LAHORE: Planning, Development and Reforms Minister Ahsan Iqbal has said that today is the era of knowledge economy and we need to change our traditional teaching style, which has become redundant, and adopt interactive teaching style that could create critical thinking among students.
While addressing a gathering at the Punjab University’s Faisal Auditorium on Tuesday, he requested the media to highlight investment and progress made in education sector. PU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran, Registrar Prof Dr Liaqat Ali, deans of faculties, heads of departments and a large number of students were present on the occasion.
Addressing the ceremony, Ahsan Iqbal said that youth were Pakistan’s biggest power and if we give them quality education, they would become the largest driving force for the development of the country. He said the universities must create skills among the students, produce world-class research, bridge gap between academia and industry, work for community uplift and play role for eradication of extremism from society.
He said that the academic environment of Punjab University had improved manifold and it was hoped that PU would lead in all these matters. He said that annual budget of HEC was Rs 48 billion in 2013 and now the government had increased it to Rs 78 billion. “We must reject the elements fanning pessimism and move forward with the message of hope,” he added.
The minister said that the 20th century belonged to political ideologies but the standards of development had changed in 21st century and now the development of a country depended upon three things; how surplus was the production of the country i.e. the economic development; whether the development was inclusive and all the areas and segments of society are benefiting from the development and what was the competitiveness of the country?
“We needed to enhance our production capacity and improve our standard continuously, besides introducing knowledge and information revolution in the country,” he said, adding that the corps commanders of Pakistan Army are safeguarding the boundaries of Pakistan very well and the corps commanders of the development of the country are the vice chancellors of the universities.
He said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor was the backbone of country’s development and the energy crisis would end by 2017-18, adding that all the investment would be withdrawn by the investors if there was any political turmoil in the country as all those countries progressed where there was continuation of policies.