950822

KU to start

degree courses

in transport

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The University of Karachi has decided to institute degree courses in Transport.

The courses for BA, and BSc in Transport will commence from this year, MA course in near future.

At present the university offers a post-graduate diploma course in transport with the collaboration of The Chartered Institute of Transport, Pakistan Council. This diploma course was initiated in 1986.

It is worth mentioning that during the last 50 years, great advancements have been made and changes have taken place in all the four modes of transport (air, sea, rail, and road). Planning, operation, maintenance and management of transport now demand a high degree of professionalism and expertise which can only be achieved from a sound educational system for diffirent grades and levels of individuals who choose to adopt transport as a profession.

Pakistan, unfortunately, still lags behind other countries in transport education. Except the post graduate diploma offered by Karachi University, no university offers even a basic course in transport, although the transport sector in Pakistan is expanding and advancing with every passing day.

Currently, over half a million people are employed in transport and distribution management. About 1,50,000 people are employed in the railway, 30,000 in air transport, civil aviation and other related fields, 35,000 in maritime shipping and approximately 30,000 in road transport, including all aspects of physical distribution management. 20 percent of these are in planning, management and supervision, and they have no transport education.

In view of the importance of training and education in transport sector, the Department of Economics, University of Karachi, after a series of deliberations at numerous meetings, decided to initiate a programme of BA and BSc in transport.