Varsities’ improvement, resolution of issues: Fawad says lack of funding, planning major problems

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday termed lack of funding and planning as two problems at the government level to improve universities and resolve local issues.

This he stated while addressing the launching ceremony on “Sustainable Development Goals Wall” at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), here on Wednesday.

The federal minister said the development of any country can be gauged from its universities.

“Wherever changes have taken place in the world, they have been brought about by university students,” he added.

Chaudhry pointed out that there were two problems at the government level, one is lack of funding, and other is lack of planning.

“Universities are the institutions which can provide planning for resolving the local issues,” he said.

He recommended that the Punjab University should focus on resolving the issues being faced by Lahore city.

The federal minister stated that his ministry has changed the whole face of Pakistan, adding that local manufacturing of dialysis machines and X-ray machines will also start in the next four to six months in Pakistan which was importing health equipment worth 1.6 million dollars.

The world’s largest health company is ready to come to Pakistan. The federal minister stated that the first ever initiative of electric vehicle policy was now moving towards four wheelers.

He said the mainstream media came under pressure due to the growth of social media. “If many of the people lost jobs in the media, others made money from YouTube,” he said.

Chaudhry said that Pakistan is becoming self-sufficient in the field of health as Pakistan did not even make thermometers before, but today, the country is making ventilators and very soon dialysis machines will also be made here.

While discussing EV policy, he aired his concerns that with the arrival of electric cars, thousands of mechanics will lose their jobs but the government will train people to repair electric cars.

In the case of electric vehicles, mechanics will not be able to work for more than 10 years. While, in the next 15 years, due to the driverless cars, thousands of drivers will become jobless, but alternately, there will also be job opportunities for thousands of data engineers.

Chaudhry said around 75,000 students took part in the doctors’ examination and only a few could pass.

In next 10 to 15 years, artificial intelligence will make survival of doctors difficult.

He said the modern doctor will be a thousand times more effective than the current doctor.

“Artificial intelligence will bring innovation in many fields,” he said. The biotech market will also offer amazing things in the time to come, he added.

The federal minister said that the government was in efforts to give scholarships to the government schools from ninth to twelfth grade this year.

Around 10,000 scholarships will be given at the matriculation and 12,000 at Intermediate levels, while separate scholarships could be given to those who excelled in mathematics, he added.

He announced that 450 schools will be converted into science and technology institutions this year.

He termed the opposition movement as a failed rescue operation, and said that no movement can stand without a moral justification.

The opposition carried out the “Abu Bachao operation” which failed miserably in all cities.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif went abroad by “deceiving” people and it is the responsibility of the government to bring him back to Pakistan, said Chaudhry.

The federal minister urged initiating an inquiry into former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s travel to London.

“Nawaz Sharif departure has caused a blow to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s narrative.” The Interior Ministry should bring back Nawaz Sharif, he added.

The opposition’s movement against the government failed to gather support from the people anywhere as it lacked moral justification, he added.

The minister also took to Twitter and announced that the Pakistan Sports Board and the Pakistan Science Foundation have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to accord E-Sports a formal status.

On Wednesday, the minister in a Twitter post, asked video game lovers to get ready for new opportunities that await them.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021