LAHORE - The University of Engineering & Technology Lahore has named a newly-built boys hostel as Abdul Sattar Edhi Hall while presenting tribute to Abdul Sattar Edhi, the famous social worker who dies last week.

The announcement was made in the result of a resolution which was passed unanimously by the house in the meeting of all deans and heads of teaching and non teaching departments of university with Vice Chancellor UET Lahore.

On this occasion, VC Prof Dr Fazal Ahmad Khalid urged enthusiasm and efforts for continuation of Edhi’s mission which he demonstrated throughout his life. Every person who attended the meeting expressed sorrow at the death of Abdul Sattar and prayed for the departed soul.

College education in Punjab ‘not up to the mark’

Punjab Higher Education Commission Chairman Dr Mohammad Nizamuddin has said the college education in the country is not up to the mark.

“Success rate in bachelor’s programmes is hardly 30 to 35 per cent. No country can afford a failure rate as high as 60 per cent,” the HEC chairman said. He was speaking at the inaugural session of a five-day training course for 150 principals of public colleges of the province at the University of Health Sciences (UHS) yesterday.

Dr Nizamuddin said that emphasis of colleges was on rote learning. “Libraries are kept locked in our institutions or the money is spent on the purchase of irrelevant books,” he added.

He further stressed the need for establishing a teachers training academy on the lines of the Civil Services Academy.

Higher Education Secretary Irfan Ali said that a college was as good as its principal. However, he added, newly appointed principals lacked knowledge of day-to-day administrative and financial matters and college clerks usually took advantage of this. “They must, therefore, be trained in financial management, audit and governance,” he stressed.

University of Education Vice Chancellor Dr Rauf-i-Azam said that the training of 2600 newly appointed college teachers has been started which will be completed before the end of summer vacations.

UHS VC Maj Gen (r) Prof Muhammad Aslam and University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences VC Prof Talat Naseer Pasha also spoke on the occasion.