Muslim Nations Urged to Promote Nanotechnology Education

Doctor Atta-ur-Rahman has called on the higher education policy makers of Islamic countries to introduce nanotechnology as a discipline at university level curricula. Atta, who is the Coordinator General of the OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), said this chairing the inaugural session of a three-day international workshop on “Essential Need of Nano-Education in OIC Countries”, organised by the COMSTECH in collaboration with Preston University here today. Scientists and science policy makers from different Islamic countries including Turkey, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are participating in this workshop.

Atta-ur-Rahman described the wonders of nanotechnology in different fields including industry and medicines and urged on the governments of the Islamic countries to realise the potential of nanotechnology in bringing about industrial revolution in the OIC region.

“Nanotechnology is the future of science and technology which the advanced world has already embraced and it is still not too late for Pakistan and other Islamic countries to wake up and follow the latest breakthroughs in the science and technology domains.” Atta-ur-Rahman said. He said that wonders of nanotechnology are amazing to such an extent that now even a blind man can partially see with nano-sensors. He also disclosed that COMSTECH is planning to set up an Inter-Islamic Network on Nanotechnology for 57 Muslim countries.

Dr Anwar Nasim, COMSTECH Advisor on Science, introduced to the participants the aims and objectives of the COMSTECH Thematic Workshops Program and disclosed that COMSTECH has trained 450 scientists from 24 Islamic countries by arranging 26 such workshops in last two years. He disclosed that COMSTECH has spent US$ 0.5 million Dollars on training of scientists from Egypt, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Malaysia, Nigeria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Tunisia, Palestine, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Yemen.

Dr Nasim said, “COMSTECH is organizing a new series of workshops to target a large number of young researchers from OIC member states. The main purpose of these workshops is to bring together young scientists from OIC member states to help develop future collaborative projects in broader areas of science.”

Anwar Nasim informed the participants that under COMSTECH fresh initiative of thematic workshop series, 25 workshops have been planned out of which 4 workshops have been organized so far benefitting 37 foreign and 68 Pakistani participants who were trained by 23 foreign and 31 local trainers. This is the fifth workshop of the series.

Dr Abdul Basit, Rector Preston University expressed hope during his address that workshop deliberations would help formulate strategies for popularising nanotechnology as university subject. Dr N.M. Butt, Chairman of the Preston Institute of Nano-Science and Technology (PINSAT) called on other universities to set up nanotechnology education departments in view of the importance of this highly advancing field of science and technology. On behalf of Preston University and COMSTECH, Professor Khwaja Yaldram presented vote of thanks to the participants and guests present on the occasion.

Having 57 member countries and headquartered in Islamabad, COMSTECH is an Inter-governmental body under the OIC and is mandated to coordinate science and technology related initiatives in the Islamic countries.

During this workshop, experts in the field of nanotechnology from the OIC countries will be sharing their experience regarding the efforts made in their respective countries in introducing nanotechnology in their university curricula. Experts from China and Australia will also be sharing their experiences through video conferencing. At the end of the workshop, a set of recommendations shall be forwarded for incorporating nano-science and nanotechnology in the university curricula of OIC countries.