SD, HEC to collaborate on analysis of statistical data
By Ali Imran

ISLAMABAD—The Higher Education Commission (HEC) will provide departments of statistics at the county's universities statistical software to help them in their research endeavors.
This was decided in a meeting jointly chaired by Dr. Sohail Naqvi, Executive Director HEC and Asad Illahi, Secretary Statistics Division (SD) with representatives of private as well as public sector universities here on Thursday.
The meeting had been called by HEC at the request of the Statistics Division to discuss use of statistical data by universities for analysis and development of policy inputs.
Asad Illahi, Secretary Statistics Division briefed the gathering of the work being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Statistics. He informed them of the steps being taken by his Division for capacity building of statisticians and the new techniques they were being trained in by resource persons of international repute.
He offered to make similar trainings available for university faculty also. He revealed that macro data was all available on the website while micro data was also provided on request without any charge. He also invited the participants to join various survey technical committees of the Division in order in order to put their collective expertise to best use.
He also unveiled his Division's plans for setting up a video conferencing system in the four provincial capitals, whereby a greater number of people would be trained.
Naqvi told the gathering that HEC's plan to set up video conferencing in 24 universities was near completion and offered every kind of technical help that the Division may require.
Naqvi stressed the need to disseminate data and the necessity of feedback for data to be improved. It was also agreed that in order to bring together statisticians to one forum for presentation of their research, an annual symposium would be held by the Pakistan Statistical Association at the national level.
He revealed that HEC would help provide funding for symposia, trainings and workshops for university faculty in collaboration with the Statistics Division. As research generation was gaining momentum in universities all over the country there was need for data to be readily and easily accessible, he said.
Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) an attached department of Statistics Division is Pakistan's official statistical organization. It assists and encourages informed decision-making, research and discussion within governments and the community, by providing a high quality, objective and responsive national statistical service. FBS compiles statistics from many sources and produces global updates.
Aga Khan University, Allama Iqbal University, Bahauddin Zakariya, COMSATS University, FAST, University of the Punjab, University of Malakand, University of Peshawar, Foundation University, University of Faisalabad, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Quaid-i-Azam University , University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Fatima Jinnah University Rawalpindi, University of Veterinary Animal Sciences and Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) were represented at the meeting.