Investment in edu must for economic growth: WB

Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, World Bank Ms Sri Mulyani Indrawati has appreciated steps taken by the government to strengthen higher learning institutions and said, it will play key role in socio-economic development of the country.

Speaking at a special session Ms. Indrawati thanked HEC for providing an opportunity to talk to educators, students and hear from them, said a press release. She said Pakistan has shown good economic progress during the last few years due to right steps taken by the government.

However she emphasized that the country needs to do much more to compete at regional as well as global level. The session was attended by vice chancellors, faculty members, research scholars and students. Over 60 universities of the country were connected through video-conferencing. The WB Managing Director said that Pakistan has a huge potential of human as well as natural resources that need to be tapped properly. She said Pakistan's growing middle class was representing a powerful engine for change. Terming macro-economic stability of the country as encouraging, she stressed that a lot needs to be done. She said that Pakistan's people have proved themselves resilient in the face of extremist attacks, natural disasters, frequent floods and extreme weather. "But I want to focus on what, in my view, are the two most important challenges, both obvious and urgent. To reach its full potential Pakistan needs to make better use of its people and its position in neighborhood and world."