The meeting was chaired by the Faculty Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Dean/Convenor Dr Muhammad Subhan Qureshi held here at the department on Friday. The Academic Council of the University was represented by Professor Muhammad Jamal Khan, Chairman Water Management and Professor Muhammad Akmal, Agronomy Department. Other members attending the meeting were Professor Altaf ur Rahman, Professor Nazir Ahmad, Dr Umer Sadique, Dr Abdur Rahman and Dr Naila Chand. Dr Ihsanullah, Dr Muhammad Tahir (Sr), Dr Shoaib Sultan, Dr Zahoor ul Hassan and Dr Mubashir represented their respective departments as co-opted members.
The participants on occasion discussed the recent developments in the livestock sector, while keeping view of this century the higher education and livestock, which given special attention by the Federal Government and both of them came out of stagnancy, enabling their prominent role in the national development agenda.
They viewed that the livestock sector is gradually shifting from subsistence to commercial level attracting more investment and established commercially viable enterprises, especially in dairy farming, dairy technology, feed manufacturing, meat processing and export. The Faculty of AH&VS is playing its due role in providing support in teaching, applied research and industrial linkages, the participants added.
The meeting informed that the teaching faculty has been raised up to 60 members, with 21 having PhD degrees and 22 pursing their PhD studies. Laboratory, farms and clinical requirements of the DVM programme have been established. MPhil/PhD programmes have been in progress in all departments of Livestock Management, Poultry Science, Animal Nutrition and Animal Health. Industrial linkages have been introduced through the Dairy Science Park, Pharmacy Shop, dairy herd improvement programme and the feed mills. The Pakistan Journal of Meat Science and Public Health has been launched on advice of the Vice Chancellor.
The Convenor advised the faculty members for judicial utilisation of the HEC scholarship, funded research projects, HEC/PCST schemes for access to lab analysis, etc. Detailed consideration of the item under other relevant fora was recommended. The Convenor suggested improvement in the University rules for postgraduate studies, to attract high quality postgraduate students for admission into doctoral programmes to develop valuable human resource base. GRE Subject of the NTS on the basis of 4 groups of subjects and HEC scholarship for MS leading to PhD was acceptable at national level and the University must also accept such cases.
The relevancy of subject at master level for admission into PhD degree is another rule impeding fair competition. The House shared the concern and recommended for submission of such cases as separate agenda items to the relevant bodies. The participants noticed the growing industrialisation in the livestock sector and called for improvement in the syllabus and internship of DVM to cope up with the challenges. The Convenor informed the House that on advice of the Vice Chancellor this Faculty proposed establishment of demonstration and research units at Amir Muhammad Khan Campus Mardan for poultry, quails, sheep, goats rearing, calves fattening and dairy farming. Services would be provided to the farmers through establishment of a veterinary hospital, a model abattoir, diagnostic laboratory for diseases, milk and feed analysis and farmers' welfare and training centre.
The upcoming Dairy Science Park, November 18-20, 2013, would be an excellent opportunity for training of students and young faculty, policy advice for the government, investment opportunity for the business community and a regional forum for strengthening co-operation among the neighbouring countries, especially Afghanistan, Turkey, Iran, China and India. The participants appreciated the progress made by the Faculty and expected for continuation of the same. At the end the Chair presented a vote of thanks and declared the meeting concluded.