Islamabad, Feb 26 (NNN-APP) Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani has said the Media University in Pakistan would be the first-ever media varsity in the Muslim World as well as the entire South Asian region which would be at par with the international standards.
Talking to Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman, Chairman, Higher Education Commission (HEC), here Monday, Senator Durrani said the Media University would not only cater to the growing needs of trained media professionals but this modern institution would also play a pivotal role in the development of communication sector in the whole region.
"The present government, under the visionary leadership of President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, is committed to the freedom and development of the media sector and new initiatives are being taken to facilitate the media to make this sector more dynamic and vibrant," he said and added that the varsity would bring a revolution in the communication sector.
The matters pertaining to faculty members, courses, education and other facilities as per modern trends also came under discussion during the meeting.
It was also decided that the ministry of I&B and HEC would collaborate jointly for the commencement of the Media University.
"The university would also collaborate with the leading international media varsities for shortlisting of courses, faculty members and other relevant areas so as the students could be imparted quality education at par with the international standards," said the minister.
"As the media is most powerful medium of the modern age, the varsity would prove to be a milestone in producing well-trained journalists. It would also address growing needs of the present and future times in the field of communication," he said.
He said the university would specifically address the growing needs of electronic media and well-trained and innovative professionals from Pakistan, Muslim states and countries from the entire region would be able to harness their abilities.
Hailing the initiative, Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman assured Senator Durrani to provide full assistance in equipping the varsity with most modern equipment,faculty members and facilities at par with the international standards.
"The University would be established in the federal capital, having its satellite campuses in all the four provincial headquarters. Initially, faculties of Mass Communication and Media Development, Acoustics and Broadcasting, Performing Arts and Media Technology, and Digital Media and Graphics would be commenced," he said.
He said that the government was considering to collaborate with the Communication University of China and Colorado University of USA and the international experts would soon visit Pakistan to give their valuable input in this regard.