LAHORE (April 28): Federal Minister of Education Ahsan Iqbal has expressed his resolve to establish uniform education system from primary schools to university level. He said that restoration of the student unions will be implemented but a proper code of conduct will be prepared and implemented in this regard. He said that PU should play its active role for the solution of various problems faced by the country today.

He was addressing at a reception in his honour at the Punjab University’s Institute of Biochemistry & Biotechnology’s auditorium on Monday. Punjab University Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Azhar Ikram Ahmad, Registrar Prof Dr Muhammad Naeem Khan, Prof Dr Najma Najam, Prof Dr Jameel Anwar Ch. and deans of all faculties and heads of departments, institutes and principals of constituent colleges and heads of administrative departments were also present.

The minister said that there was an urgent need of establishing a value chain system from pre-school and nursery level to the higher education level in the education system and every stakeholder in this chain should play his/her part with responsibility and commitment. He said that present era is a knowledge-based era because now the centre of everything in the developed world is the knowledge. He said in order to implement a uniform education system in the country, first reforms would be made in the curriculum, teaching methodology and examination system of the public sector educational institutions and when a certain standard would be developed in the public sector other educational systems including A level, O level would be merged in it. He said guidance from the curriculum and books being taught in England, India, Malaysia and US would be taken in this regard. He said that the real problem in the education system of Pakistan is the implementation. He said we would prepare proper action plan for the education system and these will be implemented. He said a two-day national summer would be arranged where all educational stakeholders, brains would be invited from all four provinces and a proper policy would be made and the signature of all political parties would be taken on it to ensure that it is not changed during the next ten years.

In his welcome remarks, PU Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Azhar Ikram Ahmad said that it is a great privliage and honour for the Punjab University that after becoming the Federal Education Minister, this was Mr Ahsan Iqbal’s first visit not only to PU but also to any university of the country. He said that since Ahsan has been a student as well as a teacher in this varsity, he knows very well about the students, teachers’ problems and the varsity’s potential and achievements.

The acting VC said that he was sured that Ahsan would be able to deliver well for the education sector of the country. Earlier, Registrar Prof Dr Muhammad Naeem Khan gave a comprehensive briefing about Punjab University’s various programmes and its achievements. He informed the minister that Punjab University is the largest educational institution not in the Pakistan but most probably in the world. He said PU has given 7 vice-chancellors to other universities since it is the mother of many other universities of Punjab. He said that we feel proud that million of people in the country are our alumni. He said that PU is imparting education to its students at par with the standards of international universities and the administration sends the PhD theses of the PU scholars to foreign educational institutions and experts for evaluation and a very positive and remarkable feedback is being received in this regard. He said that PU is very visible on the global map of higher education and it has recently adopted TTS and now 60 teachers out of 90 has been recruited under this system in the varsity. They have been selected by a merit based process at part with the international standards.

Among those who asked questions and gave their inputs to the minister regarding development of the educational system included Dr Mujahid Ali Mansoori, Prof Dr Zahid Karim Khan, Prof Dr Niaz Ahmad, Prof Dr Rukhsana Bajwa, Dr Arshad Javed, Prof Dr Muhammad Saleem Mazhar, Prof Dr Shahida Hasnain, Prof Mehar Saeed Akhtar, Prof Dr Muhammad Hafeez, Prof Tehseen Firaqi, Prof Dr Hafiz Muhammad Iqbal, Prof Dr Yasmin Farooqi, Prof Dr Shahid Kamal and Prof Dr Mazhar Moeen.