Women Varsities’ VCs Unite For Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment

News Desk

Islamabad: The vice-chancellors of seven Pakistani women’s universities were convinced that women are emotionally intelligent and, with effective coordination and support, their intellect can be translated into the socio-economic development of society as well as the state.

They were speaking at All-Pakistan Women Universities Consortium (APWUC) held in Islamabad on Friday. The conference aimed to devise ways to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment in Pakistan.

The conference was organized by the Fatima Jinnah Women University in coordination with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and British Council.

There is a need for a future roadmap in the form of specific universities, and women are emotionally intelligent and can prove to be better managers which they must utilize, said Government College Women University (GCWU) Sialkot VC Dr Rukhsana Kausar, while speaking at a conference on “Women in Leadership”.

FJWU Vice Chancellor Dr Saima Hamid proposed a four-point agenda for the consortium, including focusing on sustainability, participatory approaches, identifying priority areas, and establishing clear structures for effective strategy building.

She stressed the importance of young energies and synergies to ensure the consortium’s progress and sustainability.

Government College Women University, Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Dr Rubina Farooq stressed the importance of increasing women’s visibility on all important platforms to support each other.

Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University VC Dr Safia Ahmad underscored the need for a bio-based innovative economy and stressed the importance of university-industry collaboration to make research more effective.

Women University Swabi VC Dr Shahana Urooj Kazmi emphasised the importance of entrepreneurship and putting universities on the path of innovation through business to support the national economy.

Professor Dr Mahmoodul Hassan from HEC and Dr SahistaNaqvi applauded Dr Saima Hamid’s vision for bringing together all the vice chancellors, and highlighted the importance of effective coordination for devising a future roadmap and achieving the consortium’s goals.

All involved female vice chancellors unanimously agreed to prioritize areas, and congratulated DrSaima Hamid for hosting the conference secretariat, and appreciated her hard work and vision.

The HEC and British Council offered their support in the form of technical assistance, knowledge sharing, goodwill, and financial incentives. The consortium will arrange a capacity-building project and a series of webinars and seminars at different member and non-member universities to make it more effective and meaningful.

Female Vice Chancellors from all seven member universities, including FJWU, Government College Women University Faisalabad, Lahore College for Women University, Government College Women University Sialkot, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Women University Swabi, and Government Sadiq College Women University, Bahawalpur, jointly organised the event.