Jamat Islami Leader Liaqat Baloch and Ahsan Ullah Waqas also spoke at the prize distribution ceremony of PSS

LAHORE : (Sunday, January 17, 2010): Vice-Chancellor Punjab University Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran has stressed the need for imparting high quality education of modern sciences and technology to the younger generation so as to ensure country's survival and sovereignty as well as its supremacy in the fields of education and socio-economic development at the global level.

He was addressing the participants of the annual award giving ceremony of the Punjab School System in Township here on Sunday.

Secretary General Jamat Islami Liaqat Baloch, Chief Executive of the PSS Syed Ahsan Ullah Waqas and Director Col. Muhmmad Sabir also spoke at the function.

Dr Mujahid Kamran said despite the passage of 62 years, we are still faced with a critical situation in the education sector. He appealed to the political leadership to arrange enactment of necessary legislation for compelling the government to compulsory spend at least four percent of GDP on education. He said we are currently spending two percent of our 453 billion US Dollar GDP while advanced countries spend 3 times of the same on education. Similarly, the expenditure on research and development is presently 0.2 percent of our GDP whereas the US is spending 2.7 percent or 390 billion dollars on R& D. The result of past neglect towards high priority education sector is that presently we are confronted with an acute shortage of highly qualified experts in academic fields. The number of PhDs in all the Pakistani universities is 3700 as compared to the Manchester University where against the total number of 35000 students, there are 5800 PhDs while the UK is producing 16000 PhDs annually. He said out of a population of one million, the strength of R&D experts in USA, Japan, Israel, Iran and Pakistan is 4100, 4900, 1600, 600 and 78, respectively. He said with this meager allocation of funds on education and literacy, how can we compete with the developed countries. Dr Mujhaid Kamran said competition and conflict among the nations is always going on in the world and ultimately one day it transforms into an actual armed conflict. He said the advanced countries are always making preparations to emerge out of this clash successfully. Resultantly they succeed in safeguarding their survival and sovereignty besides guaranteeing a respectable and prosperous life to their countrymen. He said knowledge and education plays a key role in the struggle of nations. No country can produce highly qualified academic leadership and brave fighters unless and until it enjoys educational supremacy in addition to qualities of noble character. He said we are lucky that we are followers of Islamic civilization which has both of these merits. The Almighty has laid great emphasis on contemplating the natural phenomena, he added. He cited the example of a student of renowned English scientist James Jeans who asked him that being a scientist why he is carrying a copy of Bible. While replying to him, he remarked that when he observes the vastness of universe through his telescope, he does not know whether there is any God or not, but he is stunned by its mysteries and secrets. Dr Mujhaid Kamran said students belonging to the middle and lower middle class, possesses great talent and potential and thus face the challenges of life competently and efficiently. Earlier, Secretary General Jamat Islami Liaqat Baloch and CEO Punjab School System Syed Ahsan Ullah Waqas, in their speeches, paid glowing tributes to the Vice-Chancellor on his academic services in imparting high quality education to the Punjab University students and his untiring efforts to convert the University into an internationally acclaimed center of excellence. They said being a knowledge friendly person, Dr Mujahid Kamran has always patronized the Punjab School System. Later, the VC gave away medals to the boys and girls students of the PSS who had shown extraordinary performance in their matriculation results during the years 2004-2008.