: Women empowerment and their participation in the socio-economic activities are imperative to make development and to compete with the rest of the world, said University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Iqbal Zafar

He addressed the welcome ceremony for newly admitted boarders girls student at Khaldija Hall arranged by Chief Hall Warden Office.

He said that it is the need of the hour to increase the literacy rate in the country. He said that the women are excelling in the every field of life. He said that the education works as engine of growth to address social and economic issue. He lauded the government for the taking the initiatives for the cause of women emancipation.

He said that the women enrolment in the graduate programmes at the campus has touched to 50 percent. He said that if we teach a woman we teach a family. He showed his concern that due to backwardness; the literacy rate in women is lower than men. He said that there was the need to create the awareness among the people about girls’ education

He added that with the trained manpower, we can’t achieve goal of progress and prosperity. He said the empowerment of the women was vital to achieve the dream of development. The women constitute more than 50 percent of the total population.

He added that the university was making all out efforts to provide the modern facilties to the students.

Chief Hall Warden Zafar Iqbal Qureshi said that there are 26 hostels at the campus in which 11500 students are living. He said that out of the hese boarders students, there are 4225 women. He said that university administration was providing state-of-the-art facilities to the students.

Dean Faculty of Agriculture Dr Muhammad Amjad, Dean Faculty of Food Sciences Dr Masood Sadiq Butt, Dean Faculty of Sciences Dr Muhammad Asgher, and other notables also attended the ceremony.