was the chief guest in the opening ceremony. He appreciated the HEC training programmes

QAU Trainings on Effective Management Skills

and policy making, effective communication and interpersonal skills, time management, government financial rules, strategic management, change management, constitutional and legal framework and effective decision making.

Workshop on Clinical PharmacyThe Department of Pharmacy, QAU in collaboration with the University of Sains Malaysia and

Higher Education Commission organized a five-day international workshop on “Clinical Pharmacy”.

During the workshop, internationally renowned experts in Clinical Pharmacy from Malaysia shared their professional experience with students including a practical orientation of students at Federal Government Services Hospital.

Indigenous On-campus Training at QUEST

for enhancing professional skills of the administrative staff of higher education institutions of Pakistan. The workshop coordinator, Dr. Pradeep Kumar explained objective of the workshop. He said that the focus of HEC, during the last decade, was to produce highly-qualified teaching faculty at public sector universities. However, now HEC is also targeting at the skill development of administrative and management staff.

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The ninth convocation of Beaconhouse National University (BNU) was held recently where 362 graduates received their degrees of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes offered at the University.

This year, 20 graduates were awarded gold medals of which 14 were girls. Another 23 students received certificates of distinction on account of their outstanding performance.

The ceremony was presided over by renowned human rights activist Ms. Asma Jilani Jahangir. In her address, she talked about women empowerment and congratulated the graduates on

The Department of Food Science and Technology, Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU), Multan is organizing a two-day international conference on "Malnutrition in South Asia: The Peril Persists" from February 23-24, 2015. Detail of the conference are available at www.icmsa2015.foodsciencebzu.com/index.php

Over 50 MPhil and PhD scholars have completed their degrees under her supervision. She is author/co-author of many books and has completed her post-doctoral studies from the University of Maryland, and another post-doctoral fellowship from University of Tennessee, USA. Dr. Kazmi is a recepient of Life Achievement Award for her contributions to Microbiology, Immunology and Biotechnology.

thBNU holds 9 Convocation

successfully completing their degrees. Mrs. Nasreen Mahmud Kasuri, Chairperson, BNU Board of Governors, said that very few universities have dared to venture into the realm of liberal arts and BNU is proud to be the first one in Pakistan to do so.

Mr. Shahid Hafiz Kardar, Vice Chancellor BNU, advised the graduates to seek

opportunities present in the world. “The world is your arena and you can responsibly play your ambassadorial roles for your country as global citizens,” he said, adding that BNU is functioning as a national university addressing the academic needs of a diverse student population from all provinces of Pakistan besides hosting students from all eight SAARC countries.

Prof. Dr. Shahana Urooj Kazmi has assumed the charge of Rector of Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education (DIHE). Dr Kazmi brings with her more than 39 years of rich experience as an academician, researcher and administrator.

She has formerly worked as Meritorious Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and as Advisor to Chancellor on Academics at Jinnah University of Women, and as Pro Vice Chancellor, Dean Faculty of Sciences and Chairperson, Department of Microbiology at University of Karachi.

Dr. Shahna Kazmi Joins DIHE as Rector

News Flash

The City University of Science and IT, Peshawar recently organized a conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering, Management and Sciences in partnership with CDA Training Academy and collaboration with East Carolina University (ECU) and Auburn University USA at Islamabad. The inaugural session was presided over by Dr. Mansoor Akbar Kundi, Acting Executive Director HEC and Mr. Atif Khan, Minister of Education KPK was the chief guest at the occasion.

Academia, professionals and researchers from various academic and research

along with diagnostics. Dr. Saeed Khan and his students Maria Zahid and Fatin Zehra received travel grant to participate in the conference and training workshop.

First day of the session started with an impressive inaugural ceremony that not only comprised of welcoming note by the organizers who highlighted the importance of biosafety and related safety procedures and their strict regulations in the laboratory.

Second day comprised of pre-conference lectures. Poster presentations also took place on the second day in which

DUHS Scientists Receive Training on Biosafetyparticipants presented their research through impressive posters.

