Staff Reporter
Punjab Minister for Higher Education Raja Yasir Hummayun has called upon the need to promote the culture of free-thinking among students as free-thinking leads to find truth and truth leads to Islam.
He was addressing the first National Conference on Research in Education organized by Punjab University Institute of Education and Research here on Tuesday. PU’s former Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Zafar Moeen Nasar and others were present on the occasion.
Addressing the ceremony, Minister Raja Yasir Hummayun said that we must inculcate high moral values among the new generation. He said that we must educate students to apply logic on issues.
He said that students must not be forced to adopt specific fields of knowledge or ideas. He said that feeding the hungry and providing basic facilities to the citizens like education and health are the responsibility of an Islamic state.
He said that the concept of welfare state was first implemented in Madina by Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW). He said that Islam taught us to take care of minorities. He said that we have a comprehensive document to live life in the form of the Holy Quran and we must take guidance from the Holy Quran in every sphere of life.
Former PU VC Prof Dr Zafar Moeen Nasar said that without promotion of the culture of tolerance, peace and harmony through knowledge, we could not achieve the purpose of establishment of the state of Madina.
He said that there was a need to adopt a firm resolve as we achieved the goal of becoming a nuclear power only due to strong determination. He said that we had forgotten the slogan on which our homeland was established. He said t
hat the country can make progress if every citizen realized and performed its responsibility. PU PRO VC Prof Dr Saleem Mazhar said that the knowledge which is obtained to gain worldly benefits proved to be a snake.
He said that we must obtain knowledge for the purification of the soul. Dr Naeem Khan said that the state of Madina gave special attention to knowledge. He said that we must advance in the fields of science and technology.
He said that the universities must produce graduates with open minds. Dean Dr Abid Hussain Chaudhry said that we could not achieve the goals of a single national curriculum unless we refined the whole system.
Prof Dr Rifaqat Ali Akbar said that the dream to practice the principles of Islam was seen before the establishment of Pakistan in this region.
However, he said, the incumbent government had moved one step ahead with the announcement to establish a state like Madina in Pakistan.
He said that the Institute of Education and Research would give guidelines to the government to implement a great education system in the country as per its vision. The efforts of conference secretary Prof Dr Shahid Farooq were also lauded by the speakers. Other speakers also highlighted various educational issues being faced in the country.
