F.P. Report
KOHAT: A meeting was held at District Headquarters Hospital KDA Kohat called by Sehryar Afridi (State Minister for SAFRON and Narcotics) and Zia Ullah Bangash (Advisor to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Science & Technology and Information Technology) attend by Vice Chancellor KUST Prof. Dr. Syed Tasleem Hussain and Registrar Dr. Wasi Ullah Malik.
It was decided in the meeting that Kohat University will share a detail proposal with district management Kohat for establishing COVID-19 detection testing facility at KUST.
Vice Chancellor KUST Prof. Dr. Syed Tasleem Hussain called meeting of Senior academicians and faculty members from Faculty of Biological Sciences having expertise in the field of Virology for their input to help government in addressing COVID-19 pandemic challenge situation and to compile a comprehensive proposal for stabling COVID-19 Biosafty level 3 (BSL3) Laboratory at KUST with RT PCR and other advance equipment facilities.
Prof. Dr. Fida Younus (Dean Faculty of Physical and Numerical Sciences), Dr. Wasi Ullah Malik (Registrar), Prof. Shahid Niaz (Dept of Zoology), Dr. Rashid Dept of Physics), Dr. Taj Ali (Dept of Microbiology), Dr. Niaz (Dept of Microbiology), Dr. Mubashir (Dept of Microbiology), Mr. Fakhar (Dept of Journalism), Dr. Ishtiaq Anjum (Dept. of Zoology), Dr. Tariq Jan (Director ORIC), Dr. Kaleem Ullah (Department of Zoology) and Dr. Zeeshan Bangash (Coordinator Public Relations) attended this meeting. Different options for establishing the lab facility were discussed and concluded that BSL3 lab which is a basic requirement for test like COVID-19 is not available at KUST.
A sub-committee of the experts in virology headed by Prof. Dr. Shahid Niaz (Chairman Department of Zoology) was constituted by VC to prepare a detail proposal (PC1) for establishing BSL3 lab at KUST for onward forwarded it to District Management Office (DCO) necessary procurement.
Meanwhile, a meeting of departmental heads along with deans and KUST Campus Management System (KCMS) development team was held at Video Conference room ICT KUST chaired by Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Syed Tasleem Hussain.
The Vice Chancellor while talking said that outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has created a global health crisis that has had a deep impact on the way we perceive our world and our everyday lives.
He further told that not only the rate of contagion and patterns of transmission threatens our sense of agency, but the safety measures put in place to contain the spread of the virus also require social distancing by refraining from doing what is inherently human.
However as an academician we have to play our role in facalitatating the governments in fighting against COVID-19 challenge and have to facilitate our students to save their precious time. He told that KUST is one of the leading universities in KP that has its own indigenously developed campus management solution that is working effectively for the last four years.
In current circumstance Vice Chancellor appreciated the efforts of Prof. Dr. Fida Younus Khattak (Dean Faculty of Physical and Numerical Sciences and KCMS team who have developed new facilities in KCMS for online class conduction that requires very little training of the faculty members and students as they are already using the system.
After detail discussion with the deans and all head(s) of the departments/ institutes/campus, it was decided that the online classes facility that is already developed by KCMS team can be used by faculty members during current summer vacations (till 31st May 2020) for preparing contents, recorded lectures and updating it at KCMS.
Also, during the vacation period, curriculum of different degree program will be revised with addition of new courses that will be designed as per the market and industry needs so as to get it approved from Board of Studies (BoS) and Academic Council. The University will remain close till 31st may 2020 and the closure period shall be considered as summer vacation.
The regular classes will resume from 1st June 2020. However in case the COVID19 pandemic situation still prevailing after 1st June 2020 and campus remains closed directed by government, then the uploaded lectures and contents in KCMS will be used for online class conduction.
It was also decided during the meeting that some faculty members from different departments will offer online courses as a volunteer during current summer vacation period that will validate the newly developed online class conduction facility in KCMS for its future use.
