Academics call for promoting physical education in Pakistan

Experts urge educational institutions to play their role in this regard

ISLAMABAD: Academics and researchers from home and abroad on Friday called for promoting physical education, as a way forward towards a healthy life.

While addressing the inaugural session of the three-day Euro-Pak international conference on sports, sciences and physical education held at AIOU, they underlined the need to engage the country's youth in positive and healthy activities. They hoped that educational institutions will play their due role in this connection.

The conference was jointly organised by Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology and Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) in collaboration with some other universities of the country. It was largely attended by students, scholars and scientists.

The foreign guests were from Colombia, Germany, France, Iraq, Slovenia, Malaysia and South Korea.

AIOU Acting Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Nasir Mahmood hoped that the conference's recommendations will go a long way in creating awareness about the importance of physical education. He said sports and physical education could be a source of character-building for the students, enabling them to play a positive and constructive role in the country's socio-economic development.

Dr Mahmood also highlighted the magnificent contribution of the AIOU in meeting educational requirements of millions of people, including the neglected sections of the society, through open distance learning system.

He also spoke about the recent initiatives taken by the Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zia-ul-Qayyum in promoting quality education through the use of new technology. Sarhad University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Salimur Rehman in his address on the occasion highlighted their role in promoting sports and physical education.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2019.