Healthy competitions: Minister urges co-curricular activities for development

Says personality development is important part of education

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Higher Education Raja Yasir Humayun said co-curricular activities are necessary to develop leadership and creative skills among students.

He was addressing a prize distribution ceremony of the Second Educationist All Pakistan Co-curricular Competitions 2018 at the Al Raazi Hall of the Punjab University on Friday. The competitions were jointly organised by Punjab University, PHEC, the Educationist and NAB Lahore.

"Our education system must have the capacity to improve different skills among students, along with imparting quality education,” said the minister. He added that personality development was an important part of education.

The minister said Pakistan's future is bright and our nation is now on the right direction. He added the government was focusing on improving the standard of degrees and graduates. "The government is making policies and taking initiatives to provide an excellent human resource in all the fields according to modern requirements of the industries," he claimed. Appreciating the organisers of co-curricular competitions, the minister stated the platform provided an opportunity to students from all provinces to interact with each other.  Addressing the ceremony, Dr Niaz Ahmad said the university will extend its support to the government to improve the quality of education in Pakistan. He said that the university is preparing economic and education policies which will be provided to the government soon in order to cope with economic and academic challenges.

Dr Ahmad said the armed forces and citizens had made great sacrifices in the war on terror and achieved success. He said that in 2018, the Punjab University issued orders to ensure good governance, merit, transparency, accountability and equality in the country. In 2019, the university was suggesting the introduction of National Action Plan-style reforms in the education sector. He said that there was a need to impose an emergency in education because the country's development was linked to the sector. He said that the university will extend full support to promote co-curricular activities.

Later, the minister distributed cash prizes among winners. As many as 350 institutions and 1,500 students from school, colleges, and universities of Gilgit Baltistan, Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Punjab took part in the competitions which continued for five days.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2019.