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Media varsity to be set up in Islamabad
ISLAMABAD, Feb 27(The News): Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Muhammad Ali
Durrani has said a media university proposed to be established in Islamabad
would be the first-ever university of international standards in the Muslim
world as well as in the South Asian region.
"The university would not
only cater for the growing needs of trained media professionals, but it would
also play a pivotal role in the development of communication sector in the whole
region," he said while talking to Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman
Professor Dr Attaur Rehman here on Monday. Matters pertaining to faculty
members, courses, education and other facilities as per modern trends also came
under discussion during the meeting.
It was also decided that the
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the HEC would collaborate jointly
in launching the media university.
Durrani said the government, under the
visionary leadership of President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat
Aziz, is committed to the freedom and development of the media and new
initiatives are being taken to facilitate the media to make this sector more
dynamic and vibrant.
"The university would also collaborate with the
leading international media universities for short-listing of courses, faculty
members and other relevant areas so that the students could be imparted quality
education at par with the international standards," he added.
He said all
necessary steps would be taken to ensure the capacity building of the media
professionals to ensure the provision of better human resource as well as
infrastructure in the media sector. "As the media is most powerful medium of the
modern age, the varsity would prove to be a milestone in producing well-trained
journalists and would also address growing needs of the present and future times
in the field of communication," he added.
Durrani said the university
would specifically address the growing needs of the electronic media and skilled
and innovative professionals from Pakistan, Muslim states and countries from the
entire region would be able to use their abilities.
Hailing the
initiative, Prof Dr Attaur Rehman assured Senator Durrani of the provision of
full assistance in equipping the university with most modern equipment, faculty
members and facilities at par with the international standards.
"The
university would be established in the federal capital, having its satellite
campuses in all the four provincial headquarters. Initially, faculties of Mass
Communication and Media Development, Acoustics and Broadcasting, Performing Arts
and Media Technology, and Digital Media and Graphics would be commenced," he
added.
He said that the government was considering collaborating with the
Communication University of China and the Colorado University of the US, and
international experts would soon visit Pakistan to give their valuable input in
this regard. Information Services Academy Director-General Ghulam Hazoor Bajwa,
Mian Jehangir, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed and Dr Sohail Naqvi were also present during the
meeting.
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