“Quality education is a prerequisite for social progress and economic prosperity,” said Syed Baber Ali, pro-chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) on Monday.
Speaking to a gathering of businessmen at Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI), he said the LUMS had produced 8,000 graduates, of which 1,000 were working in key posts in North America.
He said another 1,000 graduates were employed in multi-national companies in Middle East and New Zealand.
He said 6,000 graduates were working in Pakistan, of which at least 10-15 per cent were running their own businesses.
He said LUMS had started a national outreach programme to identify talented students across the country and equip them with free quality education.
“We select thousands of students from public schools every year and give them an opportunity to visit and work at the LUMS,” he said.
He asked the FCCI to help the LUMS select students from underdeveloped areas.
He said the LUMS will disburse scholarship to the tune of Rs350 million.
Commenting on a proposed LUMS campus in Faisalabad, the LUMS pro chancellor said it was in on the cards but could take some time.
“I am not opposed to the idea,” he said.
FCCI president Sohail bin Rashid said literacy rate in Pakistan was 49 per cent.
He said the literacy rate in India was 61 per cent. He said the government should re-prioritize the budget allocation with maximum funding towards education.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 11th, 2014.