All-Pakistan Women Universities Consortium (APWUC) would arrange a capacity-building project and a series of webinars and seminars in different member and non-member universities to make them more effective and meaningful. According to a Fatima Jinnah Women University spokesperson, the APWUC in its first conference organized on women in leadership in collaboration with Higher Education Commissioner (HEC) and British Council to celebrate International Women’s Day decided that the consortium would be made more effective.
The conference was organized to devise ways to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment in Pakistan, she said. Female VCs from all seven member universities, including Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU), Government College Women University Faisalabad, Lahore College for Women University, Government College Women University Sialkot, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Women University Swabi, and Government Sadiq College Women University,
Bahawalpur, jointly organized the event, she informed. Dr. Saima Hamid, VC, FJWU attending the conference proposed a four-point agenda for the consortium, including focusing on sustainability, participatory approaches, identifying priority areas, and establishing clear structures for effective strategy building. She stressed the importance of young energies and synergies to ensure the consortium’s progress and sustainability. Dr. Irene Tracy, VC, University of Oxford on the occasion congratulated the female VCs and informed about the measures they are taking in UK to support British women. Dr. Rubina Farooq, VC, Government College Women University, Faisalabad stressed on increasing women’s visibility on all important platforms to support each other, while Dr. Bushra Mirza, VC, Lahore College for Women University emphasized the importance of keeping one’s ambitions high and fighting inner fears.
Dr. Rukhsana Kausar, VC, Government College Women University Sialkot highlighted the need for a future road map in the form of specific universities and stressed that women are emotionally intelligent and can prove better managers which they must utilize. Dr. Safia Ahmad, VC, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University addressing the conference highlighted the need for a bio-based innovative economy and stressed the importance of university-industry collaboration to make research more effective. Dr. Shahana Urooj Kazmi, VC, Women University Swabi emphasized the importance of entrepreneurship and putting universities on the path of innovation through business to support the national economy. Dr. Saiqa Imtiaz Asif, VC, Government Sadiq College Women University Bahawalpur pledged her full support for the consortium online. Dr. Shahnaz Wazir Ali also addressed the gathering and emphasized on the importance of devising effective strategies for the training of young female faculty recruited in the universities.