HARIPUR: Three public sector universities of Hazara division on Wednesday agreed to extendcooperation to the Sungi Development Foundation for research, education and community development programs.

Theirvice chancellors signed a memorandum of understanding during a special ceremony with the representatives of Sungi Development Foundation at the University of Haripur.

Prof Mohsin Nawaz of the Hazara University of Mansehra, Prof Shafiqur Rehman of the University of Haripur, Dr Malik Mujaddadur Rehman of the AUST and Sungi executive director Malick Shabaz Ahmad Tahir signed the documents.

Under the MoU, Sungi Development Foundation will establish the Omar Asghar Khan Sungi Chair in each of these universities to promote education in climate change, humanities and gender sciences.

All of these parties will encourage and facilitate cooperative education, research and development activities in the field of common interest, joint research, training programmes, workshops, conferences, support the initiatives related to the implementation of governance, climate change, rural and urban development, social work, and relevant programmes.

They will also jointly organise training according to Sungi’s intervention like tree plantation and forestry, water conservation, solid waste management, renewable energy, climate education, while scholarships and internship opportunities will be available to the students of three universities.

Malick Shahbaz said apart from research activities and capacity building, two students (male and female) would be offered scholarships from each of three universities until completion of their BS degrees and the number of beneficiaries would be increased with every passing year.

He said that academic best performance, vulnerability and deservingness would be the criteria for selection of beneficiaries for the scholarship program of Sungi.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2024