RAWALPINDI, Mar 23 (APP): Professor Dr. Bushra Mirza, Vice Chancellor Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) has said that the university remained a symbol of academic excellence, women empowerment and a career hub.
With its illustrious faculty, robust regional connectivity, and rich historical legacy, FJWU has been preparing a generation of future women leaders.
She urged the students to join Fatima Jinnah University and empower their future by unlocking the talent and acquiring the skills.
In her exclusive interaction with APP, the VC FJWU has ambitious plans to transform the institution into a career hub, empowering women to take leadership roles in Pakistan’s industrial and academic sectors. With its esteemed faculty, diverse academic programs, and research opportunities, the university is poised to become a benchmark for excellence in education.
“In today’s era, there are some skills that are important for women empowerment: Education is basic, but along with it, they should have financial literacy, awareness of legal matters and the digital literacy”, she said while highlighting essential elements for empowering women.
VC Dr. Bushra informed that FJWU is part of various programs and regular contributing by holding conferences, workshops and seminars etc. She said that in compliance with HEC’s great ‘women mentorship program’, the university was actively engaging the students through developing leadership skills in them. She said she was leading the programme along with the senior faculty members.
Highlighting university’s regional connectivity and collaboration with other universities and fora, Prof Dr. Bushra said that FJWU has regular connection with other universities, with the industries and with different government institutions, within and abroad.
“We are also working closely with the Higher Education Department of the Punjab Government, the Women Development Department of the Punjab Government, and also with international forums that represent Pakistan”, she said.
The VC further elaborated the university’s efforts of connectivity that recently she had a meeting with government officers who are working in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, to engage faculty and students of FJWU in their research ventures.
“So we want to do some work on the World Economic Forum report that needs data. We want to work with UNESCO”, she added.
Responding to a question, Prof Dr Bushra stressed on providing quality education with cognition of fast changing academic landscape worldwide.
“A university official has highlighted the need for rapid revisions to academic syllabi in order to keep pace with the quickly changing demands of the modern world,” she said adding that the university’s Academic Council has approved to equip the students with digiskills by introducing it as mandatory for the students.
The VC also highlighted another important initiative ‘Women Entrepreneurship’ program in which the university is bridging the gap between academia and industry.
She said that the university collaborates with Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) for multidimensional objectives including reasearch works, students ‘entrepreneurial orientation and women’s contribution in business entities.
“We are also in negotiations with RCCI to set up a research institute, I just wanted Fatima Jinnah Women University to be a research wing of the Chamber of Commerce, so that whatever research you want to do, you can do it with us”, she said.
To another question regarding FJWU’s Chakri Road Campus, Dr. Bushra expressed hope for support from the Punjab Government regarding the development of the university’s Chakri Road Campus.
Specifically, Dr. Bushra mentioned that a request has been made to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to provide additional buses for the campus.
“We are a little bit short of transport at the moment but we are trying our best to provide the maximum facility under the circumstances”.
The Vice Chancellor expressed her confidence that with enhanced enrollment and by the government support, the university would combat the prevailing challenges, and would continue its leading role in women’s academic and entrepreneurial empowerment.