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Park will play an important role for the promotion of information technology, high quality education and research
With the objective to develop and create linkages and synergy between academia and the corporate world in areas that feed into the global knowledge industry, the PML-N led Punjab government is setting up the Lahore Knowledge Park (LKP). As per vision of the Chief Minister Punjab, the Lahore Knowledge Park is envisaged as the driving force to make the Punjab in particular and Pakistan in general, into South Asia’s future nodal point for the Global Knowledge Economy.
The Punjab government has dedicated an area of 852 acres of prized land in the most up-market location of the city of Lahore. The basic concept is envisaged to be achieved through creating clusters of related academic and industry sectors especially in the ICT, Business & Management Sciences and in Science & Technology.
A state-of-the-art development is planned to cater to a complete lifestyle of academic and business excellence by collaborating with the best global educational and corporate entities. All necessary infrastructure and facilities required for a safe and serene environment are to be part of the LKP. The most well known international entities are being taken on board as partners in order to develop the LKP as a location where top global educational and corporate brands will be located.
Punjab had allocated a sum of Rs21 billion for the Knowledge Park project over the next three years and that it would provide Rs7 billion annually from its own resources for the implementation of the project.
Experts believe that the Lahore Knowledge Park would play an important role for the promotion of information technology, high quality education and research in the country. Provision of resources for the promotion of education was a useful investment and Punjab government would make with a view to investing in the future of the country. The project of setting up Knowledge Park on a vast area in the city is unique and the first project of its kind in the history of the country, they said.
According to them, Knowledge Park being set up in Lahore would be the first educational center of international standards in South Asia where facilities, including boarding and lodging for teachers and students, shopping mall and recreational centers will be available.
The experts expressed these views while addressing an introductory function regarding the Knowledge Park project in London, which was attended by British investors, heads of universities, deans and educationists. They said the aim of establishing the center was to provide higher education facilities to young people who have no resources for getting higher education abroad. Foreign students would also get education in the park while facilities would also be provided to the investors for opening campuses of foreign educational institutions in the park.
The campus of first information technology university of Punjab would also be set up in the park.
According to Provincial Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmed, education is the only way towards rapid development and the goal of progress cannot be achieved without education. The Punjab government is spending billions of rupees on the programs for the promotion of quality education. Through Daanish schools, quality education has been made available to the children of low income segments in backward areas of the province and better education than prestigious institutions is being provided in the schools.
Rana Mashhood said that the knowledge park being set up in Lahore will open new vistas of development and economic prosperity as campuses of prestigious local and foreign educational institutions will be set up in this knowledge park.
Rana Mashhood said that knowledge parks play an important role in the development of any country. He said that due to the Knowledge Park at Lahore opportunities will be available to the students for getting education at renowned international universities. He said that provision of quality education is an effective weapon for coping with challenges being faced by the country and government is taking a number of steps for this purpose. The Education Minister directed that steps should be taken for completing Lahore Knowledge Park project at the earliest.