Third and fourth days were packed with informative workshops on topics covering various important topics such as BSL, ABSL-3 High Containment Facility Design and Containment Principles, Working Safely with Tuberculosis, The Global Biotech Revolution “Preserving the good of powerful science in a dangerous world' Biorisk Assessment in Laboratory Emergency and Animal, Staff, and Operational Needs in a Biocontainment Animal Research Facility.

A team of scientists from the Department of Molecular Pathology, Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) under the supervision of Dr. Saeed

thKhan attended the 9 Annual Asia Pacific Biosafety Association Conference and training workshop entitled “Biosafety and Biosecurity Collective Partnership towards One World One Health” at Bangkok, Thailand.

The Department of Molecular Pathology, DUHS has been successfully providing high-quality Molecular Diagnostic services at a very low cost. The Department is also actively involved in quality research

Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering Management and Sciences

institutions, professional bodies, representatives from Government and private sectors, participated in the inaugural ceremony. Dr. Kundi highlighted the importance of conferences and workshop for quality enhancement and research in universities.

The concluding ceremony was chaired by Mr. Zahoor Sethi,

Chairman, Peshawar Model Educational Institutions (PMEI) and Mr. Mushtaq Ghani was the chief guest at the occasion.

Dr. Attaullah Shah shared the conference report with the audience. Mr. Mushtaq Ghani appreciated the City University of Science and IT Peshawar for arranging a conference of international standards.

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11, 2015 at Quaid-e-Azam Auditorium, Old Campus (Shah Faisal Masjid) Islamabad.

The experts and researchers in the field of power generation/renewable energy will give their valuable

thIndus University holds 5 Convocation

The fifth convocation of Indus University, Karachi was held recently.

The chief guest, Mr. Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Senior Minister for Education and Literacy, applauded the journey of Indus University since its inception. He said that that the role of Indus University has been instrumental in strengthening the education sector of Pakistan.

Mr. Khalid Amin, Chancellor Indus University emphasized on developing entrepreneurial skills among the students as it is need of the hour.

Muhammad Ahmed Amin, Vice Chancellor, Indus University shed light on the milestones achieved in the last two years.

The University awarded degrees to undergraduates and graduates in the Faculty of

Engineering, Science and Technology, Faculty of Business Administration and Commerce, Faculty of Art and Design and Faculty of Social Sciences.

A documentary produced by the founder of Indus University Civil Society (IUCS), Huzaifa Abbasi was also screened reflecting memorable moments of higher management and faculty along with the students.

Conference on Power Generation & Renewable Energy

opinions/solutions for industrial and domestic energy crisis. The conference will also give an opportunity to young engineers/ professionals to present their research findings in the field of power generation and renewable energy.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering, International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI)

ndwill host its 2 International Conference on Power Generation Systems and Renewable Energy Technologies from June 10-

A N N O U N C E M E N T

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further by collaborating with IST, Pakistan's premiere space technology institute. The Conference also helped SUPARCO identify focus areas for development of closer and more meaningful collaboration with the academia.

The theme of ICS-2014 was “Space for Development”. The focus was on how emerging space-faring nations can effectively apply space-derived techniques and solutions to solve complex development issues.

Papers were invited on five thematic areas of the Conference, including Space Technology, Space Applications, Space Sciences, Space Law, Policy and Regulatory Issues, and Space and Youth.

International Conference on Space

The three-day conference connected space professionals, decision-makers, academicians, researchers and scientists as well as students of space sciences and technologies to showcase their achievements, and share latest development in space technology and applications.

During three days, the Conference covered 18 parallel technical sessions on different topics of five thematic areas mentioned above.

In addition, five panel discussion sessions on themes of the conference were held. A total of 104 papers and posters were presented, four tutorials were held and a poster competition was organized.

Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) in collaboration with Institute of Space Technology (IST) recently organized the International Conference on Space (ICS-2014) at COMSTECH Secretariat, Islamabad.

The Inter-Islamic Network on Space Sciences and Technology (ISNET) co-sponsored the Conference.

