ISLAMABAD: The Science and Technology Ministry organised the second meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee for Development Project, Science Talent Farming Scheme (STFS) for 1800 Young Students Phase-I (Component-I).
The members of the meeting discussed the progress of the project so far and expressed satisfaction over it. The establishment of National Science School under the government’s Vision 2025 was the main agenda item of the meeting; issues observed during the execution of the project were also discussed.
Science and Technology Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain chaired the meeting, while Planning, Development and Reforms Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Education and Professional Training Minister Balighur Rahman and other high officials also attended the meeting.
The meeting was also attended by Planning Development and Reforms Ministry Secretary Fazal Abbas Maken, Federal Education and Professional Training Ministry secretary, Finance Ministry secretary, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) chairman and Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) Chairman Prof Dr Muhammad Ashraf, and STFS Project Director Jamil Qureshi.
It is pertinent to mention that the scheme was envisioned to be implemented through the collaborative efforts of relevant existing institutions and science enthusiasts in the public and private sectors.
Main goals of STFS are attracting youth towards science in early years of education, developing a competitive knowledge economy through value addition and improving the quality of science and technology education, particularly, in the natural sciences and mathematics.
The participants were informed that the PSF will manage the STFS up to higher secondary level whereas the Higher Education Commission (HEC) will be responsible for university level higher education under the scheme.