A two-day International Conference on “Emerging Trends in Information and Engineering Technologies” organized by Dr. Abdul Hussain Shah Bukhari (AHSB) Post Graduate Center of Information and Communication Technology has begun on Thursday at Faculty of Engineering and Technology, University of Sindh Jamhsoro amid enormous participation of national and global scholars and researchers of world repute.
The inaugural ceremony of the conference was presided over by the Vice-Chancellor Professor (Meritorious) Dr. Muhammad Siddique Kalhoro, while the special assistant to the Chief Minister Sindh on Information, Science and Technology and Chairman Standing Committee on Education Tanzila Umi Habiba graced the occasion with his participation as the guest of honor.
The conference was started with the recitation of the Holy Quran, which was blessed by Engineer Abdul Manan. Afterwards, the national anthem was played upon which all the participants and guests stood up in its honor.
Later in his presidential address, The SU Vice-Chancellor Professor (Meritorious) Dr Muhammad Siddique Kalhoro said that the recommendations presented at the International Conference would be forwarded to the federal and provincial governments aiming at assisting the concerned quarters in policy making on information and engineering technologies.
Referring to the amenities being provided to the students enrolled on the campus, he stated that no other university in Sindh had so many hostels or transport facilities for students which were being provided by the University of Sindh.
He said that as many as 3,000 male and 2,000 female students were staying in concerned boys’ and girls’ dormitories, while 200 point buses were being plied regularly on specific routes, which he termed was a huge financial liability.
“No any other university in Sindh undergoes such a tremendous financial burden as that of SU goes through despite tight pecuniary constraints”, he said.
He went on saying that Sindh University possessed about 1800 pensioners and 25% of the total annual budget of the varsity was being spent on payments of pension every year.
Dr. Kalhoro said that monthly pension was a financial liability upon the university as there was no retirement fund available in SU and even in other universities.
“This does not mean that retired employees or pensioners are liabilities on the university, but I am talking about the pension that we have to pay every month in billion of rupees”, he said and added that his statement regarding it was usually misunderstood, which was an inappropriate practice.
The Vice-Chancellor stated that the federal government had not released funds to push the country’s oldest university out of the crisis despite several requests.
“We again urge on the federal government to extend its all-out financial support to the University of Sindh in order to stand it on its feet”, he demanded.
Dr. Kalhoro addressed to the chief minister’s special assistant as saying that she should help in getting special grant for the betterment and development of her mother institution from where she graduated in 2001 in computer science so that the quality of higher education and research could further be improved.
Addressing on the occasion, the Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information, Science & Technology Tanzila Umi Habiba said that Dr. A.H.S Bukhari Postgraduate Centre had actually organized the international conference on emerging trends in information and engineering technologies at the right time when the government of Sindh was seriously planning to establish an ICT Board after setting up of the same in other three provinces.
She said that the establishment of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Board would be carried out then in the light of the recommendations of the conference adding that IT and computer experts of Sindh University would also be included in it so that the people of the province could benefit to the maximum.
“Today’s conference would be beneficial for scholars and researchers in doing good things and introducing something new in the fields of IT and engineering. They can get novel ideas from the researchers who are presenting their research papers at the conference”, she said.
The provincial advisor further said that WiFi centers were being set up in every district of Sindh, which would provide affordable internet services to the people, especially those living in far-flung areas of the province.
“Initially, the Sindh government has set up WiFi centers in Umerkot, Lyari and Badin”, she unearthed and announced that every possible help would be provided by her government for the development and progress of Sindh University, for which she vowed that she would take the initiative herself.
Dean Faculty of Engineering and Technology Prof. Dr. Khalil-ur-Rehman Khoumbati said that the Faculty of Engineering and Technology was established in 2020 and the Institute of Information and Communication Technology was also upgraded which was now doing a wonderful job in producing M.Phil & PhD scholars.
He briefed the guest on the various stages of up-gradation of IT department from its inception in 1979 to 2008 and said that the conference had been organized in a hybrid mode so that the scholars might partake on their convenience either online or on-site and present their research papers on the theme.
“This is the only way to transfer the knowledge to the youth and young scholars belonging to the information, communication and engineering technologies”, he said.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the conference chairman Prof. Dr. Lachhman Das Dhomeja said that Dr. Abdul Hussain Shah Bukhari Post Graduate Center of the University of Sindh was producing M.Phil in four disciplines and M.Phil as well as PhD in IT.
He demanded the Chief Minister’s special assistant Tanzila Umi Habiba of giving a grant for the further growth of the center so that it could touch the sky and get new avenues of success in the field of information, communication and engineering technologies and serve the nation in an exemplary way.
He also informed the guests about the number of teachers, research scholars and students enrolled in Dr. Abdul Hussain Shah Bukhari Post Graduate Center and its performance.
SU’s Dadu campus focal person Prof. Dr. Azhar Ali Shah paid the vote of thanks at the inaugural ceremony. Later, Professor at College of Information Science and Electronic Engineering, Zhejiang University, China, Dr. Zongyin Yang and Senior Research Scientist at Department of Sustainable Energy Technology, SANTEF, Norway Dr. Branson Belle delivered keynote speeches at the opening ceremony and they informed about the new changes and trends introduced in information and engineering technologies. They said that IT could not be ignored for living a happy and easy life in the contemporary world.
After the opening ceremony, various sessions were held. On this occasion, conference secretary Dr. Ayaz Ali Hakro, focal persons of various SU campuses, Deans of Faculties, directors of institutes, chairmen of departments and academic as well as administrative officers and a large number of students, research scholars and researchers participated at the conference
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