ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: President Dr. Arif Alvi has underlined the need for producing graduates of high quality and highly skilled workforce by universities to meet the requirements of the Country as well as the market.
During a briefing on the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIKI) of Engineering Sciences and Technology given by the Rector GIKI Professor Dr. Fazal Ahmad Khalid at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad on Wednesday, the president said that universities needed to speed up their efforts by focusing on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) so as to fully reap the dividends of the 4th Industrial Revolution.
The President Society for Promotion of Engineering Sciences and Technology (SOPTREST) Farid Rahman, the Executive Director SOPTREST Shakil Durrani, the Rector GIKI Professor Dr. Fazal Ahmad Khalid, and senior government officials attended the meeting.
The Rector GIKI briefed the president about the role and achievements of the Institute in providing education in the fields of engineering sciences and technology. He informed that presently, 2,366 students were enrolled in various degree programmes and 6,852 students had graduated from the University so far.
Professor Dr. Fazal Ahmad Khalid highlighted that 75% of the Institute’s faculty comprised of PhD degree holders from top-ranked national and international universities. He added that GIKI had allocated over Rs 290 million in 2021 to provide scholarships and financial assistance to deserving students.
While addressing the meeting, President Arif Alvi asked the management of the University to develop industrial linkages and promote collaborations with international universities of good repute in order to benefit from their expertise.
The president said that the University needed to strengthen its international advisory board besides enhancing the volume of the online educational component.
President Arif Alvi asked the University to implement the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) policy on Students with Disabilities which provided a complete waiver to such students in tuition fees, hostel fees, and utility fees, in addition to employing different-abled people and women in the university.
Dr. Arif Alvi urged the University to update its vision and set timelines to achieve its targets.
The president remarked that universities required to prioritize needs of the Country by focusing on Artificial Intelligence and developing expertise in the area of Cyber Security.
