Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Rana Tanveer Hussain on Sunday emphasized the role of universities in developing skills among youth and responding more effectively to the rapidly developing realities and challenges.
The minister was speaking at the inaugural session of the 5th Vice-Chancellors’ Forum of Universities in the Islamic World on the theme “Towards Disruptive Technology in a Globalised World” on Sunday.
Over 250 Vice Chancellors, including 40 from 20 OIC countries are participating in the Forum, which is aimed at sharing experiences, pooling resources, fostering collaborations, strengthening networks between universities, and promoting dialogue on the future of higher education in the Islamic World.
The VC Forum 2023 is being jointly organized by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, Islamabad, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Islamic World Educational, and Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and British Council Pakistan.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister called upon all Islamic countries to pool resources and expertise to benefit the entire Muslim Ummah.
He said the most important outcome of education is the development of a good moral character.
He highlighted the need to develop a framework for mutual recognition of degrees among OIC member states, which can potentially facilitate greater movement of skilled manpower and increase collaborative research between Islamic countries.
In his video message, President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi highlighted the huge potential of the youth bulge of the country and called for setting a vision for higher education.
He said the Muslims could not keep pace with adoption of technology, which needs to change on war-footing.
He added that in the last 10 years, sectors focusing on natural resources were overtaken by large technological conglomerates like Amazon and Google.
Dr. AlMalik also emphasised the need to reconstruct the glorious Islamic heritage in science.
