VC Dr Mujahid Kamran inaugurates Rs 23 million new ISCS building
Recruitment process streamlined to overcome expertise shortage

LAHORE : (Monday, January 25, 2010): Vice-Chancellor Punjab University , Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran has stated that paramount importance is being laid on promotion of high quality research activities in the varsity to raise its academic and research standard to the international level and to prepare young students for rewarding careers in the globally competitive market.

He was speaking as chief guest after inaugurating the newly-constructed building of Institute of Social & Cultural Studies (ISCS), costing Rs 23 million, at New Campus here on Monday. Pro Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Jamil Anwar Chaudhry, Dean Faculty of Social & Behaioural Sciences Prof Dr Mughees-ud-Din Sheikh, ISCS Director Dr Muhammad Hafeez and Dr Zakriya Zakir also spoke at the function. Registrar Dr Muhammad Naeem Khan and Heads of other university Departments were also present.

The Vice-Chancellor said the present PU administration, fully realizing the importance of social sciences, art & humanities, was focusing, on priority basis, on the promotion of these faculties besides expanding academic and research pursuits in other Departments. The infrastructure as well as new departmental buildings had been substantially increased recently but now the overriding need was for strengthening and consolidating existing facilities to produce better academic and research results. During the last week, in addition to holding Quaid-e-Azam seminar, an international two-day seminar on Mualana Muhammad Hussain Azad was generously funded by the administration for improving knowledge and information of the students fraternity. Presently, 100 PU teachers were also doing PhDs in foreign universities under Faculty Development Programme, HEC and other scholarships, he added. He emphasized upon the students to apply for PhD in foreign countries or get themselves registered under the local PhD programme, otherwise their careers would not move forward. In order to resolve the chronic problem of paucity of teaching staff, the administration was actively considering to streamline existing recruitment procedure through speedy screening of eligible candidates, applying for vacant posts of lecturers. The main reason for non-availability of expertise in large number was that highly qualified and brilliant persons opted for other attractive professions while the remaining lot was absorbed by educational institutions. The students should promote the habit of reading widely to make themselves knowledgeable and open their minds to new vistas of variety of information, otherwise their minds would stop growing and developing while they would not be in a position to make any worthwhile contribution.

Earlier, addressing the audience, the Pro Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Jamil Anwar Chaudhry remarked the worth of universities was not measured in terms of buildings or number of students, rather they acted as think tanks where knowledge was created and implemented and their strength was based on research work. Dean Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences Dr Mughees-ud-Din Sheikh underlined the need for focusing on problems relating to paucity of good teachers, human resource development and getting better results instead of multiplying infrastructural facilities and increasing students number. ISCS Director Dr Muhammad Hafeez, welcoming the guests, observed the role of social and cultural studies had become vitally important in the backdrop of our current deteriorating social conditions and problems besides other societal issues. Through the enhancement of harmonious and positive human relations, majority of our inter-personal disputes and social problems can be amicably resolved, he observed. Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor also gave away commendatory certificates to students showing extra-ordinary academic performance.