Faisalabad ( WNAM REPORT): Higher education and research institutions should prepare skilled manpower for the real current and future needs of industries instead of producing an army of educated unemployed youth so that the path of a new industrial revolution based on knowledge can be paved.
This was said by Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Rehan Naseem Bharara while addressing a delegation of Islamabad Chamber and Higher Education Commission (HEC). He appreciated the efforts of the officers of HEC’s Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) posted in various universities and said that strong and sustainable linkages between industry and academia are essential for real development in the country. He gave the example of various industrial institutions of Faisalabad and said that the institutions which adopted modern research, they made tremendous progress as compared to others, therefore, we have to align the research done in universities with the needs of industries.
He appreciated the efforts of the Islamabad Chamber in this regard, through which this delegation consisting of faculty members is visiting Faisalabad. He appreciated the decision of HEC to link the issuance of degrees by various universities with compulsory practical training and said that there is a need to legislate at the government level in this regard. He said that at present 70 percent of what is being taught in universities is irrelevant to the needs of industries. Therefore, consultation with industrialists is very important while preparing the curriculum.
He said that at one time Faisalabad was known only for its textiles, but now various types of modern industries are established here. Many other institutions including diapers, Hyundai and tiles have been established with domestic and foreign investment, the products of which are also being exported. He also stressed on the promotion of local technology along with imported technology so that after defense, the country’s economy can also be built on a stable basis.
Dr. Habib Aslam Gaba, Convener of the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Standing Committee on Industry-Academia Linkages, declared the country’s industrialists as Industrial PhDs and said that universities across the country should award them honorary PhD degrees. This will not only help in strengthening industry-academia linkages but will also make it easier for universities to place their interns quickly.
The ceremony was also addressed by Adnan Mukhtar of Islamabad Chamber and Abrar Chaudhry of HEC. Meanwhile, Senior Vice President Qaiser Shams Gachha thanked the guests. Finally, President Rehan Naseem Bharara presented Adnan Mukhtar of Islamabad Chamber with the honorary shield of Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, along with a special gift and special stamps issued on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Chamber.
On this occasion, members were also given special pins in connection with the 50th anniversary of the Chamber. Later, Adnan Mukhtar of the Islamabad Chamber also presented the shield of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry to Rehan Naseem Bharara, President of the Faisalabad Chamber.
