HEC Punjab decides to promote research culture

Lahore: Secretary Higher Education Punjab, Abdullah Khan Sumbal has said that more qualified staff is available in 522 government colleges and 114 government commerce colleges as compared to private colleges. He said that Punjab government has decided to formulate a practicable policy on permanent basis for further improving education standard by meeting the educational and administrative requirements of all public sector colleges. He said time will soon come when male and female students obtaining best marks will prefer to get admission in government colleges instead of private colleges.

He expressed these views while presiding over a consultative meeting of stakeholders for discussing proposals and necessary steps for enhancing educational standard of colleges of government sector at Government Postgraduate Islamia College for Women, Cooper Road, Lahore.

President Punjab Professors & Lecturers Association Dr. Zahid Ahmed, General Secretary Syed Tanveer Shah, Additional Secretary Higher Education Mrs. Saloot Saeed, DPI Colleges Punjab Dr. Jaleel Tariq, Vice Chancellor University of Gujrat Dr. Nizam-ud-Din and principals of different government colleges including Prof. Farzana Shaheen, Dr. Aalia Sohail, Prof. Sameena Bhatti, Dr. Khalid Farooq, Prof. Shafique Ahmed, Dr. Fateh Muhammad, Prof. Abdul Latif Usmani, Prof. Khalid Hameed, Prof. Hanif Abbasi, Abid Ali Khan Wazir as well as administrator Punjab Group of Colleges Sohail Afzal, Rana Aadil of Superior College, Additional DPI Colleges Khalid Javed, Director Colleges Mrs. Nusrat Jamal, Nadeem Riaz Sethi, Shoaib Anwar and other senior officers of Higher Education Department Punjab were also present on the occasion.

Abdullah Khan Sumbal said that teachers are associated with the profession of working with missionary zeal and it is the responsibility of the government and the society to encourage them. The meeting unanimously decided to promote research culture in affiliated colleges of the province. He said that instead of rote learning, the teachers should assign the research projects to the students and supervise them. He said that research work should also be made an important benchmark in the promotion of college teachers.

Abdullah Khan Sumbal said that no such teacher should be posted as college principal or deputy director education as have partnership with any private educational institution. Similarly, special training should also be arranged for every head of the department in human resource management, he added. He said that teachers should create awareness among the students about educational problems in a friendly atmosphere which will motivate them to move forward. The meeting decided that proper funds and SNE posts will be given to the government colleges on the basis of enrollment whereas academic calander will be followed in the real sense.

The meeting was informed that the 2^nd refresher course of two weeks period for the professional training of college teachers will be started in University of Education Lahore at the end of December this year.