Nine new universities to cost Rs350b: President
By Bushra Makhdoom

ISLAMABAD—President General Pervez Musharraf on Friday said that the government will set up nine universities with the cost of Rs. 350 billion.
He expressed these views in a high level meeting High Education Commission here on Friday. Chairman HEC, Dr. Ataur Rehman made a detailed presentation to the President and said that temporary campuses of five of these universities, offering M. Sc. level classes, will commence in October next year.
President General Pervez Musharraf has appreciated the Higher Education Commission for its plan to establish nine universities of engineering, science and technology in the country over the next ten-years.
President said that the setting up of these universities is an important national project which is a key step in the transition of Pakistan from a largely agricultural economy to knowledge economy.
Earlier, Dr. Atta ur Rehman briefed the President General Pervez Musharraf and said that these universities will be set up at a cost of Rs 350 billion over the next decade.
These will be established in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, and other big cities in collaboration with Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Australia, China, South Korea and Japan.
Each university will have a Technology Park in which regional centers of research and development will be established by the foreign collaborating countries, the reactor and key faculty members will be from the partner countries. In each of these countries, consortia of their top universities have been formed for ht purpose.
The curriculum examination system and degrees will also be offered by the foreign countries. At present, Pakistani parents spend almost Rs. 100 billion annually for sending their children to UK and other countries for quality education.
Dr. Attaur Rehman said that the establishment of these universities will radically change the scenario and a large number of students from foreign countries will also compete for coming to Pakistan for quality education.