President Arif Alvi has called upon universities and educational institutions of the country to conduct market-oriented research to provide indigenous solutions to indigenous problems being faced by different sectors of the economy.

The president said that research and development (R&D) would help in bringing innovation to the local industry and enhancing the quality and standards of our products and services, which would help in capturing the local and international markets. President Alvi made these remarks while addressing the 17th Convocation of the COMSATS University Islamabad.

President Alvi urged the universities and educational institutes to introduce new courses, modify existing ones and divert their academic and material resources towards those subjects, disciplines and occupations which are required by the market. This, he added, would provide the graduates with lucrative jobs, besides providing the industry with pertinent, productive and quality Human Resources to improve the quality of their products and services.

The president said that due to the permeation of the internet, knowledge, information training modules and research material are abundantly available to students, however, teacher-student interaction remains paramount for imparting knowledge. Students should respect their teachers for equipping them with knowledge and skills, and their parents for their upbringing and for providing them with quality and expensive education.

President Alvi appreciated that a large number of female students are graduating, and added that the government, society, and families should ensure their active participation in the economic mainstream. He added that the state and society have made great investments in female graduates and they should give back to society by sharing their knowledge and wisdom. He urged all the stakeholders to ensure the provision of a harassment-free work environment, safe and secure movement in public spaces, enabling working conditions and respect to provide women security and peace of mind to their family members.

The president said the country suffered dearly in the past due to brain drain and is also suffering now as our highly trained human resources migrate to other countries. He said that the nation has produced these quality human resources despite scarce resources and while they contribute to the progress and development of their host countries, the homeland is deprived of the expertise of these skilled human resources. He emphasized the need to take all steps to stop the brain drain by providing opportunities and an enabling environment so as to enable them to contribute to the progress and development of their country.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk