Government is spending more funds on a kilometer of metro bus route than the total budget allocated to Ministry of Science and Technology and its attached departments.
This was revealed in the Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology which met with Osman Saifullah Khan in the chair. The committee chairman, also vowed to move an adjournment motion in the upcoming Senate session to invite government s’ attention to this important matter.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Rana Tanveer Hussain admitted that this sector is not on the government priority and spending on research in the country is 0.29 percent of the GDP, keeping it at 87th position in the world.
The Committee discussed the COMSATS University Islamabad Bill, 2017 and Pakistan Council of Science and Technology Bill, 2016 and Pakistan National Accreditation Council Bill, 2016. The Committee was also briefed by Ministry of Science and Technology on steps/policy measures being taken for the popularization of Science in Pakistan.
The Ministry briefed the committee regarding the COMSATS University Islamabad Bill, 2017, and maintained that the proposed bill was necessary for upgrading the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology as COMSATS University and that the university will have a its own senate and syndicate for the governance and general supervision of the affairs of university. The committee said that it is an important bill and will be discussed in detail in the next meeting.
The committee expressed anger over the Law and Justice division while observing that amendments in bills have been made without taking on board the Science and Technology Ministry.
Responding to the question of Senator Haji Momin Khan Afridi, it was informed that COMSATS provides various opportunities to the students of FATA, including scholarships. The chairman of the committee directed to submit the original draft of the bill after 10 days and also present details regarding number of FATA students in the institute.
Ministry of Science and Technology apprised the committee about the background of the Pakistan Council of Science and Technology Bill, 2016. Chairman of Committee raised the question of overlapping in the functions of Pakistan Council of Science and Technology (PCST), and Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) and proposed the merger of the both. The Minister was of the view that the functions of the PCST and PSF are different and that it was also approved by restructuring committee, at the time of restricting various bodies. However, the chairman asked for a combined presentation from PSCT and PSF, over the roles of both the institutions.
The Committee was briefed by the ministry on the background of Pakistan National Accreditation Council Bill, 2016, that the bill was already passed in National Assembly in 2016 and Supreme Court of Pakistan has also instructed for the said. The committee was also informed about the various achievements of the Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC), such as membership of various apex bodies for accreditation globally and about the future expansion plans. The Bill was adopted by the committee in its original form.
The Committee was also briefed by Ministry of Science and Technology on steps/policy measures being taken for the popularization of Science in Pakistan. Famous educationist, Musharaf Zaidi as a special invitee, also briefed the committee and presented documents and other informative materials regarding the status of Science and Maths in the country. He urged the committee for allocating more developmental funds to improve the standard of education. The ministry informed that it has funds for various developmental projects and also agreed that even more funds needs to be allocated. The minister further informed that an MOU has been signed between the Ministry of Defence Production and Science and Technology for amplified collaboration.
Committee was attended by Senators, Attique Sheikh, Haji Moin Khan Afridi, Profeser Sajid Mir, Minister concerned and the concerned Senior Officials.
Quaid e Azam ny Farmaya:
Is Qaum Ko Kitabon Ki Nhi, Balkey Jooton Ki Zaroorat Hy……
10 Jooty Subah (Nihar Moon) , 10 Jooty Dopehr (12 Bajy) ta-key 12 tabaq roshan ho jaen, aur 10 Jooty Sony Sy Pehly…..
Seedha Tashreeeeeeeeeeeeeeef ………….. Pr….
Tumharay ander agar ability hai to tum ajayo. Tum kr k dikha do is qoam k liye koi kaam.
Aap ne bilkul theek Qoute kia yeh qoum ici qabil hai….
atleast they have courage to accept such things…… its the first step towards positivity.
Yes, once you get figured out you have no option but to accept….and accepting is one thing and actually doing something about it another….i am sure nothing would be done to rectify or solve it.
If we believe two educational institutes in Islamabad are actually doing good R&D for Air force and Army then these both institutions aren’t in public sector but in private.
Internationally private sector does more R&D than public sector but we need government funding for so called research that we can’t do.
I personally know how incapable my very known universities teachers were, how incapable in research my friends who were position holders and then teaching in universities in Pakistan are. If you give them funds they waste it and a government report proved it.
Lo ji agai logic iski bhi! Aap ki qeemti manjan se saray mustafeed ho rahay hain hum. Shukria Nawaz Shareef. Shukria Ali Nawaz.
Do you personally know who your father is, or how incapable he was of producing an offspring that nawaz sharif had to intervene?
Why bring AF and Army?
Who are you? Professor of LaLa Land that you know Pakistanis can’t do research? In Pakistan, from SUPARCO to PINSTECH to ISPA to NESCOM to CHEP we have some of the BEST research institutes in the world, and from NUST to COMSATS to AQKICST to NUCES to UET to SZABIST we do have some of the BEST Colleges/Universities of Engineering, Science and Technology.
Although, I’m a British National, born and studied from the UK (M Sc. IT from Oxford), I am teaching in Pakistani Universities as a Professor WORKING in R&D, and I HAVE SEEN AMAZING RESEARCHES and INVENTIONS, be it from students or be it from teachers. Everywhere, we lack simply due to government funding, otherwise PAKISTANIs HAVE the potential to be AT THE TOP.
Science and Technology wise, we are 1 of the 9 (or maybe 10) nations to possess nukes. Don’t say it was just AQ Khan, it was over 400 scientists and researchers who worked and made that happen.
We ARE one of the few countries with several technological advancements, which happened ONLY WITH FUNDING AND COMPETENT and CAPABLE STUDENTS and TEACHERS. Despite of such less funding throughout the history of Pakistan, we HAVE managed to achieve so much. Imagine the potential Pakistani IT Students and Teachers have. They are one of the BEST in the world.
You’re not even a respectable person if you can call your TEACHERS incapable. You’re just a sad excuse for a human being.
It seems like you’ve been studying in Danish Schools, while Noora as your teacher who used to get you to lick his baIIs daily.
I prefer comfortable buses than anything else. Lol. /s
The voters those have priority to watch show off projects are anxious to see road,buses,and projects and the current government is doing everything for the election.
Rao Sahab, what do you think, are these things really brining a fruitful change in the lives of oppressed people or just an eyewash? Not only building the insanely expensive projects but also giving billions of subsidies to have these shashkas alive. Is it the justice with a nation like Pakistan? Now another shashka on public expense i.e. Free wifi in cities of punjab with tax payer’s money.
It’s not metro bus it’s orange line the information refers to. Please research once again.
همیں کیا ضرورت ھے. کچھ ایجاد کرنے کی.یورپ اور جاپان والے هے نا.
Its stupidity to compare one thing with one another, you can’t compare cost of infrastructure development compared to budget of science of technology.
Wow. Another zehni ghulam.