LAHORE: Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman has said the government will increase the education and health budget for the next financial year.

Speaking at the first convocation of Punjab University`s College of Pharmacy held at a local hotel on Monday, the minister said education and health sectors were on priority and the provincial government had spent 26 per cent of its total budget on education last year.

He said the Punjab government had taken steps for the welfare of pharmacists, including compulsory appointment of pharmacists in some hospitals, improvement oftheir service structure, delegation of powers of drug inspector to pharmacists in hospitals and compulsory appointment of pharmacists in distribution channels.

The minister advised the graduating students to serve the ailing humanity and ensure best possible role in the healthcare system.

PU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran said the share of about 1.5 billion Muslims in the world in the creation of new knowledge was almost zero.

He said the average spending of the world on education was around five per cent while it was less than 2pc in Pakistan.

He said the total GDP of the US was 16 trillion dollars and it was spending around 800 billion dollars on education and around 320 billiondollars on research and development while the volume of Pakistan`s GDP was only around 220 billion dollars.

He advised the students to work hard, have strong grasp over their subjects, do justice and cooperate with each other.

Faculty of pharmacy dean and College of Pharmacy principal Prof Dr Mubashar Ahmed Butt said the college was the oldest seat of learning of pharmacy and students would find an opportunity to practice what they had learnt.

He demanded that the finance minister should allocate funds in the next budget for paid internship of students.

At least 178 degrees were presented to the graduates. Student Saba Zia got the gold medal for earning first position in the degreewhile Hafiz Muhammad Irfan Nazar got the gold medal for showing outstanding performance in the industrial pharmacy.

Controller of Examinations Prof Dr Liaquat Ali, faculty members and a large number of students were present.

PU SYNDICATE POLL: LAHORE, May 26: The Punjab University faculty is all set to go for the elections to elect Syndicate members as representatives of professors, associate professors, assistant professors and lecturers on May 29 (Thursday).

The two traditional rivals Academic Group and Teachers Alliance have fielded their candidates. The Faculty Strengthening Forum has also fielded one candidate Dr Bushra H. Rehman for thepost of Syndicate member as a representative of assistant professors.

The Academic Group has fielded its candidates for the four slots Prof Dr Nasir Ahmad, associate professor Dr Asmatullah, assistant professor Iftikhar Ahmad Tarar and lecturer Rana Abdul Majid Khan.

The Teachers Front has fielded Prof Dr Amir Ejaz, associate professor Dr Hafiz Muhammad Rafique, assistant professor Javed Sami and lecturer Shumaila Gul.

Sources told Dawn that there are 69 professors and 43 associate professors in the Punjab University that will elect their representatives to represent them in the university Syndicate. However, they claimed, the university had around 174 professors and 179 associate professors` sanctioned posts.As the election campaign is in full swing in the university, the Academic Group`s candidates are telling voters` that they are not contesting against the candidates but against the vice-chancellor himself.

They also claimed that the varsity administration had recently announced new posts and promising different incentives to the potential voters for the support of Teachers`Front candidates.

While Teachers` Front`s Javed Sami did not respond, the PU spokesman said the Academic Gmup was facing defeat in all varsity elections and the faculty had rejected them.

Denying that VC Prof Kamran was campaigning for the Teachers` Front candidates, the spokesman said the university administration was ensuring free and fair elections.