ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has urged the need for promoting higher education to put the country on the fast-track of socioeconomic development.

He underscored the need for enhancing the volume of hybrid education, which was cost-effective and would help increase the number of highly educated and skilled professionals in the country.

The president made these remarks during a briefing on the Foundation University Islamabad (FUI) at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.

FUI president Waqar Ahmad Malik, Rector Maj Gen Nasir Dilawar Shah (Retd) and FUI director Maj Gen Professor Dr Jawad Khaliq Ansari (Retd) attended the meeting.

The FUI president briefed the meeting about the remarkable job done by the university in promoting higher education, including in the fields of health sciences, engineering and technology.

He said the FUI was contributing towards the development of human resources through excellence in education, research and innovation.

The meeting was apprised that during 2015/20, 8,960 students had graduated from the university in various degree programmes and the FUI was focusing on increasing the number of PhD graduates.

It was highlighted that the university was also providing merit scholarships, need-based financial assistance and fee-waivers to the deserving students through the university’s endowment fund.

The president asked the management of the university to implement Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) policies on drug abuse in higher education institutions and the welfare of students with disabilities, which waived off all institutional charges, including tuition fees, hostel fees, and utilities fee.

He urged the university to revise its strategy and vision with special focus on increasing its outreach, promoting hybrid and virtual education and producing quality graduates.

The president emphasised that the world was undergoing changes at a rapid pace and Pakistan needed to adopt emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing and Data Analysis to meet the requirements of the 4th Industrial Revolution.

President Alvi appreciated the performance and achievements of the FUI towards the promotion of higher education in the country, particularly in the fields of health sciences and engineering.