Meghalaya’s first Pharmacy School will boost Research and Entrepreneurship: Hek
GUWAHATI: The University of Science and Technology Meghalaya has celebrated the success of its 58 NET/ SLET/GATE qualified students in 2019 by giving back their entire course fees amounting more than Rs fifty lakh under the ‘Pay Back Policy’ of the university on the occasion of the orientation programme held on Friday at USTM Central Auditorium.
The USTM has also opened a School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (SOPS) from this year after receiving recognition from the Pharmacy Council of India. The school was formally inaugurated on Friday by Alexander Laloo Hek, Health & Family Welfare Minister of Meghalaya. On the same occasion, USTM felicitated, Dr Ilias Ali, the renowned general & laparoscopic Surgeon.
Addressing the orientation programme as the chief guest, Alexander Laloo Hek said that universities must work for societal development. “I am very much impressed by the pay back policy of USTM which is a very unique scheme. I congratulate USTM for gifting this policy to the young students, it is not only an eye opener, but a heart opener. USTM has displayed an exemplary gesture by returning the entire course fee to the successful students in the competitive examinations”.
He addressed more than 2000 newly-admitted students along with other participants and handed over the rewards to the achiever students. The Health Minister said, “Launch of the B Pharma course at USTM will not only help general students and especially those from Meghalaya but this will also encourage entrepreneurship in the region because one must be qualified in order to open a pharmacy.”
Dr Ilias Ali, a retired surgeon of Gauhati Medical College and (GMCH) who is popularly known as Assam’s “family planning jihadi” for his mission to advocate birth control among rural Muslim populace of Assam lauded the initiative of USTM in opening a Pharmacy School and stated that the emphasis on research and development in the field of drug discovery will really go a long way to serve humanity.
Earlier, Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor of USTM said, “We are following the footsteps of world class institutions as well as the institutes of excellence in our country. We are committed to our assurance that no brilliant student should be deprived of pursuing higher education only because of their financial incapability.”
Regarding opening of SOPS, he said that the effort is not simply to produce pharmacists but to work intensively in the field of drug discovery and prepare the next generation of pharmacists for the new demands and opportunities of a rapidly-evolving profession. The School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at USTM will open its doors to M Pharma and Ph.D. from the next year.
Speaking to the enthusiastic gathering of students, parents and academicians in the Orientation programme, Dr Tiewlasubon Uriah Kharbyngar, Principal of SOPS said, “Being the first pharmaceutical college of Meghalaya, this college at USTM has actually fulfilled a long cherished dream of the people of the State. I thank our Chancellor for his visionary initiative and hope that in the coming years, our students will show excellent performance in their academics as well as in research and development related to medicine”.