ISLAMABAD: Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Rana Tanveer Hussain on Wednesday emphasized that universities should focus on research with outstanding impact on society and the economy.
The minister was speaking at a ceremony held at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) held to celebrate the academic excellence of the university as it recently secured a place among the best universities of the world in three international prestigious rankings.
The QAU was ranked 41st in research productivity and 363rd globally by QS World University Rankings 2023. Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022 placed QAU as the No 1 institution of higher education in Pakistan and 116th in Asia. The US News and World Report ranked QAU as the No.1 university in Pakistan and 461 globally.
Flanked by Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, Tanveer urged the faculty to engage the industry and provide cost-effective solutions.
The minister assured that all issues including the financial matters of the university would be solved on priority. He congratulated the faculty, staff and students of the university for achieving global rankings and growth in research excellence.
Prof Dr Muhammad Ali, Vice Chancellor Quaid-i-Azam University, briefed the audience regarding the achievements of the University.
He said that the university continued to score highly in international rankings during the last four years. In recent QS World University Rankings, QAU’s highest climb was in the research productivity and citations per faculty; the ranking agency placed QAU at 41st place.
The vice chancellor said that commitment and hard work of the faculty and staff were acknowledged by the international recognition earned by the university.
He said that several new offices were established at QAU, including the Directorate of Students’ Affairs, Directorate of Academics, Directorate of Estate, Career Counseling Office, Placement Office, and Business Incubation Centre to facilitate the students and to generate student-centric activities. He said that in 2021-22 research projects of Rs252 million were completed while there were 107 ongoing research projects in different fields.
Dr Shaista Sohail, Chairperson of the Higher Education Commission, said that it was a matter of great pride that the high standards set by Quaid-i-Azam University were soon recognized by the international ranking groups whose appreciation reflected through various ranking systems.
A large number of faculty, students, staff and alumni attended the ceremony.
