LAHORE: Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Ijaz A. Mumtaz said that collaboration between the LCCI and Forman Christian College (FCC) would go a long way and strengthen the industry-academia linkage.
He shared these views here at a gathering where FCC named one of its historic halls after the LCC in recognition of LCCI services for the cause of economy and education.
Rector Forman Christian College Dr. James Tebbe, Vice President Syed Mahmood Ghaznavi, former president Mian Misbah-ur-Rehman, Executive Committee Members, Chaudhry Ahmed Saeed, businessmen, educationists, philanthropists and economists were present in this prestigious gathering.
This giant leap would not only be a milestone in the history of industry-academia relations but would also pave for the promotion of research culture.
On the occasion, FCC and LCCI also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at establishing long term, sustainable and mutually beneficial cooperation in areas of bilateral interest for promoting research, training, education, and employment opportunities between LCCI and FCC.
As per MOU, both institutions would ensure internship and recommendations for job placement, participating in seminars and standing committees, FCC consultancy, information and data exchange, collaborative research projects, short term training programs, running of educational programs on specialized topics, participation of LCCI in curriculum development and seats for LCCI members, staff & their children for FCC degree programs.
He said that keeping in view the importance of education the LCCI has decided to continue to support the educational institutions to the maximum.
“History is a race between education and catastrophe and if we do not want to be history we need to get educated”, Ijaz A. Mumtaz said.
He said that if we have any desire to be a developed nation, we need to realize the importance of education in national development.
The LCCI President said that change does not necessarily assure progress, but progress undoubtedly requires change. He said that education is essential to change since education creates both new wants and the in house ability to satisfy them. It is this ability that defines development and bifurcate nations into the developed and undeveloped categories.
He said that political theory has described a positive linkage between education, ability to think and democracy. Most, if not all, of the developed countries of the world are democracies which further stress the fact that for a successful democracy we need to have masses that are educated. The education truly empowers the mind and once the mind is empowered, there is no limit to development.
Ijaz A. Mumtaz said that an increased productivity, once achieved, would not only help multiply manifold the country’s gross domestic product but would also help significantly lower inflation and make life affordable for a lot more that just the select few. We want to fight and reduce poverty, we need to think long term and invest in education today.
He said that Education is a debt due from the present to the future generations. It’s longer term objective that needs investment today. It’s a tree which planted today would bear fruit for our future generations. “If we want Pakistan to be a truly developed nation one day, we need to sow the seeds today. We want Pakistan to compete with the rest of the developed world we want to make sure that we have strong and affordable institutions that impart education to the masses.”
The Rector of the Forman Christian College Dr. James Tebbe said that FCC would provide support to the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the economic issues.
Rector FCC assured the LCCI President of his full support for the cause of promotion of research and development culture in the country. He said that a closer collaboration between industry and institutions of higher education will ensure better skill sets and job-oriented training for students.
Speaking on the occasion, Ch. Ahmed Saeed paid rich tributes to the LCCI president for following the foot steps of his father who was a great philanthropist.
Earlier, Rector Forman Christian College Dr. James Tebbe and LCCI President Ijaz A. Mumtaz inaugurated the hall named the LCCI.
