The Government has put a drastic cut in the budget allocation of every sector but has remained to invest Rs. 22 billion on higher education, from which UAF is the recipient of its major chunk with Rs. 4.00 billion out of more than 125 public sector universities of the country. This was stated by UAF Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan while addressing a gathering of its assistant professors and lecturers in an interactive manner here at Iqbal Auditorium on Monday morning. Dr. Iqrar told the participants that in new budget, the government has allocated Rs. 8 billion for promotion of agricultural education and UAF will be its major partner with Rs. 4 billion spending.

“We must proud to be an academia of Top-Ranking University of the country which is because of all-out efforts and contributions of its academic and administrative wings” he added. Dr. Khan told the participants that in universities, BPS is no more after 2012 so there is a time to inculcate the young faculty to keep themselves ready and become a part of Tenure Track System which has attractive avenues of success. He said that it is hard fact that the role of a university is to generate new knowledge by involving its intellectuals through their unique and novel ideas holding the key of improvement and positive change of the deprived and unprivileged society.



Dr. Khan told the participants that in the country, every economic and political change occurs due to agriculture and innovation in agriculture can bring change and put its effects on all sectors of life. He revealed that UAF has won the partnership of University of Kassel, Germany after competing with 44 outstanding university projects of the developing world. He was of the view that our faculty member should equip their students not only making them familiar with their course contents but also with entrepreneurial skills so that they can start their own business by selling their new and marketable ideas rather than looking for jobs. He further said that our idea of entrepreneurship is widely accepted and being introduced in most of the public and private sector universities of the country. He informed the audience, that UAF seems to get major chunk of USAID funding as well as PARB grants.

Dr. Khan expressed his concerns over the meagre 110 R&D projects won by more than 600 scientists of the University and said that we must look out of the box and every one should fetch the projects by selling their brain and ideas which have relevance to the society as Rs. 100 million at HEC remained unspent during the last financial year because there was no workable project submitted out of 125 universities of the country. Dr. Khan told the gathering that UAF is going to hold one month faculty development workshop exclusively for young lecturer from the next month to equip our young faculty with new tools and techniques in teaching and research fronts.

Speaking on the occasion, Registrar Ch. Muhammad Hussain termed the leadership approach of Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan a participatory rather than hierarchical, inclusive rather than exclusive, seeking rapport and camaraderie rather than keeping his distance. The program was organized by Public Relations and Publication Department. Leter, the VC responded various questions raised by the young faculty.