Governor Mandokhail chairs Lasbela University Senate meeting; performance score up to 85.32pc

QUETTA: Governor Balochistan Jaffar Khan Mandokhail chaired the 9th Senate meeting of the Lasbela University of Water and Marine Sciences. The meeting reviewed in detail the university’s notable achievements, academic and research activities, administrative matters and future development projects.

The meeting was attended by Balochistan High Court Justice Sardar Ahmed Halimi, Provincial Minister for P&D Zahoor Ahmed Buledi, Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Abdul Malik Tareen, Provincial Secretary Higher Education Hashim Khan Ghalzai, Parliamentary Secretary Zareen Magsi, Principal Secretary to Governor Balochistan Abdul Nasir Dotani, Higher Education Commission representative Dr Zahoor Ahmed Bazai, Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr Elahi Bakhsh, the Finance Department’s Deputy Secretary and Registrar Dr Balach Baloch, and all other members of the Senate.

Negative image of public universities has changed: governor

Governor Mandokhail said it was a matter of pride for all that, in the short span of the past two years, all public sector universities in Balochistan had changed the negative perception of the province’s public universities through exceptional performance, transparency and institutional reforms. He said they had presented a commendable and hopeful picture, and that Lasbela University was a shining example of this positive change.

He said the university had raised its performance ranking and scoring from 41pc to 85.32pc and made history by saving 86 million in a year. He said Vice Chancellor Dr Abdul Malik Tareen and his entire team deserved praise. He said this success proved that visionary leadership, adherence to merit, financial transparency and institutional discipline could achieve big targets even with limited resources.

The governor said the university’s 177 research publications were an important step in its academic and research journey, while producing 5,000 graduates since its establishment was a proud national service. He said these young people could play a role in the future development of the economy, marine resources, environment, livestock, water sector and other fields in Balochistan and Pakistan.

Potential to become a knowledge hub for the blue economy

The Governor Balochistan said the location of Lasbela University gave it immense potential to become a unique knowledge hub for Pakistan’s blue economy, marine sciences, fisheries, marine biodiversity, and coastal and water management. He said the university needed to align its academic priorities with the needs of Balochistan’s Agriculture and water resources and equip young people with modern scientific and technical skills.

He said that today the world’s economies did not rely only on traditional resources but regarded knowledge, research, technology, artificial intelligence and manpower as the main drivers of progress. He said public universities in Balochistan also had to become part of this global change so that young people could become job creators and not just job seekers.

Governor Mandokhail stressed that research at universities should not be limited to research papers but should be linked to solving practical problems in industry, Agriculture, fisheries, water resources, the environment and the local economy. He said the real measure of a university’s success was not ranking alone but quality education, scientific research and offering scientific solutions to the problems facing society.

The Senate meeting discussed in detail the university’s academic and administrative performance, financial affairs, research activities and future development projects. Several important decisions were also taken in the light of members’ proposals, recommendations and mutual consultation.

Photo: courtesy DGPR Balochistan