OGDCL to finance construction of girls hostel at QAU

Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDCL) is to provide funds for the construction of a hostel for 300 female students in the campus of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU).

An MoU to this affect was signed here on Friday by the Vice Chancellor of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) Prof Dr Masoom Yasinzai and Managing Director OGDCL Mr Masood Siddiqui.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Masoom Yasinzai lauded the noble step of OGDCL and urged the Corporate Sector of the country to come forward and support the premier institutions.

“I truly appreciate the OGDCL’s generous donation and hope that this gesture will serve as a signal to other large corporations to invest in the educational institutions. He said donor support is crucial for public sector universities as philanthropic support will be helpful increasing awareness among community about fund raising for Higher Education and Achieving the goal of an educated Pakistan” he added.

The Vice Chancellor said that QAU is a federally chartered university devoted to teaching & research. At QAU students are admitted from all over Pakistan according to regional quota but purely on merit. Therefore, he said the requirement for hostel accommodation is much more than any other university. He praised the step of OGDCL and hoped that shortage of hostel accommodation will be tackled successfully with the completion of the new hostel.

Dr Masoom said that today universities do not simply pass on knowledge; they are also expected to be the hubs of innovation. Our Universities have to be at the cutting edge of knowledge to be able to compete globally and contribute to society productively. If our universities can successfully take on this role, then they can be the drivers of growth in the currently limited science and technology sectors of Pakistan. Universities now have the chance to break their traditional image and interact with communities around them to produce research that is beneficial to society.

Managing Director OGDCL, Mr Masood Siddiqui while addressing the ceremony congratulated the university as it has been recently ranked among top 200 Universities of Asia. He said that his organization values the linkage of industry and academia a lot. Promoting Industry-Academia Linkage is decisive for developing a knowledge based economy. “Unfortunately, right now there is an ocean between the academic world and the industrial world, a gap which needs to be overcome if university research is to be useful for the private sector” said the MD.

Deans of the faculties, officers and senior faculty members attended the signing ceremony.