Sequel to the first Space Conference held in September 2012, International Conference on Space ICS-2014 is an initiative of SUPARCO to connect various entities related to Space for sharing latest developments in space science technologies and their applications. This year, SUPARCO took ICS one step

occasion as the Chief Guest while Main Amer Mahmood, Chancellor MAJU, was also present.

Dr. M. Mansoor Ahmed, Executive Vice President welcomed the guests and hoped that graduates will contribute towards scientific and

th10 Convocation of MAJU IslamabadthThe 10 Convocation of Mohammad Ali Jinnah

University (MAJU), Islamabad was held recently, where over 550 graduates of different disciplines were awarded degrees. Seven PhD scholars received their doctoral degrees. Renowned nuclear scientist Dr. Samar Mubarakmand graced

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technological development of the country with determination and commitment.

Dr. Samar said that education does not end with acquiring a degree, it is a lifelong affair exploring new horizons, and broadening of the vision, marching on a never-ending journey towards new frontiers of knowledge.

“The role of higher education becomes more prominent and wide ranging. In the present times, we do not only need conventional types of education, we are faced with challenges of

The Department of Computer Science, Mohammad Ali Jinnah University, Islamabad recently organized a PhD symposium, to help PhD scholars working in a specialized area to give them feedback on their problem statement, methodology, and issues related to their research.

There were 16 professors from different universities of twin

PhD Symposium for Scholars of Twin Cities

different types and it is higher education which plays a key role in determining the position of a nation in today's knowledge driven economy,” he said.

cities who participated in the expert panel. Students were asked to submit their PhD extended abstract.

The abstracts were received from different universities of twin cities. Among them nine abstracts were shortlisted for the one-day activity.

The session was chaired by Prof. Dr. M. Abdul Qadir, Dean, Faculty of Computing at

Mohammad Ali Jinnah University, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Students presented their research work to the expert panel, subsequently, the expert panel provided guidance and direction to their future work. The review on the research idea, its feasibility, applications, significance, methodology, and possible future directions were discussed.

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Hussain from FC College University, Lahore. Dr. Alkire argued in favour of using the Multidimensional poverty index to replace conventional measures of poverty, Dr. Gordon talked about child poverty and Dr. Akmal Hussain dilated upon how poor quality of institutions in Pakistan is contributing to poverty.

One of the sessions at the conference was devoted to the launch of World Bank's flagship report on Inequality in South Asia. Dr. Martin Rama, Chief Economist, South Asian Region World Bank, the lead author of the report, delved upon the salient features of the report. The session was chaired by Dr. Rachid Benmessaoud, Country Director of the World Bank in Pakistan.

The panel discussion on Political Economy of Inequality, chaired by Dr. Nadeem Ul Haque, former Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission and Chancellor of PIDE, drew appreciation from the participants, for his deft moderation that brought out the best from the panelists. The panelists included Mr. Shahid Kardar, Dr. Aasim Sajjad Akhtar, Dr. Ali Cheema, Dr. Karamat Ali and Dr. Imran Ali.

The panel discussion on “Ending Extreme Poverty:Results and Realities in Graduating the Poorest” was chaired by Mr. Richard Montgomery, the country head of DFID Pakistan. The panelists included Dr. Syed Hashemi and Dr. Mahaboob Hossain from Brac Bangladesh, Mr. Qazi Isa, CEO, Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund and Dr. Nuzhat Ahmad, Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute. The panel discussion on Issues in Measurement of Poverty, chaired by Dr. G.M. Arif, Joint Director PIDE, brought to fore the salient issues that constrain the accurate measurement of poverty, in Pakistan. The panelists included Dr. Sabina Alkire, Dr. Sohail Jehangir Malik, Dr. Ghazala Mansuri and Dr. Talat Anwar. The panel discussion on Progressive Reform Agenda for Inclusive Growth was chaired by Dr. Waqar Masood, Secretary, Ministry of Finance. Panelists included Dr. Pervaiz Tahir, Mr. Saqib Sherani and Dr. Idrees Khawaja.

thPIDE hosts 30 AGM and Conference of PSDE thThe 30 Annual General Meeting and Conference

of the Pakistan Society of Development Economists (PSDE) was held at the Pak-China Friendship Centre, Islamabad recently. The conference, hosted by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) was the largest AGM in many years with a broad based participation from students, academia and policymakers.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Asad Zaman, President PSDE and Vice Chancellor, PIDE stressed that poverty is a combination of thousands of small problems and change in social norms is the key to poverty alleviation. He asserted that new agenda for poverty alleviation should focus on software instead of hardware of development. Dr. Zaman emphasized on the need for reversal of traditional thinking about development process; improve the lives of the poor, give them lives of dignity, and they will actually create the development that we desire.

