Karachi, The Higher Education Commission (HEC) should fulfil its commitment and provide video-conferencing facility the University of Karachi (KU) Science Faculty, KU Acting Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof. Dr Shahana Urooj Kazmi has said.

Although the Latif Ebrahim Jamal (LEJ) National Science Information Centre at KU has this facility, it is insufficient because the university has more than 25,000 students.

Dr Kazmi said that the HEC had already provided video-conferencing facilities to faculties of many universities in the country.

She was speaking at the closing ceremony of the seven-day First All-Pakistan Inter-University Online Debate Contest at the LEJ National Science Information Centre.

KU International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) Director Prof. Dr Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, who is in the US for medical treatment, also delivered his views via telephone.

He said that the ICCBS was making efforts to promote educational and research activities among public-sector universities and higher learning institutions in the country; the debate contest was one example. ICCBS Acting Director Prof. Dr Atiya Abbasi said that the HEC had already established video-conferencing facilities in more than 70 public-sector universities and institutes.

Students from 10 universities participated in the final round of the debate competition. Haider Mairaj from the National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad, secured first position and Rs20,000; Samrina Pervaiz of Foundation University Islamabad, fetched second position and Rs15,000; and Rohina Shan of the Frontier Women University, Peshawer got third position and Rs10,000.