Germany Donates Research Books to QAU

Germany donated a large collection of recently published text and research books in the humanities and social sciences for the library of Taxila Institute of Asian Civilizations (TIAC) of the Quaid-i-Azam University.

A ceremony to celebrate the arrival of collection was organized by Taxila Institute of Asian Civilizations (TIAC) of the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) in collaboration with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), and the Centre for International Migration and Development (CIM), Frankfurt.

Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Michael Koch, officially handed over the books to Vice Chancellor of the Quaid-i-Azam University, Prof. Dr. Masoom Yasinzai, for integration into the library of the Taxila Institute.

The donation of much needed text and research books is the first part of a comprehensive programme of development of infrastructure planned by the German government for the new Taxila Institute.

The Taxila Institute of Asian Civilizations is a constituent institute of the Quaid-i-Azam University. It is intended to function as an institute which promotes research on Asian Civilizations, past and present, and to focus on the interaction of the countries of Asia in the various fields of cultural research.

QAU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Masoom Yasinzai while addressing the audiences said that productivity in research is the strength of Quaid-i-Azam University. He said QAU has ranked as number one university in the country; second in seventeen hundred universities of OIC countries and now it has received a very respectable place in top 300 universities of the world, and ranked as 270th University in Natural Sciences.

He said that almost 70 percent of QAU Faculty is PhDs and we have planed to increase this PhD faculty up to ninety percent in next five years. He said that they want to change this society from a resource based economy to knowledge based economy but the support to the educational institutions must continue.

Prof. Dr. Hugh Van Skyhawk, Professor of Comparative Religion at the TIAC of the Quaid-i-Azam University in his speech thanked the German government for such generous donation.

HEC Executive Director Dr. Sohail Naqvi said that the higher education is very much alive and kicking in Pakistan. “We have learnt that how to dream and having learnt that there is no going back. If there is not one path to realize our dreams we will find other path. Let us work together to find new avenues” he added. He said that they are looking very beautiful and bright future of higher education in Pakistan.

Leading government functionaries, officials of the education ministry, diplomats and people from all walks of public life attended the ceremony. A number of faculty members, Deans, and officers of the University were also present on the occasion.