RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: South Asia Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Chamber of Commerce and Industry has nominated Punjab University’s Vice Chancellor Dr Zaffar Mueen Nasar to head its high level “Education Reforms Committee” for promotion of common education agenda in the South Asian region to improve quality and efficiency in higher education.

According to the chamber’s spokesman, the decision was taken by a committee of SAARC Chamber chaired by its President Suraj Vaidya recently at a meeting held in Nepal. SAARC Chamber Vice President Iftikhar Ali Malik represented Pakistan at the meeting.

The names of other candidates drawn from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Bhutan and Pakistan were considered and finally the Punjab University’s vice chancellor was selected through transparent process of selection. The SAARC Chamber will seek administrative and educational expertise from the Punjab University.

Iftikhar Ali Malik said that shortage of qualified and trained teachers is hampering efforts in most of the region to enhance the quality of education. “To achieve universal education, additional 196,000 teachers have to be recruited in South Asia,” he said, adding the SAARC educational chapter studied and examined thoroughly at a special meeting of the educational wing of the chamber on common educational agenda held recently in Nepal. It was finally decided to seek collaboration from the Punjab University to raise the productivity of graduates through quality education and practical knowledge to contribute in a significant way to the national economy.

After the approval of his name, Iftikhar Malik said he held a detailed meeting with Dr Zaffar Mueen Nasar about gender disparities in adult literacy in Pakistan. The vice chancellor apprised him of the adult literacy rates for male and female population (age 15 years and over) being 74 percent and 52 percent respectively.

Striking gender gap in adult literacy rates prevail in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Major efforts are needed to raise the female literacy level for these countries, in particular, and the SAARC region in general, he said.

He said participants of the meeting each from member countries were of the view that Punjab University can play a vital role for pursing common education agenda in these countries. The priority areas of action decided to include enhancing the learning, ensuring education for all, expanding skill development, facilitating mutual recognition of qualifications, mobility of students and teachers and expanding alternative ways of learning like open and distance education, he added.

Iftikhar said the SAARC chamber has proposed that the university will attract students from all SAARC chamber nations as its degrees are recognized by all eight SAARC countries. Tuitions will be heavily subsidized on the pattern of PU and compensation packages have been designed to attract high quality faculty, he said.