By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday called for promoting research-oriented and innovation-based quality education in universities to overcome the scientific and technological challenges faced by the country.
He emphasized the need to educate the students about the latest technological trends in order to meet the requirements of the 4th Industrial Revolution.
The president made these remarks at a briefing on Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), given by Rector LUMS Shahid Hussain, at Aiwan-e-Sadr. The meeting was attended by Vice Chancellor LUMS Dr Arshad Ahmad, Additional Secretary Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, and representative of the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
The Rector briefed the president about the role of LUMS in promotion of higher education in the country.
Addressing the meeting, the president underlined the need for promotion of online education as it was cost-effective and accessible to students belonging to the far flung areas of the country and under-privileged strata of society.
He urged the universities to initiate steps to encourage e-learning as it played an instrumental role in ensuring continuity of education during the COVID-19 pandemic. He highlighted the need for increasing collaboration among the universities to share their expertise for promoting quality education based on research and innovation.
The president asked HEC to adopt cooperative approach and enhance communication with universities to help address their issues.
He stated that the government attached great importance to the promotion of education and had announced 50,000 scholarships for the deserving students, under the Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship Program, in this regard.
The president appreciated the contributions made by LUMS for the promotion of quality education in the country.
