GUJRAT/SIALKOT-The survival of a nation in future will not depend on the number of missiles and tanks it possesses as wars in the future will be fought in classrooms and laboratories, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal declared.
He said that even today, the success of a nation is determined by the number of its inventions and the number of its people who are highly educated.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal was addressing the ground-breaking ceremony of the University of Gujrat (UoG) Narowal sub-campus here on Sunday.
Ahsan Iqbal claimed that It is a dream come true, not only for him but for the people of the district.
The Federal Minister unveiled a plaque marking the start of the construction of the project.
Addressing a large number of people on the occasion, he said that the new UoG sub-campus in Narowal would play the historical role as that of the famous Ali Garh University.
UoG Vice Chancellor Dr Ziaul Qayyum, MPA Khawaja Waseem Butt, MPA Rana Mannan, MPA Ramesh Singh Arora, chairman-elect Narowal Metropolitan Corporation Syed Azharul Hasan Chan Peer, Chaudhry Zulfiqar, chairman Union Council Chandowal Malik Tariq, Narowal DCO, UoG Registrar Dr Tahir Aqil, Narowal sub-campus Chairman Sahabzada Faisal, a large number of UoG Hafiz Hayat Campus and Narowal sub-campus faculty members and officials and thousands of locals attended the ceremony.
Mr Iqbal said that the government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has made considerable progress in its march towards progress. He pointed out that the government is keenly focusing on four E’s - Extremism, Energy, Economy and Education - according to its roadmap for progress and vision 2025.
The Federal Minister stressed a need for providing equal educational opportunities in both the urban and rural areas.
He said that the government is striving for curbing the darkness of ignorance through spreading the light of knowledge by promoting the public-private partnership in the education sector.
He urged the teachers and parents to focus on the character-building of the students, and stressed bringing change in the social attitude of the people towards the promotion of quality education. He said that the students are the future of the country and the nation should secure their educational future through easy access to quality education.
He also stressed collective efforts for the promotion of higher education. He said there was an immediate need to root out illiteracy to bring about radical changes in every sphere of life. He called for changing the education system and removing disparities to ensure even opportunities to all in the country.
He also claimed that energy production project of 25,000MW are underway, which upon completion would help eliminate darkness from the country.
He further said that the present government has spent Rs215 billion on various education projects - including 66 higher education projects — in just three years. “There will be university campus in each district of Pakistan in next three years,” he said.
In his address, UoG VC Dr Ziaul Qayyum expressed gratitude to the federal minister for his sincere efforts to set up a sub-campus of the university in Narowal. He pledged that merit would never be compromised in admissions.