Women Urged To Play Role In Socio-economic Uplift

FAISALABAD, Nov 9 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 09th Nov, 2016 ) : Speakers at a seminar urged the women to play their role in socio-economic uplift with the tool of education, skills and their rights in order to compete with the world.

They addressed a seminar on Gender Equality at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) here Wednesday. Chairing the event, UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said women rights and empowerment was vital to achieve the dream of development.

"Women comprise 50 percent of the total population. We can not progress without involving them in social and economic life and bringing them into mainstream," he added. Talking about UAF initiatives, he said the UAF had set up a hostel for 1000 girls with the funding of the Punjab government, he said and added that it was the largest hostel countrywide.

He said the University was making all-out efforts to provide modern facilities to the women. He said gender ratio in the postgraduate programmes was 47 women to 53 men. The Day Care Centre, Women Complex comprising four hostels with state-of-the-art residential and sports facilities, Career Development Centre and working women hostel had been added, he said.

MPA Najma Afzal said, "We will not achieve the sustainable development without achieving gender equality." She said the government was committed to provide the women with their due rights and empower them.

The women comprised largest percent of the workforce in the agriculture sector, she said and called for capacity building courses for the women farmers. Dean faculty of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Iqbal Zafar and others also spoke on the occasion.