LAHORE: (Wednesday, November 20, 2024): Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ali has said that PU will launch various programs in allied health sciences next year to fulfill shortage of human resource in the field and promote professional degree programs. The decision was taken in PU’s academic council meeting chaired by the vice chancellor in which the deans of the faculties, heads of departments and professors participated. The meeting approved the recommendation to transfer the Center of Excellence in Applied Molecular Biology (CAMB) to the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences to support the launching of allied health sciences programs. Addressing the meeting, PU VC Dr Muhammad Ali said that before starting various degrees of allied health sciences, approval will be taken from the relevant councils. He said that he will promote skill-based professional academic programs in PU. He said that PU will play a role in meeting the shortage of human resources faced by the country in allied health sciences. He said that inactive departments would be consolidated to improve the ranking of PU. He said that decisions will be made with collective wisdom for the betterment of the university. In the meeting, the recommendation to give free education and accommodation to 10 students each from Palestine and Lebanon was also approved. In the meeting, the recommendation to terminate the inactive Center for Econometrics and Quantitative Method under the School of Economics was approved. In the meeting, changes in the curriculum of various programs according to modern requirements and various agenda items were also approved. The teachers paid tribute to Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ali for his inclusive approach and holding the academic council meeting in a democratic manner for the first time in PU’s history. The teachers said that for the first time they have got an opportunity to openly express their views in the academic council. They said that they are grateful to VC for promoting democratic values in the Academic Council.