The Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan organized a daylong event entitled "Women Empowerment through Higher Education, Entrepreneurship and Socio-economic Development" to celebrate International Women's Day here at the Commission Secretariat on Wednesday.
Dr. Samina Amin Qadir, Vice Chancellor Fatima Jinnah Women University was chief guest of the ceremony which was also attended by Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC, Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director HEC, Vice Chancellors, faculty members and students of various institutions.
HEC paid tribute to Pakistani women who contributed to the country's well-being in social, political, defence, economic and other sectors. It also aimed at projecting Pakistani female academicians, entrepreneurs and social contributors with an aim to motivate other Pakistani women to come forward and contribute towards socio-economic development of the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed said Islam gives equal rights to women and condemns tyranny against them. He added that Islam protects women rights and gives them their due share in properties and assets. Paying homage to women working in the higher education sector, he said women equally deserve to come forward and work for national development. HEC is committed to ensuring provision of equal opportunities to women in the higher education sector, as educated women guarantee a prosperous nation, he stated. It is obligatory upon girls to acquire purposeful education, he emphasized.
The Chairman said that HEC strongly follows a policy of equality in all of its programmes, adding that it has a stringent stance against women harassment at workplace. He urged the Vice Chancellors to ensure execution of laws enacted to stem women harassment.
"On this occasion, we reiterate our zero-tolerance policy towards women harassment," he maintained. He said HEC has also signed an agreement with Pink Ribbon to create awareness among girls about the hazards of breast cancer.
He informed that since inception of HEC in 2002, the rate of access to higher education among females has remarkably increased. "In 2002, the access rate among women was only 32 per cent, however, it has now reached to 48 per cent," he revealed. He also shared that Pakistani universities have as many as 18 female Vice Chancellors at present.
During the first segment of the ceremony named "Hum Nahin Bhoulay", the parents of Ms. Marium Mukhtar, a fighter pilot who was martyred in a fighter jet crash, and Ms. Arfa Karim, the late youngest Microsoft certified professional, also shared their views and narrated stories of the two legendary daughters of the nation.
In the second segment, "Hum Kisi Say Kam Nahin", Dr. Aalia Sohail Khan, Principal Government Postgraduate College for Women (GPGCW), Rawalpindi described the achievements of visually impaired students of the college in archery. She stressed the need for promoting girls education as well as training of females to meet the challenges facing them in life.
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed and Ms. Seema Mughal, Vice Chancellor Greenwich University, Karachi announced Rs. 50,000 each for the GPGCW students for their skillfulness in archery despite being visually impaired.
On the occasion, notable females from various fields including Ms. Shabana Farooqi, Assistant Professor GPGCW, Mrs. Masarrat Misbah, beautician at Depilex, Mrs. Shehla Javed Akram, Founding President Women Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Riffat Shah, Founding President Human Resource Planning Sector, Ms. Sumaira Sajjad, Assistant Professor Department of Fashion and Design, Iqra University and other noteworthy figures also shared their life stories and achievements in their respective fields.
Dr. Samina Amin Qadir, Vice Chancellor Fatima Jinnah Women University was chief guest of the ceremony which was also attended by Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC, Dr. Arshad Ali, Executive Director HEC, Vice Chancellors, faculty members and students of various institutions.
HEC paid tribute to Pakistani women who contributed to the country's well-being in social, political, defence, economic and other sectors. It also aimed at projecting Pakistani female academicians, entrepreneurs and social contributors with an aim to motivate other Pakistani women to come forward and contribute towards socio-economic development of the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed said Islam gives equal rights to women and condemns tyranny against them. He added that Islam protects women rights and gives them their due share in properties and assets. Paying homage to women working in the higher education sector, he said women equally deserve to come forward and work for national development. HEC is committed to ensuring provision of equal opportunities to women in the higher education sector, as educated women guarantee a prosperous nation, he stated. It is obligatory upon girls to acquire purposeful education, he emphasized.
The Chairman said that HEC strongly follows a policy of equality in all of its programmes, adding that it has a stringent stance against women harassment at workplace. He urged the Vice Chancellors to ensure execution of laws enacted to stem women harassment.
"On this occasion, we reiterate our zero-tolerance policy towards women harassment," he maintained. He said HEC has also signed an agreement with Pink Ribbon to create awareness among girls about the hazards of breast cancer.
He informed that since inception of HEC in 2002, the rate of access to higher education among females has remarkably increased. "In 2002, the access rate among women was only 32 per cent, however, it has now reached to 48 per cent," he revealed. He also shared that Pakistani universities have as many as 18 female Vice Chancellors at present.
During the first segment of the ceremony named "Hum Nahin Bhoulay", the parents of Ms. Marium Mukhtar, a fighter pilot who was martyred in a fighter jet crash, and Ms. Arfa Karim, the late youngest Microsoft certified professional, also shared their views and narrated stories of the two legendary daughters of the nation.
In the second segment, "Hum Kisi Say Kam Nahin", Dr. Aalia Sohail Khan, Principal Government Postgraduate College for Women (GPGCW), Rawalpindi described the achievements of visually impaired students of the college in archery. She stressed the need for promoting girls education as well as training of females to meet the challenges facing them in life.
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed and Ms. Seema Mughal, Vice Chancellor Greenwich University, Karachi announced Rs. 50,000 each for the GPGCW students for their skillfulness in archery despite being visually impaired.
On the occasion, notable females from various fields including Ms. Shabana Farooqi, Assistant Professor GPGCW, Mrs. Masarrat Misbah, beautician at Depilex, Mrs. Shehla Javed Akram, Founding President Women Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Riffat Shah, Founding President Human Resource Planning Sector, Ms. Sumaira Sajjad, Assistant Professor Department of Fashion and Design, Iqra University and other noteworthy figures also shared their life stories and achievements in their respective fields.
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