The inaugural address was delivered by Mr. Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Security Issues and Foreign Affairs. Mr. Aziz said that to combat poverty skewed distribution of land ownership needs to be addressed through land reforms. Other factors, according to Mr. Aziz, that will help alleviate poverty include sharing power with poor, resolving tribal, ethnic, and religious polarization in the country, providing budgetary resource for the social sector and addressing the bias of the macroeconomic policy in favour of industry at the expense of agriculture.

Of special interest to the participants were the two lectures, via video link, by the professors from MIT and Harvard University. Prof. Daron Acemoglu and Prof. James Robinson, the authors of the bestseller 'Why Nations Fail', lectured on two successive evenings from MIT and Harvard. The crux of their talks was that inclusive institutions hold the key to economic growth.

Other keynote speakers at the conference included Dr. Sabina Alkire from Oxford, Dr. David Gordon from Bristol University and Dr. Akmal

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Though the conference was largely academic with more focus on technical issues, one of the panel discussions was organized solely to look at the practical approaches for poverty alleviation being followed in our country at non-governmental level in education, health and labor sector. The panel discussion on “Alternate Strategies of Poverty Alleviation” was chaired by Dr. Asad Zaman, Vice

A team of Institute of Business Management (IoBM) students, comprising Taha Afzal, Rauha Rafiq and Kiran Khawaja, has been judged by a panel of nine top executives including the Chairman Unilever as top team in Pakistan with their marketing/strategy case on Blue Band.

This year’s competition focused on the sustainability

Chancellor PIDE and the Panelists included Dr. Abdul Bari, Mr. Amjad Saqib, and Sayeda Ghulam Fatima. The conference was organized by PIDE and sponsored by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Friedrich-Eibert-Stiftung, UNDP, BRAC, WWF-CCAP-EU, International Growth Centre, PPAF, PSSP-USAID-IFPRI, and the World Bank.

IoBM Students to Participate in Int’l Contest

The winners will also get direct access to the Unilever Future Leaders Programme (UFLP) Assessment Centre, which is a first step towards employment as a Management Trainee at Unilever Pakistan.

agenda of six brands, including Lifebuoy, Dove, Pureit, Walls, Blue Band, and Surf Excel.

IoBM winning team will now represent Pakistan at Unilever’s Future Leader’s League in London in March 2015. Their journey started with initial participation of 300 teams from all over Pakistan to 13 shortlisted ones to six finalists and finally one winner, the IoBM team.

Dr. Muhammad Rasul Jan, Vice Chancellor University of Peshawar has been elected as Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS).

The Academy serves as a think tank for policy making and delivers scholarly documents to those at helm of affairs for betterment in important sectors particularly energy, biotechnology, engineering and water management.

thDr. Jan is the 89 scientist elected by the Academy on the basis of his credentials as a productive scientist in the field

Dr. Rasul Jan Elected as PAS Fellow

of Analytical Chemistry in its 61-year history. Father of biotechnology in Pakistan and the newly elected President of PAS Dr. Anwar Naseem Khan along with Dr. Zabta Khan Shinwari and Vice Chancellor University of Karachi visited Dr. Rasul Jan and

congratulated him on his inclusion in the elite list. The delegation offered joint fateha for the departed souls of Army Public school and showed their resolve to work jointly for promotion of education in the homeland so as to defeat the evil forces.

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A two-day workshop on “Practical Approach to Diagnostic Gastrointestinal (GI) and Liver Pathology” was recently organized by the Pathology Department of the University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore.The workshop was facilitated by senior Consultant Pathologist, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA, Dr. Saba Yasir and was attended by practicing pathologists and pathology residents.

