Pakistan needs to heavily invest on education, health and human resource development to gear up the pace of rural development by involving 65% population which comprises on youth in technical and vocational education so as to mitigate the magnitude of internal migration and net the growing problems of rapid urbanization in the country through . Emphasized by the speakers of international conference on “Migration and Desertification” organized by Department of Rural Sociology in a kickoff event to commemorate 50 years of excellence and celebrate the year 2011 as Golden Jubilee here at UAF on Thursday evening.
The speakers including UAF VC Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Director DAAD Islamabad Ms Ursula Saarabek, Prof. Dr. Beatrice Knerr Head of Dept. of Migration & Development University of Kassal Germany, Dr. Abdillahi Aboud, Prof. Dr. Saeed Shafqat Director Center for Public Policy and Governance, FC College University Lahore, Miss Zhao Xi, Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Zafar Dean Faculty of Agri. Economics & Rural Sociology, Prof. Dr. Ashfaq Ahmad Maann, Dr. Izhar Ahmad Khan, and Mr. Ijaz Imran were of the view that government must tap the demographic dividend and involve the ever high volume of youth in entrepreneurial, technical, vocational and self employing activities in rural as well as urban areas. Prof. Dr. Saeed Shafqat Director Center for Public Policy and Governance, FC College University Lahore told that Japan, Germany and other European countries were going through aging problem as major proportion of their population consists upon aged people and in dire need of health care and Pakistan can harness the opportunity by equipping a large number of girls with requisite nursing skills and then send them to the countries facing aging problems.
UAF VC Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan underscored the need of phasing out trends of restricting at one place and urged the professionals to migrate from one place to another that would certainly become fruitful. Dr. Ahmad told that we need to make the remittances sent by overseas Pakistanis more productive as he had a storing observation of witnessing the spending of such remittances in making huge residences which think a dead investment. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan told that he happened to stay in Middle East for many years and had a close observation of manhandling of the domestic workers in general and female workers in particular.
Director DAAD Islamabad Ms Ursula Saarabek told that German Universities were offering 53000 scholarships globally and students of UAF can get the opportunity of studying in German universities by winning the scholarships on competitive basis. She urged UAF students to visit DAAD website www.ic.daad.de/islamabad so as to get the requisite information about study and research in Germany, and scholarships. She asked the aperients to remain precise on the research topic and its objectives and to avoid inconvenience, they need not to send the same email to more than one German Professor that would create mistrust and show a no serious attitude to the students’ end. Ms Ursula Saarabek emphasized the students that instead of writing a short messaging letter, they need to write a complete application/proposal as desired by the host institution and professor so as to make sure the response of the host institution.
Prof. Dr. Beatrice Knerr told that under ICDD program, UAF students were enjoying special favor provided that the student is referred by a learned professor. Prof. Dr. Ashfaq Ahmad Maann Chairman Dept. of Rural Sociology revealed various undiscovered aspects of international migration with special reference to Middle East.