20000322

'Higher education

must for rapid

progress'

RECORDER REPORT

HYDERABAD: Sindh Governor, Air Marshal Mohammad Azim Daudpota (Retd) has said that higher education was essential for getting immediate results in national construction and bring long lasting results in structure and excellence of education, public administration, science, technology, agriculture, industry and business.

He was addressing the Convocation-99 of Mehran University of Engineering and Technology at Jamshoro here on Tuesday.

Adviser to Governor, Abdul Wahab Shaikh, Sindh Minister for Irrigation, Power, Communication and Works, A. N. G. Abbasi and the US Consul General, John Bannet were also present.

He said that quality of output from higher learning institutions needs a quantum improvement to come up to the expectations of the modern times. In organising, directing and stimulating fundamental research, the universities have yet to play their due role in national construction, he said.

He said that engineering and technological education can play a very important role in the economic development is the one with vision, leadership and determination to grapple with local problems and to put material to the best advantage, he said.

The governor said that the country was still in stages of development and government is working towards making the country as an economically strong and self-sufficient nation, capable of providing a reasonable standard of living for its growing population. Pakistan has a vast manpower whose skills are second to none, he said and added that if these skills were properly mobilised, our abundant manpower should off a great potential to develop the country's economy on sound basis.

He said it is a matter of pride, that Mehran University of Engineering and Technology is playing vital role in producting the men of calibre in the fields of engineerings and technology.

He said that no country has been able to make rapid progress without a well-developed system of higher education.

He said that it was considered that the strategic point in education lies in the colleges and universities as they train the teachers, lawyers, doctors, engineers, scientists, philosophers, agriculturists, businessmen and government officials, who provide leadership and establish standard of moral, economic and social life. They are responsible for conserving knowledge for keeping abreast of new knowledge through research, he said.

He said that our greatest national asset lies in the potential skills of our people and our economic and social progress depends on how we develop them. This implies that all young men and women, irrespective of their financial and social status, who can prove their capacity to profit from higher education must have the full opportunity of acquiring the education, he said and added, we have to brighten their intellectual curiosity by providing every chance available at the campus.

Referring the financial constraints highlighted by the vice-chancellor of the University in his welcome address, the governor advised him to appeal to those graduates of the university, now working in various nation building departments to come forward and extend their help in this regard.

The Vice-Chancellor, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Dr. Abdul Rehman Memon in his welcome address informed that after a pause of seven years, the university has organised its second convocation.

Briefing the history of the university, he said that the university has grown into a premier educational institution, endeavouring to provide the state-of-the-art engineering education and developing human resources for the engineering and technological needs of the country.

He informed that a project of Pakistan Steel on their indigenisation programme has been started so that maximum use can be made of our national resources such as iron ore and coal which will result in substantial savings in foreign exchange and generate new employment opportunities for youth.