‘Institutions should be used to transform attitudes’

Dr Nizam says we should reform our institutions to bring change

LAHORE: Punjab Higher Education Commission Chairman Dr Nizamuddin has said that institutions were vital to change attitudes for establishing peace in the society.

He said seminar and workshops could only create awareness however, if we wanted to bring change in the society, we should reform our institutions and establish new ones. He was addressing the project launch ceremony of “Inspiring the future” for promotion of peace and tolerance in the society at Al Raazi Hall on Thursday.



The project was a joint venture of Punjab University College of Earth and Environmental Sciences (CEES) and Centre for Health and Gender Equality (CHANGE) under which efforts would be made to achieve harmony and peace in the country.



PU Vice Chancellor Dr Zaffar Mueen Nasar, renowned anchor and religious scholar Syed Bilal Qutab, CEES Principal Dr Sajid Rashid, CHANGE Executive Director Mumtaz Hussain, faculty members and a large number of students were present on the occasion.

Addressing the ceremony, Dr Nizamuddin said that we must move forward towards to train people become good citizens. He said the change could not be staged without dialogue. “There is a need to know reasons why a few highly educated persons fell prey to terrorist elements,” he added.

“Injustice, inequality and tyranny are common in our society. There is a need to debate on ideas as dialogue is the only solution to cope with such challenges,” Dr Nizam said. He said the difference of science and arts subjects must be eliminated when it came to character building and citizenship among students.



“We are not doing research on reasons behind extremism and PU must play a pivotal role in this area.”

Addressing the ceremony, Dr Nasar said the PU would utilise all its resources to promote peace and tolerance. He said it was the time to give message that institutions were meant to deliver. He added that differences not only damaged individuals but institutions as well.

Education, training, research and development were now being promoted in PU, he said. “We must take steps to control growing intolerance in our society.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2017.