HEC British Council Links Programme: UET wins 'Battle of Minds'
First phase of HEC, BC's HEL programme completes
Islamabad, 27 March, 2008: The first phase of Higher Education Links Programme between British Council
and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has been completed successfully
enhancing research and training capacity of Pakistani higher education
institutions.
The success was celebrated here at a ceremony, which was well
attended by the heads of universities, 50 HEL teams from across Pakistan and
representatives of HEC and British Council.
The Higher Education Links (HEL)
programme is a partnership between the HEC and British Council by which
different programmes and events are held due to the collaboration of same
disciplines of Pakistani universities and the foreign universities.
The
purpose of the programme is to enhance the research and training capacity of
higher education institutes, which contributes towards the institutional
capacity building of the higher education sector in Pakistan.
These links
are in various subjects such as pure sciences, social sciences, health sciences,
environment and engineering.
Professor Dr Atta-ur-Rehman, Chairman of HEC,
speaking on the occasion emphasised that the solution to every problem was
education whether it was terrorism, dictatorship or any other menace and the
leaders must understand the importance of this sector.
"Last few years were
like a dream come true because of tremendous achievements in the higher
education sector. Delta is extremely good. Our three universities have been
included in the top 500 universities of the world.
Many revolutionary
programmes have been initiated, including video conferencing, 23,000 online
journals and 40,000 e-books for the students".
He on the occasion announced
50 additional linkages between the Pakistani and UK universities increasing the
total number of links to hundred.
The first phase of HEL programme
consisting of 15 three-yearlong partnerships with UK universities was initiated
in 2004.
In second phase of HEL programme, 35 links between Pakistani and
UK's universities initiated in 2007 are operational which would last till
2009.
Director of British Council, Pakistan, Sue Beaumont commending the
work that has been done attached great importance to it and urged that the links
must be taken forward which has given access to each other's resources and many
collaborative research projects have been initiated.
Director of British
Council, Islamabad, Nasir Kazmi also spoke on the occasion and briefed the
audience about the Higher Education Links programme.
Co-ordinators of the
links in various universities of the country gave presentations of their
activities and achievements during three years. The Nation
UET wins 'Battle of Minds'
Islamabad: Enthusiastic students from the University of Engineering &
Technology (UET), Lahore, claimed first prize at the Grand Slam of 'Battle of
Minds' competition held here.
Students of IBA and LUMS respectively
secured second and third positions.
The event was organised by the
Pakistan Tobacco Company and was based on the concept of Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR). The participating teams focused the case study on the
afforestation programme of the company and managing it on sustainable basis and
bringing increased benefits to the community.
The winning team of UET,
Lahore, comprised Waqas Saeed, Mohsin Ashraf Khan, Rohail Hussain Khiwi and
Noman Ahmed. The winning team's proposal was based on Biomass.
Federal
Secretary for Education Jehangir Bashar awarded prizes to winning teams and
appreciated efforts of students as well as the company on completing a
successful learning-oriented experience. The top three teams were not only
awarded cash prizes but also guaranteed internships and prospects of employment
with the Pakistan Tobacco Company. PTC CEO and MD William Toh as well as senior
management of the company were present on the occasion.
Speaking on the
occasion, William Toh outlined the intent of the initiative, highlighting the
benefit to students through exposure to Corporate Social Responsibility, best
practices and the interaction with the company.
He also assured that
their suggestions would be considered for incorporation in the company's CSR
initiatives. Prospective graduates from Institute of Business Administration
(Karachi), Lahore University of Management Sciences, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute
and Electrical & Mechanical Engineering College also participated in the
competition and presented different ideas and case studies for PTC management to
consider for its CSR programmes. A total of 122 teams from across the country
applied. Four teams from each campus were short-listed to join the contest. The News
HEC approves medical centre
Islamabad: The Central Development Working Party meeting Wednesday
approved the Higher Education Commission's project to establish a Medical
Sciences Research Centre at the Ojha Campus of Dow University of Health Sciences
(DUHS), Karachi.
According to a spokesman, DUHS is committed to provide
the most efficient and affordable healthcare institution and become a healthcare
policy think tank, offering services to all levels of the government.
The specific objective of the HEC project includes the development of
human resource through foreign training, which will entail PhD studies for 15
scholars.
A 200-bed teaching and research hospital linked to a
specialised research unit and top-notch diagnostics and allied services will
also be established where over 2,000 undergraduate and 300 postgraduate students
will avail clinical training. The research facilities will help provide an
enabling environment for the faculty and postgraduate students.
The
project will enable Dow University to take the initial steps to transform itself
into a regional centre of excellence in medical research and healthcare,
providing services to people and professionals of Pakistan, SAARC and the Middle
East region.
At present, DUHS has faculties of Basic Medical Sciences,
Medical & Allied Sciences and Surgical & Allied Sciences with an annual
intake of around 650 undergraduate and 70 postgraduate students.
Symposium
Rawalpindi: Two-day symposium and workshop on low back
pain will be held here on April 5 and 6. The symposium has been organized by
IIMC-T Railway General Hospital in collaboration with Riphah International
University and HEC. The News
Post your Feedback about information available on this page.