MIRPUR (AJK)
Former federal minister and ex-chairman of Higher Education Commissioner (HEC) Dr Attaur Rehman urged the governments of Pakistan and AJK to immediately enforce ‘educational emergency’ for ensuring speedy economic progress.
“A single education system comprising the basic education of science and technology, harmonious to the needs of the modern era besides other compulsory subjects, should be introduced and implemented, to achieve the proposed task of enforcement of the Educational Emergency in the country,” said the world renowned Pakistani scientist and academician while speaking as chief guest at the concluding ceremony a three event ‘MUSTIVAL-2016’.
Dr Attaur Rehman, the recently appointed chairman of United Nations Committee of Science & Technology, continued that the education of science and technology has attained the distinction to be the most important and basic component to achieve the socio-economic progress in true perspective. He observed that the importance of natural resources was constantly at decline. “Since about last 40 years, the importance of natural resources has fallen particularly,” he underlined.
He emphasised for bringing out a revolutionary development in high technology in Pakistan for ensuring the true economic progress - since there had been a rapid increase in high technology the world over. Dr Atta said that primarily, the government has the status of a basic player for bringing about economic progress in the country. He continued that the private sector, indeed, could perform due role for the economic progress in line with the effective and broad-based policies of the government.
“Countries are not made of the construction of roads and bridges,” the seasoned scientist observed. He added that implementation and promotion of latest education system in line with the need of the modern age and the progress and improvement of the industrial sector were the most important and basic components for the socio-economic progress and prosperity in all spheres of life.
In this connection, he referred to the unprecedented rapid progress followed by a socio-economic boom in Singapore, Malaysia and China in a few years because of the broad-based policies through mutual coordination by their experts including the stake-holders of concerned fields. The exports of Malaysia, he revealed, have risen to 87 percent of their entire national economy.
He pointed out that the exports of five million-populous Singapore were 22 percent higher as compared to our country at present. He further said that these countries attained laurels in unprecedented socio-economic progress because of their comprehensive polities in the field of education and industrial sector.
Dr Atta also called upon the entire Muslim Ummah comprising 57 Islamic countries to devise a comprehensive and broad-based policy for the promotion of the higher education of science and technology for emerging as the true developed nations enriched with high intellect of the global needs and standard. He pointed out that it was tragic to observe that not a single Islamic country has, so far, won the noble prize in the field of higher education of science and technology. “Keeping in view of the sad state of affairs, the Islamic countries have to move for producing the Nobel prize winners in the field of education,” he suggested.
The event comprised arts and cultural activities held on the occasion of MUST Foundation Day ceremony. It was participated by students of various universities of the country at the state-run Mirpur University of Science & Technology (MUST) local campus. In his address of welcome, MUST Vice Chancellor Dr Habibur Rehman paid rich tributes to Dr Attaur Rehman for his meritorious services for bringing about a boom in the higher education of science and information technology in the country including AJK.
He said that the marvellous contribution of Dr Attaur Rehman, being then chairman of the HEC, facilitating the establishment of Mirpur University of Science & Technology, being a world-class institution of higher education, through his due assistance, would always be remembered.
Dr Habibur Rehman applauded untiring efforts of services of Dr Attaur Rehman for providing due guidance for devising scheme and developing research culture in higher education - significantly - Science & Technology. Dean Science Department MUST Dr Rehana Asghar also spoke on this occasion highlighting the curricular and co-curricular activities of the varsity.
The students of the MUST belonging to all four provinces of the country, Gilgit/Baltistan and AJK presented culture of their respective areas through demonstrating in traditional dresses, regional and national songs and dance.