LAHORE: (Thursday, October 14, 2021): On the 139th Foundation Day of Punjab University, Deans of various faculties, heads of departments, employees, delegation of Lahore Education Reporters Association (LERA) and students congratulated Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad Akhtar. The delegation included President LERA Syed Sajjad Kazmi, General Secreaty Mehran Ajmal Khan, Secretary Information Abdul Waheed Rabbani and Zulqarnain Rana.
On this occasion, Prof Niaz Ahmad said that in 2018, when he assumed charged as Vice Chancellor, the PU had 13 faculties, 10 constituent colleges, 73 departments / centers / institutes which were not adequate for the present educational needs. Keeping in view the needs of the country for the next fifty years, started work to adapt the structure of all faculties and departments to the modern educational and research needs, as a result of which 19 faculties have been established in PU today, he added. There are more than 135 departments and centers.

He said that the incumbent administration has taken several steps to increase the university's global ranking and promote research culture. As a result, in the last three years PU”s international ranking had improved by 16 percent, he added. He said that for the first time in the history of Punjab University the 13 subjects had been ranked internationally and PU’s Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department had been ranked among top 100-150 institutions in the world by the QS. He said that Punjab University has also improved its Asian ranking and it stands on 178th position, making a considerable jump of 54 points in just two years. The Nature Publishing Group, a world-class publisher of high impact scientific and medical information in print and online founded in 1869, has also ranked Punjab University No 1 in terms of research publications in the field of natural sciences amongst all Pakistani universities, he further added.
Syed Sajjad Kazmi said that Punjab University was playing its role in the promotion of higher education in the country and the progress made in the last three years under the leadership of Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad Akhtar was commendable.