Punjab Higher Education Commission Chairman Professor Dr Shahid Munir has said that the low budget for education is an obstacle to research work. “Most of the grants received by the universities go towards salaries and sufficient funds are not available for research work, said Dr Shahid Munir while addressing the function of Amal Academy, an educational organisation, at a local hotel here on Wednesday.
Dr Shahid Munir admitted that there is a lack of industry-academia linkage that needs to be addressed, and curriculum development can play an important role in this regard. He said that there should be a curriculum that is compatible with the needs of the industry. In order to deal with the problems faced by the country, the trend of entrepreneurship should be promoted among the students. Dr Shahid Munir said that the country is currently facing many challenges including the environment, growing population and economy, for which educational institutions should meet the needs of the market. Production of suitable manpower is essential. He said that the countries involved in South Asia are facing four types of problems, which include population expansion, climate change, conflicts and unemployment.