UO Vice-Chancellor Dr. Zakria Zakar, who believes in global competition in academic research, says that a scientific survey is conducted by University of Okara before starting any program to determine its market value to save the time and energy of the youths.
LAHORE: (Urdu Point/Pakistan Point News-Jan 11th, 2020) “University of Okara can meet the challenges in global competition of academic research and advanced studies,” said the varsity’s vice-chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Zakria Zakar here on Saturday.
“When we call a university a university it doesn’t have local competition but it has global competition, because it has no right to be called a university if it can’t meet the global challenges of modern day research and advanced studies,” he argued, while responding to a question that whether University of Okara—the national institution he is holding the charge of—can meet the other global universities.
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Zakria Zakar— who did his Ph.D and Post Doctorate from Germany, and from the New York University as Fulbright scholar, believed in open competition in the field of knowledge. He said that every profession in today’s world demands life-long hard-working, and at university level, every individual had to go through a competition.
“You have global competition even if you are sitting here. If you are producing cotton it will be sold in the global market if it is cost efficient, and similarly the other products like energy and sugar,” he contended, adding that “Market characteristically is global phenomenon,”.
When asked whether Pakistani universities were producing real scholars, he said the western universities usually were considered the best universities, but at one aspect it was correct, because Pakistani universities could not compete with the universities of top ranking in the world, but on the other hand, Pakistani universities were performing the best within the given circumstances and resources.
He went on to say that maximum resources should be spent on the youth as population was a major challenge for Pakistan for last 40 years, because there would be benefit of nobody if the youths were not provided jobs which were interlinked with learning and education. Dr. Zakar said “There is no magic solution to bring the youth to education because changing attitude is not an easy task,”, adding that “maximum resources should be spent on the youths for mobilization of youth in rural areas for study,”.
He further said that University of Okara had a fleet of 10 buses for transpiration of students, especially of the girls. “It is very painful when a girl student travels through private busses or vans to reach the university to study, and therefore, we have busses for girl students,” he said. However, there is no proper hostel for female students but soon it would be established.
Answering to another question that whether the university was facing the trouble of shortage of funds, ,Dr. Zakar said that there was always need of funds for an educational institution, no matter, if the institution was rich or resourceful.
Interestingly, Okara University has a policy of conducting survey before establishing any department to determine the market value of any subject.
“It is Okara University’s policy to conduct a scientific survey before opening any department and offering admissions to the students to determine the market value of a subject,” said Dr. Zakria Zakar. He added establishing a new university or department was not a joke as it was a very serious business. Because if the students were offered admission in such programs which had no market value then it would be damaging for them, he added.
Dr. Zakar—who is professional teacher, believed in provision of knowledge in all circumstances even if there was no building or wall . “Education must be to everyone, especially to the poor, and yes, I don’t call a poor a poor—I call them financially challenging students—because they will become useful for the society,” he said. Dr. Zakria Zakar who is also an advocate of women’s rights emphasized more on the girls ‘education. “A prestige is attached and felt when a girl belonging to financially challenging family is awarded any scholarship to study at any university and therefore, the girls must be encouraged for education and learning,” he added.
