Syed Babar Ali, Former Finance Minister of Pakistan and Executive Advisor of Packages Ltd.,  said that the ultimate goal of education must be to produce good human beings, not only the degree holders. He said if we want development in Pakistan, we have to allocate maximum resources for education sector.

He was addressing as chief guest at seminar on “Role of Leadership in steering Education towards National Issues” here on Tuesday at Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR). Prof. Dr. Rai Niaz Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, PMAS-AAUR, Dr. Khalil Ahmed Ibupoto, Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation, Deans, Directors, faculty members and a large number of students were present on the occasion.

On the occasion, Syed Babar Ali said we must keep ourselves updated on curriculum and we must be aware of latest developments in our fields. He emphasized on the mutual interaction among experts of different subjects and knowledge sharing in various fields. He stressed upon the need of bringing about revolutionary changes in the educational system besides urging the students and teachers to equip themselves with latest developments in their chosen field of study.

He was of the view that use of technology to improve farm production is essential and the agricultural universities take initiatives to localize and customize the advanced machinery available to make it economical and adaptable at farmers level. Development of livestock, self-sufficiency in seeds and enhanced efforts in the areas of fisheries and horticulture should be top priorities of the University, he added. He further stated that Pakistan has tremendous potential in developing agriculture sector, to harness this potential he was appreciative of the efforts being made by Arid Agriculture University in facilitating the small farmers for adopting the latest technologies/techniques in various agricultural chores.

He said this time Pakistan's horticulture sector should also not be ignored where we have unlimited opportunities of growth. It is the job of faculty of PMAS-AAUR to enable the growers to produce more than what they are producing now. He said that collective efforts are needed to develop policies that encourage globally competitive and quality focused agriculture with skills required by agriculture-related employers as well as vocational trainers who can provide extension services to farmers. 

Earlier, Prof. Dr. Rai Niaz Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor of the University gave a brief presentation on the academic, research and extension programs of the University and its role in the development of agriculture sector in particular and community in general. He said, university has its own Farm on the Chakwal Road for the hands-on training of students whereas the university is also actively involved in extension activities and working with the farmers at their fields with focus on the development of small farmers. He further said that University’s overall objective is to promote economic growth by bringing more farms, and more acres, under improved technologies and management practices to increase of agricultural productivity.

Vice Chancellor informed the participants that University has established a Model Farm with latest agricultural technologies like rainwater harvesting & drip irrigation to give awareness to the farming community to make their practices compatible to the modern world. University is also helping farming community in getting new technologies for increasing agricultural production through the use of mechanized farming so that per acre production can be increased. He also stressed that there is a need of capacity building programmes to promote water management system and urged the young scientists to come up with innovative solutions to the issues being faced by nation in current scenario. 

Syed Baber Ali also planted an Olive plant in University premises and visited Hydroponics Plant. Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Rai Niaz Ahmad briefed Syed Baber Ali about the hydroponic farming method. Syed Baber Ali praised the efforts &  commitments of the university administration for successfully running the Plant and emphasized on the commercialization of the project for ensuring food safety for our future generations. Vice Chancellor also told that University has also successfully prepared its replica which will be soon delivered to the small farmers. The University is also providing a leadership role and advisory services for tunnel production and green house crops.

 At the end University’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Rai Niaz Ahmad presented University souvenir to the learned speaker Syed Baber Ali.