Baltistan Varsity to start Training Courses in Gemology & Mineralogy: PR
SKARDU: The University of Baltistan has decided to start training course in Gemology and Mineralogy. According to a statement, the Baltistan Cultural Development Foundation (BCDF) will help establish a Gemology Laboratory at Baltistan Varsity.
GB is blessed with minerals, gems, semi-precious stones and rocks of all types with huge prospects of precious metals and stones.
In compliance to the Prime Minister’s youth employment & training program, Baltistan University will start vocational training courses in gemology and mineralogy for poverty alleviation and socioeconomic development in GB.
The training courses in gemology and mineralogy will help educate, train and develop stakeholders to extract gems and minerals in a scientific & environment friendly manner, while discouraging non-professional, illegal and disastrous mining methodologies and practices.
Baltistan Cultural Development Foundation (BCDF) has reached an understanding with University of Baltistan, where BCDF will help establish a Minerals & Gemology Training Laboratory at Skardu City Park Campus of UoBS. BCDF will also provide gem cutting, faceting and polishing machinery, tools and equipment to provide practical on-hand training to trainee youth, miners and gem prospectors.
This was decided in a joint meeting of UoBS and BCDF, presided over by the Vice Chancellor, UoBS, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Naeem Khan in Skardu today.
A two members BCDF delegation lead by its Vice Chairman, Adeel Shigri and Wazir Ejaz Hussain, CEO met the Vice Chancellor, in his office in Skardu today.
University of Baltistan’s Principal Officers, Waseem Ullah Jan Malik, Registrar, Dr. Zakir Hussain Zakir, Director Academics, Dr. Ghulam Raza, Controller Examinations and Dr. Ishtiaq Hussain Mondoq, Director External Linkages & International Coordination also participated in the meeting Vice Chancellor was told that Gemology Laboratory will also prepare a province wise inventory & database of all mineral resources in GB, study them in terms of industrial usage, market, utility, and demand.
In the second phase, the university, after hiring of trained faculty, professional experts and industry specialists will start Professional Certificate, Diploma and Degree programs in Mineralogy and Gemology.
Vice Chancellor thanked BCDF for the donation of costly machinery and equipment for practical training in the field of stone cutting and gem polishing.
Vice Chancellor congratulated the University faculty and BCDF on the joint initiative and hoped that as a national think tank, UoBS will undertake necessary R&D, capacity building, professional development, HRD, networking and national & global outreach research to provide policy guidelines to Federal & GB Governments to boost industrial exploration of mines and minerals in GB.
