Pakistan fails to gain representation in world’s top 500 universities: President Alvi

KARACHI- President Dr. Arif Alvi on Sunday said that Pakistan had failed to gain representation in the list of the world’s top 500 universities, which was really a matter of concern.

The promotion of those crops which requires less water is inevitable in the country, he said, stating that education is the government’s top priority.

He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the “2nd International Symposium on Natural Products for the Future (ISNPF-2)” held at the Prof. Salimuzzaman Siddiqui Auditorium of the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi (UoK) on Sunday.

Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Vice Chancellor University of Karachi Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ajmal Khan, Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, ICCBS Patron-in-Chief, former chairman HEC, and ex federal minister for science and technology, ICCBS Director Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, Chairman Husein Ebrahim Jamal Foundation Mr. Aziz Latif Jamal, French scholar Prof. Dr. George Mathews and other dignitaries also attended the ceremony.

Over 600 eminent scientists and young researchers, including 100 foreign experts, are attending this international symposium, which is recognized as one of the most prestigious international events in the field of natural product sciences.

President Alvi said that the government would make all efforts to promote primary and secondary level education in the country. He said that quality of institutions was more important than their numbers. He maintained that it was vital for our research and educational institutions to enhance their quality of faculty and standards of research and education. Failure of our Universities to gain position on the World University Rankings needs to be addressed, he regretted. As far as the higher education or primary education is concerned Pakistan would be emerged as a great nation on the map of the world, he said.

He pointed out that applicable researches are inevitable in the country. He stated that research should be focused on the needs of the country, adding that good research work on development of seeds was rare in Pakistan. Following the footprints of Bangladesh and Philippine, the country needs to promote those crops which can be cultivated in less water so that the country could be prevented from any expected food shortage, he said.

President Alvi also praised the efforts made by Prof. Salimuzzaman Siddiqui, Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman, Mr. Latif Ebrahim Jamal, Chairperson Dr. Panjwani Memorial Trust Ms. Nadira Panjwani and Prof. Iqbal Choudhary in the development of ICCBS. He also paid tribute to the efforts of Hakim Saeed for the country.

Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman said that the country needed to realise that the cornerstone for socio-economic development must be education, science, technology and innovation. It is only by focusing on these 4 key pillars of development can we hope to transition to a knowledge economy, he said.

Countries investing massively in research and innovation are marching forward, leaving others behind, he pointed out. We need to educate and train 100 million Pakistan youth, below the age of 20, which is the real wealth of the country, he said.

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ajmal Khan said that it was a good sign that the new government had assured that the education in general and higher education and science and technology in particular will receive the highest priority. Our Prime Minister has also assured at numerous occasions that for the economic uplift of the country, more resources will be made available for the promotion of higher education in Pakistan, he said.

Prof. Iqbal Choudhary said that ICCBS was internationally famous for its research and educational eminence. He said this global conference would serve as a platform for a large level of interactions of national and international scientists and scholars.

Mr. Aziz Latif Jamal said that the establishment of the H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry was a matter of pride for Husein Ebrahim Jamal Foundation and family.

French scholar Prof. Dr. George Mathews also spoke on the occasion.

Messages from Ms. Nadira Panjwani and Prof. Dr. DHC Yoshinori Asakawa, President Phytochemical Society of Asia (PSA) were also recited on the occasion.

 

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