Moalims

KARACHI: The government is planning to establish a sports university to prepare better people for sports development.
Currently universities in Pakistan offer Master’s courses in physical education. It would be a great step to set up a university with the sole purpose of producing sports professionals through formal education.
Through a detailed chat with Pakistan Sports Board’s (PSB) Director General Technical and Training Dr Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera, it has been learnt that the first step would be to launch a sports institute which will go on to become a university.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was expected to announce the plan during the opening ceremony of the Inter-Provincial Games on June 9, which were called off due to “unavoidable circumstances”.
The university will be set up at Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad, it has been decided.
There are hundreds of sports directors and teachers in the country but they don’t know about sports management.
At the institute, 75 percent admissions will be given to on-field sports professionals, including people in federations. The rest of the seats will be reserved for fresh students. They will pursue advanced degrees in sports management and sports sciences.
Cuba would assist the government in this respect, federal minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Riaz Pirzada told ‘The News’ last week.
The varsity will be operated under the regulations of Higher Education Commission (HEC) and it will have branches in all major universities of Pakistan.
It will have libraries, two hostels (separate for males and females), computer laboratory and all other necessary facilities.
“We have so many people working in sports but they don’t know exactly what the basic requirements of athletes are and how to develop them and what type of diet they need,” Ganjera told this correspondent.
“By studying at the university they will learn about sports business, which means they will be able to generate funds to run federations and associations in the most effective way,” said Ganjera.
He said that even with the available infrastructure at Pakistan Sports Complex a university could be launched. “Our complex can serve as a laboratory. We have rooms which can be used as classrooms. We have a medical centre and are establishing a biomechanical lab also. Around 45 percent of work on the project has already been completed. It will be the first lab of its kind in Pakistan,” Ganjera added.
“In all provincial headquarters, we have our centres which can be utilised as branches of the university. The centres have hostels which if renovated could turn out to be ideal locations for students to stay during their courses,” Ganjera said.
“In the 1990s we did an experiment to run an institute with the collaboration of the Gomal University. We produced around 100 professionals in physical education who are now working in the leading institutes of the country,” Ganjera added.
As per HEC rules, a department in the university must have at least three PhDs.
Ganjera said Pakistan had a few qualified people. Besides, he said, qualified teachers would be hired from Victoria University in Melbourne.
“It’s not difficult. We will manage them as we have already held a meeting with some professors of Victoria University and will sign an MoU with them soon,” Ganjera said. “Their salaries will be negotiated. They will need a better accommodation,” the official said, who got his PhD in sports management from the same university in 2008.
After Pakistan won the right to host 1978 Asian Games, the then Prime Minister Zulfiqar Bhutto expressed his desire to build Pakistan Sports Complex. But the complex could not be completed due to differences between the then education and sports minister Abdul Hafeez Pirzada and Punjab Chief Minister Malik Mairaj Khalid. That forced the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to impose a fine on Pakistan and shift the event to Thailand.
The sports complex was completed later and handed over to PSB in May 1985.
According to sources, General Zia-ul-Haq’s government wanted to utilise the sports complex for academic purposes as well. Brig Hameedi was the DG PSB then. He desired to use the facility for education purposes. But after Hameedi’s retirement, no boss of the PSB took interest in this matter. “It would be a great milestone if the sports university was established. It would bring a sea change in our sports culture,” Ganjera said.
“Slowly it would turn out to be an international university which would be able to attract students from Afghanistan, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, African nations and even from China,” Ganjera said.
Former PSB Director General Brig Arif Siddiqui said it was a wonderful concept. “It’s really a great idea,” Arif told this correspondent.
“But who will manage, retain and sustain it? At least in Pakistan I don’t see any one capable of running such a university,” he said.

News Reference: http://www.geosuper.tv/news_detail.asp?id=88136