Old Ravians Union: Rs50 million grant for Government College

Sharif says Pakistan's political sovereignty depends on economic uplift.

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced a grant of Rs 50 million for the Government College University Lahore Endowment Fund Trust on Saturday.

In his first trip to his old school in 12 years for the oath-taking ceremony of the new executive committee of the Old Ravians Union, the chief minister said the university was playing a vital role in producing quality human capital for the country.

He said this was the key to achieving economic prosperity, which in turn guaranteed political sovereignty. “Just as we have made our defence impenetrable through the procurement of nuclear technology, I believe that economic prosperity can also be achieved,” he said.

He said only 30 per cent of Pakistan’s children made it to school, but was hopeful that the recently launched Danish schools project would bridge the gap.

Sharif recalled his years at Government College as “the best time of my life” and paid tribute to his old teachers. He said he felt very nostalgic returning to his alma mater.

In his address to the ceremony, nuclear scientist Dr Samar Mubarikmand, the new president of the ORU, criticised the government for contracting foreign companies to develop Pakistan’s natural resources rather than exploring and developing them indigenously.

He said that if the right decisions were made on the country’s mineral resources, Pakistan would be among the richest countries in the world in 10 years. “If we can mine uranium for our nuclear rectors, we can mine other natural resources with our eyes closed and our hands tied,” he said.

He said of the 140 scientists and experts involved in the nuclear explosions in 1998, 60 were Old Ravians. He said that he had high expectations of the next batch of students too.

GCU Vice Chancellor Prof Khalid Aftab said the country’s educational institutions must be strengthened as they were critical to overall development. He said the GCU, eight years after it was made a university, had outshone some of the oldest universities in Lahore. He said the Higher Education Commission ranked it as the best university in Lahore for producing 282 research papers. It ranked 5th countrywide, he said.

Outgoing ORU president Kamran Lashari urged the chief minister to release a special grant to revive the Government College swimming pool.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 16^th, 2011.