STAFF REPORT ISB: UNESCO has urged all the stakeholders to renew their commitment to creating a scientifically literate knowledge society for all, with sustainable development as a top priority which is need of the hour especially in Pakistan.
Vibeke Jensen, Director of UNESCO Office Islamabad, said this while speaking at a seminar titled Quality Science Education: Securing a Sustainable Future for all held here to commemorate the World Science Day. The seminar was organized by COMSATS and ECO Science Foundation (ECOSF) in collaboration with UNESCO.
In his address, Dr. Ishfaq Ahmad, the former Advisor to PM on Science and Technology and founder of various scientific institutions of the country, highlighted the significance of science and technology for the betterment of society.In his remarks, Executive Director COMSATS, Dr. Imtinan Elahi Qureshi, recognized scientific cooperation as the key to achieving sustainable development for the developing world. Touching upon the initiative taken by COMSATS for the promotion of quality education in the country, he noted that COMSATS CIIT was launched as a small project in 1998, which now is a well recognized university with seven campuses and over 35,000 enrolled students.
Earlier, Dr. Manzoor Hussain Soomro, President ECOSF, highlighted the importance of Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE) at schools. He said that Science Education Programme (SEP) of the Inter-Academy Panel (IAP) is promoting inquiry based science education and the curricula around the world are being updated and revised to be in line with the scientific developments.
One of the highlights of the event was the poster exhibition and competition. Over 40 posters, prepared by science students and researchers were presented, explicating the role of science for a progressive society in themes of agriculture, health, biosciences, nanotechnology and computational sciences.