Popularizing Pakistan’s S&T education through collaboration with China: 2020 Chinese Government Friendship Winner Prof. Dr. Manzoor Soomro
ISLAMABAD, Nov. 26 (Gwadar Pro) – In order to achieve sustainable development in various fields, highly skilled human resources as well as scientific and technological programmes are becoming increasingly critical. With the continuous injection of new energy into human resources, science and technology popularization should be paid more attention in youth training and motivation. Through collaboration with China, Pakistan can greatly improve its S&T capability.
The above views were expressed by Prof. Dr. Manzoor Soomro in a recent interview with Gwadar Pro. He has won 2020 Chinese Government Friendship Award, which is the highest award to commend foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to China’s modernization drive. He is appreciated for his efforts in facilitating friendly exchanges between China and other countries in culture, education, science and technology, as well as his contributions to China’s economic and social development over the years.
As the only Pakistani winner in the year, Prof. Dr. Manzoor Soomro is extremely grateful to Chinese government for this exclusive honor. Dr. Manzoor Soomro is an eminent scientist of Pakistan, a professor of plant protection. He has been the DG of Pakistan Museum of Natural History, DG of PASTIC and Chairman of Pakistan Science Foundation. He is proponent of science education at grass root level. His contributions in S&T Popularization have been recognized by the government of France with Order of Academic Palms in 2013, Founding Fellow of Academy of Engineering and Technology of the Developing World-AETDEW and Foreign Fellow of the ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology- AAET. He is currently the President of ECO Science Foundation.
As an integrated pest management expert at the agriculture field, he emphasized that Pak-China agricultural cooperation should be strengthened through scientific and technological power. Agriculture has always been the first science for development historically, and scientists from China and Pakistan can be brought together. “With the support of China, Pakistan can use technology to study the potential of unused land, produce some products that China imports from other countries, and then transport them through the roads that have been developed by both countries.” Prof. Dr. Manzoor underlined that, “Pakistan has vast areas of land which are not cultivated where the science and technology is needed, particularly technology not only in terms of cultivating but irrigation, harvesting, transportation, and digital agriculture is the direction.”
It is also necessary to link school education with higher education and industry so that children can be exposed to industry as soon as possible which will ultimately drive economic development. Prof. Dr. Manzoor explained that, “we have been organizing forums with Chinese colleagues from various organizations, especially China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), which has been participating in this particularly ongoing project. I am extremely grateful to CAST for his recognition and support. CAST has made great efforts in organizing international science and technology exchange programs, promoting international scientific and technological cooperation, and developing cooperative relations with scientific and technological organizations and personnel worldwide.”
Prof. Dr. Manzoor further expressed his expectations for more communications and cooperation in multiple ways with various Chinese scientific and technological institutions and jointly contribute to building a community with a shared future of mankind. “Youth is the future, we will constantly engage youth more in S&T programs.” he concluded.
