Punjab University (PU) Old Campus to house biggest Information Technology center
LAHORE- A university within the university exclusively for higher Information Technology education IT with enrolment of 4,500 students is coming up at the Old Campus of Punjab University (PU), which will shortly be humming up again with academic activities.
The old campus had virtually been vacated for the last many years, after almost the entire academic and administrative offices being shifted to the New Campus.
With the functioning of huge information technology education center at undergraduate and post-graduate level and the related laboratories, Software Park etc, the glory of the Old Campus will be, revived again.
From October 15, 1500 students of first batch of B.Sc. (Hons) Mcs and short courses in the morning and evening will be studying at the old campus which has since been renovated and conserved at a cost of Rs 4 million. The number of students to be enrolled at the Old Campus, in IT education is expected to exceed 4,500 by the next academic calendar. This strength of students will be in addition to the students studying at PU College of Information Technology (PUCIT), at New Campus.
The conservation and restoration of original archaeological grandeur of the Campus is being swiftly carried out of which 75 per cent works have since been completed, while the remaining would be completed in November next.
The Punjab University will also serve as regional academy of Cisco Germany for International Networking, where two persons from the Punjab University have undergone necessary training for networking.
Laboratory robotex, automation laboratory, communication lab network for satellite communications has also been set up at the Punjab University.
The state-of-art facilities considered unprecedented in the university’s history. In addition, a software park is also being opened shortly.
The PUCIT Principal, Dr. Majid Naeem, told that a school for information technology will also function shortly, where 22 courses in IT education for professionals will be introduced both in the morning and evening.
The computer laboratory has been set up at the main library building of the Old Campus with 250 sets of latest computers ultimately to be extended to 800 computers lab. As many as 16 class rooms besides the computer library carrying 5,000 books on computer education were being set up for the class room instructions.
Dr Majid Naeem said that the PU Old Campus Information Technology Centre will be the biggest in Pakistan and one of the two to three centers of excellence in IT education in South Asia. He said that India has four to five IT institutions of international repute, while PU center will serve at par with the Indian centers of computer education.
The PUCIT has allowed scholarship to at least 10 per cent of the deserving, but talented students. A sum of Rs one million has been allocated or scholarships of Rs 20,000 to each student for one semester. For 10 semesters, a sum of Rs 10 million will be disbursed.
Source: The Nation
Date:10/11/2001
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