The workshop presented a practical overview for pathologists who encounter gastrointestinal and liver specimens in daily practice. Interpretation of biopsies of the upper GI tract mucosa and the liver was addressed, as well as recent advances in pancreatic and biliary pathology.Case presentations were featured to emphasize presented concepts. The participants were given a

was attended by members of armed forces, intelligence organizations, university schooling, civil society, think tanks, academia and UMT students.

Addressing the conference, Dr. Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, said that terrorism is a global issue that besides politically and militarily solutions, needs to be tackled by theoretically, academically, and ideologically means. He said that Pakistan has suffered

UHS Workshop for Pathologists

better understanding of interpretation of mucosal biopsies, liver biopsies, pancreatic/biliary disorders, current concepts in staging, and the application of modern techniques to gastrointestinal disorders.

Prof. A. H. Nagi, Head of Pathology Department said that born out of increasing awareness of subspecialty gastrointestinal pathology services and increased patient awareness of laboratory errors, there was an increasing trend toward referral of tissue specimens to surgical pathologists with special interest in gastrointestinal pathology.He maintained that application of immunochemistry and molecular pathology to conventional morphologic analysis in establishing the correct diagnosis was mandatory in all sub specializations of Pathology.

UMT holds Workshop on Counter Terrorismnon-compostable loss in the war on terror and now educational institutions are taking precautionary measures and increasing their security.

The Rector applauded TRI for opening up its Pakistan chapter and anticipated that researchers, scholars and analysts together would make contributions towards studying and analyzing the phenomena of terrorism and present the best solution of this problem through this platform.

Terrorism Research Initiative (TRI), one of the largest research organizations for enhancing security through collaborative research in the field of Terrorism Studies, has established its Pakistan Chapter at the University of Management and Technology where UMT's School of Governance and Society (SGS) would be collaborating with TRI in its projects.

Recently, a five-day International workshop was held at Lahore. The workshop

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A two-day National Consultation on Livestock Development in Pakistan Way Forward was recently organised by the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Lahore in collaboration with the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, Islamabad.

Federal Secretary for National Food Security and Research Mr. Seerat Asghar chaired the concluding session while Secretary Livestock and Dairy Development Department Punjab, Mr. Nasim Sadiq, Vice Chancellor Dr. Talat Naseer

National Consultation on Livestock Development at UVAS

Pasha, Animal Husbandry Commissioner, Dr. Qurban Ali and a large number of stakeholders and experts from public and private sector were present on the occasion.

Mr. Seerat Asghar said that many issues were being faced by livestock sector in meat, dairy and poultry sub sectors. The national consultation is a step forward in exploring the

ways to exploit potential of livestock sector to meet domestic requirements, improve rural livelihood and generate surplus for export.

Mr. Nasim Sadiq said that with the help of local resources and trained manpower and collective effort of Provincial and Federal Government Livestock sector is working progressively.

Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science thand Technology (SZABIST) hosted the 4

International Research Conference at its Karachi Campus. This year's conference theme was “A step

in the future”, in which 77 papers were presented. The chief guest for the inaugural session was Dr. Sajid Mirza, Member Space and Technology, SUPARCO and the Session Chair was Dr. Altaf Mukati, Dean of Computing and Engineering Sciences, SZABIST.

Dr. Mukati, in his welcome address elaborated on how each revolution in human history adds to the knowledge and development of mankind and how technology has changed communication.

Dr. Sajid Mirza shared his views on how academics in Pakistan can take a step into the future. He said that Pakistani graduates are well educated and have been performing well nationally and internationally. He suggested that universities should take the initiative of opening research

thSZABIST hosts 4 International Research Conference

centres with proper research and technical management offering the opportunity of collaborative research.

Ms. Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Acting President, SZABIST, said that when Niel Armstrong took his first step on the moon, mankind experienced a revolution and that revolution has continued and added on to improve the possibilities and opportunities around us. She said that SZABIST provides a good opportunity for students and researchers, and accepted Dr. Mirza's suggestion on collaborative research.

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