Need for indigenous research stressed PHOTO: aiou.edu.pk
ISLAMABAD: Social scientists at two-day national conference adopted a number of recommendations for societal reformation through innovative and applied research, said a press release.
The recommendations were formally adopted on Thursday at the concluding session.
The first-ever national conference on social sciences was arranged by the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) to strengthen the role of academia in finding solutions for multiple socioeconomic problems faced by the country.
The concluding session was addressed by AIOU Vice Chancellor (VC) Dr Shahid Siddiqui, Quaid-i-Azam University VC Dr Javed Ashraf, and Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan VC Professor Dr Tahir Amin, HEC Consultant Dr Mahmoodul Hassan Butt and Council of Social Sciences Vice President Dr Zarina Salamat.
Participants underlined the need for theoretical development in the discipline and called for greater focus on reviewing theories. .
Dr Siddiqui in his concluding remarks called for linking research with humanity and society as a whole. He also underlined the need for qualitative paradigm of research in development of social sciences. Social sector development is most important area for overall progress of society, which could be well achieved through freedom of expression, thoughts and choice, he added.
The VC called for exploring new avenues and alternatives for addressing social problems through relevant research-based activities. The research, he said, should be indigenous and local in nature for development of healthy society at grassroots level.
The recommendations presented by the conference coordinator Dr Amir Shah further said that social sciences must focus on disseminating interregional, cultural, economic and social information for learners to promote national integration.
He said without understanding human-mind, it was not possible to comprehend contemporary challenges. The beauty of social sciences development is that it turns human-beings into a community, he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 6th, 2015.
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