Indian academics in Pakistani universities

Sharing the details of his plan at the first meeting of sciences academies of South Asia here, Dr Atta-ur-Rahman, president of Pakistan Academy of Sciences, said the PAS was willing to take a lead role in bridging the gap between academia in two countries if INSA exends its hand. Both academies are government-funded.
“The academy has to set aside some amount of fund and convince Indian universities and scientists to deliver lectures via video link. In Karachi University, academics from other countries offer courses via video-conferencing and there are students’ credit for taking such courses. Why can’t the same be done with India,” he said. The PAS could set aside a part of his funding for this purpose.
The Pakistan academy made a similar offer to China and received positive feed back. “I am going to China later this month to sign an agreement with Chinese Academy of Sciences to sign a memorandum of understanding,” Rahman told Deccan Herald.
The Pakistani scientist whose grandfather, Sir Abdur Rahman, was the vice chancellor of Delhi University between 1934 and 1938, said the two countries could exchange scientists and collaborate declining farm productivity, common diseases, use of information and communication technology in enhancing productivity, use of double-blind clinical trials to evaluate medicines mentioned in folk lore and new materials.
India does not have formal relation with Pakistan in science and technology. But as bilateral relations with Pakistan are showing signs of improvement, steps are being taken with the hope of forging a relation in future.
In January, an INSA delegation headed by Krishan Lal, INSA president and former director of National Physical Laboratory, visited Pakistan. Within a few months, Rahman—a professor at the University of Karachi and a former federal minister in Pakistan government—has come with two colleagues to attend the INSA conference.
Asked to comment, Lal said he could respond to the PAS proposal only when the proposal was discussed within the Indian science community and government.
The offer from the Pakistani scientist coincides with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna’s visit to Islamabad that began on Friday.
Science academies from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka along with academies from Africa and Mauritius are attending the meeting. The aim is to create a network of academies from Asian nations which can work together on problems faced by people in this part of the world.
Technology, career development and education should go hand in hand. People are using the Internet for all aspects of career development, from taking inventories to job searching. The instructor of a graduate career development course can expose students to a variety of technological resources by infusing them into course delivery and activities. One way to help students feel more connected to an instructor is through the use of a video lecture. A video lecture can be as simple as uploading a video recording of an instructor discussing a topic, or it can be much more complex, being paired with a PowerPoint presentation, having interactive quizzes and demonstrations.
The academy has to set aside some amount of fund and convince Indian universities and scientists to deliver lectures via video link. In Karachi University, academics from other countries offer courses via video-conferencing and there are students’ credit for taking such courses. Why can’t the same be done with India”
Dr Atta-ur-Rehman,
PSA President