ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Ahsan Iqbal Tuesday said Pakistan’s future lay in the knowledge-based economy and that was why the government was investing in the higher education sector.
Ahsan Iqbal was chairing a meeting of vice-chancellors hosted by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) here to review progress on higher education sector projects approved and funded under the Public Sector Development Fund (PSDP) during the last five years.
The meeting also deliberated on the plans for the next PSDP projects. HEC Executive Director Dr G Ghulam Raza Bhatti and Member Operation and Planning Dr Arshad Ali, and 35 vice chancellors from across the country, in person and through HEC video conferencing facility, attended the meeting, according to a press release.
Addressing the meeting, Ahsan Iqbal appreciated the HEC and academic fraternity for a good teamwork for the uplift of the higher education sector.
He said the government believes in turning the country into a knowledge-based economy by investing in the higher education sector. He advised the universities to prepare quality PC-Is of their projects and submit them in due time-frame so that they might be approved for implementation.
Ahsan said serious efforts needed to be made to ensure the quality of PC-Is, as compromise on quality leads to failure in project approval. Expressing concern over capacity constraints, he stressed the need for proper project management.
In the budget for FY 2018-19, 46 development projects have been unapproved, he informed. The minister stressed the importance of good management for execution of projects after due approval.
Relevant Piece Published Earlier: Minister for Planning, Development, and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal says Govt. focusing to promote education in the country and a lot of contributions were made in that regard. He said the huge increase was made in the budget of HEC that was taken to Rs 47 b from Rs 12b in five years of the present government. Ahsan claimed that standard of education had been raised in the universities as a result of measures taken by the incumbent government. The minister said China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a game changer, however peace, stability and harmony was imperative to accomplish the project in the country. He said highly qualified academic persons were being appointed in educational institutions and respect should also be given to them as they were serving the country. Iqbal said he had been serving the people with commitment and dignity.
