Monday, July 16, 2012

PAU INKS MoU WITH UNIZAMBEZE, SEEKS TO PROMOTE ACADEMICS, RESEARCH AND EXTENSION PROGRAMMES

LUDHIANA, JULY 15:-----



Aiming at forging new ties in mutually beneficial areas, the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Zambeze (Unizambeze), Mozambique. The PAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon and Rector of Unizambeze, Prof. Doutor Bhangy Cassy inked the MoU on behalf of the respective universities. Those present during the MoU signing ceremony included PAU Registrar, Dr R.K. Mahey, Dean of Postgraduate Studies, Dr Gursharan Singh, Technical Advisor to the PAU Vice- Chancellor-cum Additional Director Research (Food Science, Nutrition and Engineering), Dr P.K. Khanna, Additional Director Communication, Dr Jagtar Singh Dhiman and a five-member delegation from Unizambeze. The visiting delegation comprised Dr Pedro Chume, Dean of Agrarian Sciences, Dr Custodio Boane, Dean of Health Sciences, Dr Fabio Cumbe, Director of Sciences and Technologies and Mr Laurence lazaro Magai, Director for Cooperation.



In his remarks, Dr Dhillon said that the collaborative venture seeks to promote academics/scientific/ professional relations, develop teaching and research activities, promote discussion and exchange of experience in areas of mutual benefit and encourage student-teacher exchange and reciprocal exchange of information concerning books, publications, etc. He added that the collaboration would go a long way in cementing the relations between Indian and Africa. The signed MoU would also help in sharpening the intellectual skills and enhancing the career prospects of the students as well as the faculty, he stated. Highlighting that PAU played a pivotal role in ushering in an era of green revolution, Dr Dhillon said that the unprecedented escalation in the wheat and rice production has led to the economic upliftment of the rural life, in general, and farming community, in particular, in Punjab. The state is contributing 45-70% wheat and 35-40% of rice to the nation's kitty and that the PAU has the credit of carrying out remarkable research work in agriculture and its allied sectors. Presently, the university is laying special thrust on conservation agriculture, management of water resources and various other farm issues, he added. Dr. Dhillon proposed setting up of joint PAU- Unizambeze educational college or wing.



Leading the delegation, Dr Cassy said that the Unizambeze is assuming as a centre of research, construction and consolidation of knowledge in various scientific areas and seeks to accomplish its objectives by offering courses that take into account the imperatives of social globalization. He added both the institutions including PAU and Unizambeze have a common interest in academic field, training, research and cultural promotion. In order to achieve efficiency and effectiveness, it is vital for the two sides to develop cooperative initiatives in scientific fields of agricultural research, human resource development and extension education, he emphasized. The Unizambeze looks forward to the joint partnership with the signing of this MoU, he said.



Dr Cumbe said that the basic objective of Unizambeze to upgrade technology by having more Indian agriculture stuff through international linkages. He remarked that the Unizambeze aims at generating, disseminating and apply knowledge, based on freedom of thought and plurality of critical exercises, thereby, promoting higher education and contributing to the construction of a model of society based on humanist principles, which has knowledge, creativity and innovation as factors of growth.



Saying that the Unizambeze lays emphasis on educating people, Dr Chume said that their prime focus is also on disseminating food production technologies to feed the entire population of Mozambique.



Dr Boane appreciated the farm equipments and research programmes of the PAU and said that the university is the storehouse of agricultural knowledge. He told that the faculty of Unizambeze is divided into five parts which include Sciences and Technology, Health Sciences, Agrarian Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities, Environmental Engineering and Natural Resources and agronomy and Forestry Engineering.



Presenting an overview of Universidade Zambeze, L. Magai said that, recently, the government of Mozambique has materialized the principle of making higher education more accessible and comprehensive for different strata of the country. He added that in context of expansion of higher education, Unizambeze was designed to operate in the central region of Mozambique which is currently distributed into four provinces. The region with a population of 8.8 million, represents more than 40% of Mozambicans and is predominantly an agricultural zone, having huge wealth of biodiversity. He informed that a total of 4465 students including 3074 male and 1391 female students, respectively, have been enrolled in the Unizambeze.



The Dean, Postgraduate Studies, Dr. Gursharan Singh described signing of MoU as a start of the new beginning. He discussed about the educational programmes at PAU.



Earlier, Dr Jagtar Singh Dhiman, Additional Director Communication, welcomed the dignitaries and delegates. He said that it is matter of pride that both the universities including PAU and Unizambeze, established in 1962, signed MoU in their Golden Jubilee Year. Highlighting that PAU is a premiere agricultural institute, he explained the delegation about innovative farm practices.



The delegation members were shown around the PAU Crops Museum of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Dr. Uppal Museum of Water Resources of Northern India, Museum of Social History and Rural Life of Punjab, Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Electron Microscopy and Nanoscience (EMN) lab. and School of Agricultural Biotechnology. They were greatly impressed about the laboratory infrastructure and professional facilities at PAU.



On this occasion, Director of Research, Dr S.S. Gosal, Director of Extension Education, Dr M.S. Gill, Dean of Agriculture, Dr D.S. Cheema, Dean of College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Dr PPS Lubana, Dean of College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Dr R.S. Sidhu, and Jaswinder Sangha, Librarian-cum- representative of Home Science College, briefed the delegation members about their respective activities.


News From: http://www.7StarNews.com

No comments:

 
eXTReMe Tracker