Dr. Khan said that both institutes can work contribute towards
betterment of Pakistan and Asia as a whole. He stated that discussions
for a joint program in GIS are at an advanced stage. Referring to
natural disasters, Dr. Khan stated that Pakistan has suffered three
major natural disasters in the recent past, including one earthquake
and two floods. He revealed that though Pakistan has established a
disaster management office, it still needs trained personnel. During
times of disaster, it is the Pakistan army and the engineering corps
that are invited to help the civil administration. Dr. Khan stated that
the NUST Academic Council had
already approved a degree program in disaster management. “AIT is
strong in this area, and NUST is looking towards AIT for collaboration
in this field,” he added.
Dr. Khan also offered to send students to AIT’s School of Management
(SOM) for periods ranging between one to two semesters. He also
proposed faculty exchange and joint research. He stated that the
Professional Development Centre (PDF) at NUST can collaborate with AIT
Extension, and both can work in the field of educational leadership,
besides energy management.
Dr. Barbara Igel, Dean, SOM, described Dr. Khan’s agenda as
impressive, adding that she was glad to associate with NUST. AIT has
agreements with institutes in Europe, India and Korea, and we welcome a
similar program with NUST, she added.
Dr. Naveed Anwar, Executive Director, AIT Consulting stated that AIT
had done commendable work following the earthquake and flood disasters
in Pakistan. AIT teams had visited and studied the disaster struck area
in Pakistan, he said. He added that the proposed partnership in GIS was
on schedule, and he would immediately coordinate for a joint program
with AIT’s Disaster Preparedness Mitigation and Management (DPMM)
program.
Dr. Faiz Shah, Head, Development Management, AIT Extension revealed
that talks on the higher education leadership program are in an
advanced stage. AIT is already working with partners in Britain, South
Africa and Malaysia in this field, he added.
Dr. Abdul Salam, Coordinator, Energy Field of Study; Dr. Fazle Karim,
Head, Information Technology and Engineering, AIT Extension; Ms.
Tiamkare Thitithamtada, Senior Program Officer, External Relations and
Communications Office (ERCO); and Ms. Sumana Shrestha, Program Officer,
ERCO, also participated in the meeting. Dr. Khan was accompanied by Mr.
Ahmed Amjad Ali, Head of Chancery, Embassy of Pakistan to
Thailand.
