The MoU was signed between Chief Technical Advisor (GTZ) Stefan Schmid and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Peshawar Professor Dr Azmat Hayat Khan, While Dean of Faculty of Management and Information Sciences Professor Dr Shahjehan Syed was also present on the occasion.
The UoP Vice-Chancellor, speaking on the occasion, said that the project would give an opportunity to the students of journalism in their capacity building and would give an independent analysis and picture of the ongoing developmental projects in the Fata area.
He added that the Fata Secretariat could also benefit from the observation of the students and had a clear picture of where their project stood at a particular time and the various areas of improvement that it might need. He said that the present unrest and the growing militancy in the Fata area was because of the fact that these areas had remained under-privileged over the years and less developmental work and projects had been carried out in that part of the country.
He added that in the past, most of the projects, carried out in the Fata did not have any tangible benefit for the people, and most of the projects' money spent on consultancy fees. Chief Technical Advisor of GTZ Stefan Schmid expressed his resolve to extend full co-operation to the UoP and make formal and informal linkages with the university.